Myth 11 | Angel Moroni violates the Commandment against Graven Images
This one is fairly easy to understand. Anyone familiar with the 10 commandments given to Moses by the hand of God on mount Sinai knows exactly what this myth references.
Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth
Deuteronomy 5:42
If you read just the one verse, and with the understanding that graven means carved or sculpted,[1]Dictionary.com defines graven as an adjective meaning deeply impressed; firmly fixed; carved; sculpted one concludes that it violates this commandment to have an angel atop the temple.
However, this commandment was given to Moses. Moses himself would later command that small sculptures of angels, “cherubim of gold, “be made to cover the lid on the Ark of the Covenant.[2]Exodus 37:7-9
Clearly Moses had a different view on what constituted Graven Images when it came to the commandments given to him by God than the definition of any sculpted or carved statue.
King Solomon also had a different view on Graven Images, creating 2 massive Cherubim overlayed in gold to stand either side of the Ark of the covenant in the Holy of holies in the temple.[3]2 Chronicles 3:10-13 The Cherubim created by Solomon for the temple were even covered in gold, like the statue atop the modern temples.
Additionally, Solomon had carved effigies of cherubim, Palm trees, and flowers. Again, these were overlaid in gold, and covered the walls of the temple interior.[4]2 Chronicles 3:7
So here we have Moses, the receiver of the law, and Solomon, the one chosen to create the house of the Lord, using the likeness of things that are in heaven above and in the earth beneath, to ornament items used to worship god and follow his commandments.
Clearly just being carved is not enough to violate the commandment. Neither is being covered in gold.
When using this criticism of the Angel statue as a method to criticize the Church as a whole, detractors often leave out the context of the one verse quoted above. To better understand the commandment, you need to read more than the one verse. Look at how the commandment changes when you include the verse before, and the three verses after:
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Deuteronomy 5:3-6
It becomes clear that the commandment is not about artwork at all. It’s about worship, Deity, and service.
The commandment is to not “never make any image of anything, ever. “It’s never make an image of anything with the intent of worshiping that image.
This is where we run afoul of the commandment today. It is not in the creation of sculpture, or paintings, or artwork. It’s in the worship of those items to the exclusion of God. The same applies to putting other things before god like cars, homes and money. The sin is in letting something come between you and God, not in using the talents he has given to you to brighten the world and glorify Him.
The Moroni on top of the temple is not used in the temple service, or any ceremony that takes place therein. It is used as a symbol that it shall be proclaimed through the whole earth that he lives and shall come again. As it is not worshipped by the membership, it does not run afoul of this commandment.