iconolatry

Noun

iconolatry (countable and uncountable, plural iconolatries)

1. The use of images as symbols that provide an inspiration and aid to worship.
   • The opponents of iconolatry, the Sthanakavāsīs (i.e. those who worship only in community-houses and not in temples) maintain, on the other hand, that the cult of idols was not taught by the Tirthankaras.1999, Helmuth von Glasenapp, Jainism: An Indian Religion of Salvation, page 430
   • Illegitimate iconolatry is an image consecrated to the worship of God but not prescribed by the Biblical ritual, e.g., the golden calf. The injunction against the use of illegitimate iconolatry seems clearly reflected in the biblical admonition, Take ye therefore good heed to yourselves -- for ye...2010, Martin Sicker, Pondering the Imponderable, page 112
2. The veneration of celebrities.
   • In the 1950s (his ascent was in 1953), 1960s, 1970s, and possibly beyond, he would surely have commanded supreme admiration, respect, and even iconolatry, especially in his native land.2006, Ellis Cashmore, Celebrity Culture, page 243
   • Complementing the value system of luminosity and iconolatry surrounding Hitler, such shadows suggest the imprint of a story-telling agent, of narratorial scaffolding.2010, Aaron Jaffe, Jonathan E. Goldman, Modernist Star Maps: Celebrity, Modernity, Culture, page 161