Since ancient times, people believed in the supernatural powers of spirits and gods.Different people are represented in the form of images of animals or humans.To communicate with the gods and the spirits of the ancient people made their image, because worship something invisible is difficult, so the people and created incarnation of their deity in the form of wooden or stone figures.With the advent of Christianity the ancient people accused of idolatry.But what is really an idol?It is any image of the deity, its image in the form of statues or icons.
most famous idols of antiquity - a picture of Krishna and Kali in India, Ra and Anubis in Egypt, Odin and Thor in Scandinavia, as well as statues of the plurality of the ancient Greek gods.They did from a variety of materials: wood, stone, gold or marble.Most of the ancient idols were destroyed, and those that were now mostly valued as art objects.
In the modern interpretation of the term little was left of a negative attitude to the idols in the era of the formation of Christianity.If you look in the dictionary, it is an idol, it is clear that it is any object that is worshiped as a deity, is any blind worship or cult.From the point of view of psychology idol of modern man can be any money and wealth, success and power, any well-known person.People worship these realities, revere them and send them your full attention.From this perspective idolatry it is very dangerous because the person withdraws from reality.
And what is the idol from the standpoint of the Christian religion?This image any other gods besides Christ.They were branded as the heathen idolaters believed they worshiped idols and pray to them.In fact, the ancient peoples of the statue are the same images of the gods as the Christians - icons.Our ancestors knew that an idol - it is not a god, but only its image.
Idols Slavs often made of wood, and not only because it was the most common material.Our ancestors worshiped nature and believe in the magical power of trees.Thus, the image of the deity is even and energy wood from which it was made.But for the same reason, it is now almost no examples of what were wooden idols of our ancestors.They almost all have been burned or turned into dust under the influence of time.
But the ancient Slavs were stone idols.They are most common in the area of the Black Sea.The most famous stone idol was found in the 19th century in the river Zbruch.It is a four-sided pillar, covered with images.They are arranged in three tiers, it is believed that it reflects the faith of our ancestors in the worlds of Nav, Yav and regulations.The upper tier is the four faces of the gods, most likely - Kupala Yarilo, Lada and Kolyada.
But basically all the idols were destroyed by the Slavs, and the beliefs of our ancestors gather information bit by bit.Most know from Christian texts in which ancient Slavs represented as idolaters.But if you carefully consider what the idol, the same can be said about themselves Christians.After all, their icons, statues and even crosses - this is also the idols which they worshiped.
