The Eastern Orthodox Church claims to be an apostolic church. They profess that their practices are the very same practices of the apostles of Jesus’s day. One of those practices is icon and relic veneration, which is not only a bedrock practice for the church, more importantly, it is a required practice for its members. This controversial practice has drawn charges that icon and relic veneration appear to be just as problematic as idol worship. This charge is often dismissed by Orthodox apologists by their stating that veneration and worship are two different items. They claim that while icons are venerated, only God is worshiped.

Do they have a point? Is icon and relic veneration biblical? Or is it twisting the Scriptures and defying God’s commands?