Images, Idols, and Icons

Image : a picture that is produced by a camera, artist, mirror, etc.

          : a mental picture : the thought of how something looks or might look          : the idea that people have about someone or something

Idol :  a representation or symbol of an object of worship; broadly:  a false god

        :  a form or appearance visible but without substance 

Icon  :  a conventional religious image typically painted on a small wooden panel and used in the devotions of                  Eastern Christians

        :  an object of uncritical devotion 

                                                                    

   :  a sign (as a word or graphic symbol) whose form suggests its meaning

I have been thinking about these three concepts for awhile now.  It seems like every few weeks I read a book or blog, or have a conversation about one or other of them.  So I am going to try to write a both with my musings about each of these.