Religious Images
Order Space and Time
Images and objects in religious practices can operate very powerfully through organizing the space of devotion and worship and delineating some places as sacred such as domestic spaces, temples, pilgrimage sites, and public religious festivals (Morgan 56). In my daily devotional times, I go to the prayer room in my house to get some quiet time to pray and read my Bible. I like to light a candle when I am praying because it reminds me that I am praying to one who will illuminate my paths as I go through my daily routines.
Imagine Community
The American flag is an icon symbolizing national unity and identity. The flag creates an imagined community that spans the land (59). In the church where I worship, there is a flag that flies above the altar, which symbolizes that the church members are members of God’s army. The flag is a representation of Jehovah Nissi– The Lord My Banner. The flag reminds worshippers that they are a chosen generation called to fight through prayer for the salvation of more souls into the Kingdom of God.
Communicate with the divine or transcendent
Images have been used for the longest time by religious peoples across the globe to communicate with the potentially uncontrollable, mysterious, and unseen forces that are understood to govern life. The material form of exchange economy used is sacrificial offerings that allow for a relationship to be entered between a believer and a deity. The expected result is mutual satisfaction. Images make the deity or spirit available for petition, negotiation, offering, and praise. Promises are also made to the images and recalled by means of having a smaller sized image and carrying it around (59). I do not have any image that I use in my worship; neither do I carry one around. However, I carry around my pocket-sized Bible, which I can read anytime and anywhere, reminding me of God and what He speaks to me.
Embody forms of communion with the divine
Different kinds of images often yield experiences with a divine presence. For example, in Eastern Orthodox churches, icons serve as a channel for grace to the believer. Additionally, the image of Buddha goes through a ritual consecration referred to as an eye-opening ceremony. The eyes of the image are dotted, and hence, the devotees are able to turn the image into a living deity (61). In the church where I worship, an image of an empty cross reminds me and other believers that Jesus Christ has arisen, and we can live forever in heaven.
Collaborate with other forms of representation
The hamsa is an example of image and text being combined and displayed on Jewish homes, in the synagogues, or in one’s person. This amulet is used to guard against the Evil Eye or Spells. The hamsa worn as an amulet has many inscriptions on the metal surface and consists mainly of the names of God as well as scripture quotations that are vested in symbolic and mystic significance (64). I use bookmarks, and I have a few wall hangings in my house that contain some scriptures written on them that remind me of God’s virtues.
Influence thought and behavior by persuasion or magic
Images can be laden with densely coded ideas, information, values, or feelings like any communication medium. These can only be discerned by certain viewers of the image. For example, it is common to find a small round mirror in Chinese places of business that serves as a talisman. The mirror is commonly placed above the window of Chinese American stores and restaurants. The mirror is used to ward off harmful and malignant forces before they can access the work establishment. Customers entering the establishments also get reassured when they see the mirrors, that they are safe from the invisible harmful spirits. I do not have any talisman that I use to ward off evil spirits (68). I believe in the power of prayer; hence, whenever I feel like my person is about to face imminent danger, I pray against such danger coming my way. Also, I pray every morning and evening when I wake up and before I sleep, and that gives me faith and hope that all shall be well for me.
Displace rival images and ideologies
This is the final operation of religious images and consists of the resentment or fear of images. This resentment or fear often results in a person damaging, displacing, abasing, or eliminating a rival image. The images become the site of conflicting identities or ideologies (71). I remember a time a friend of the family came to visit with my family. On the day she arrived, she brought each one of my family members a gift. The gifts were dream catchers; she said we would be hung over our beds. I was very opposed to such an idea, and no sooner than she left that evening than I took the dream catchers and burned them at the fireplace. The Bible talks about a lot of people who had dreams, and this was a way for God to communicate with them. There is nowhere the Bible mention the use of dream catchers. Dreams are a channel of communication, and where the information is important, God will help one to remember it without the help of a dream catcher.
Works Cited
Morgan, David.The Sacred Gaze: Religious Visual Culture in Theory and Practice. 2005
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Question 
The Sacred Gaze
David Morgan in The Sacred Gaze, pp. 55–74, discusses seven functions of religious images within visual practice.
Religious Images
Having read the examples that he provides for each function, explain each of these functions through an example from your own experience.
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