Wikipedia:Wikipedia is not aniconistic

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This is an essay; it contains the advice and/or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. It is not a policy or guideline, and editors are not obliged to follow it.
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Statues in the Cathedral of Saint Martin, Utrecht. During the Reformation, the statues were partially destroyed in order to comply with aniconistic beliefs.
Statues in the Cathedral of Saint Martin, Utrecht. During the Reformation, the statues were partially destroyed in order to comply with aniconistic beliefs.

Many religious groups have deeply-held objections to the use of images—a position known as aniconism. Occasionally, those with aniconistic beliefs have expressed dissatisfaction with Wikipedia articles which contain images which would be prohibited by aniconistic religions.

While Wikipedia editors should be respectful of all cultures, Wikipedia articles are not bound by religious laws which prohibit the use of images. In cases where images would be beneficial to the encyclopedia, Wikipedia articles may contain images that might be prohibited in aniconistic cultures. One of Wikipedia's core policies is that Wikipedia is not censored, and readers should be aware that Wikipedia may contain content that some readers consider objectionable or offensive.

Similarly, editors should not upload images which they have bowdlerized through the use of blurring, blanking, or excessively low resolutions.

At the same time, Wikipedia is not anti-aniconistic either! Even though we do not adhere to aniconistic traditions, we should try to make it clear that Wikipedia has no opposition and absolutely no hostility to those people and cultures who do adhere to aniconistic traditions. The use of images solely to offend, harrass, or upset members of certain religious groups is completely unacceptable. Images should never be used with the sole purpose of disrupting Wikipedia in order to prove a point.