Prabhupāda: I am asking—I am a layman—that you say "glorified flesh and bone," but you say, "I don't know."
Guest (4): Can I ask a question?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Guest (4): Do you consider . . . is it your Deity? Do you consider that glorified?
Prabhupāda: No, the Deity is the form of the Lord. But when you say: "The bone and flesh," so how we can accept as Deity?
Guest (4): Now, you say that the Deity is the form of God.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Guest (4): Now you've also . . .
Prabhupāda: Also here is. (looking in their book) Here is the Deity.
Guest (2): No, that's an angel called Moroni.
Prabhupāda: "Angel," but you cannot dishonor him.
Guest (2): It's in honor of him.
Prabhupāda: You honor him.
Guest (2): No.
Prabhupāda: Then why you put this?
Guest (4): It's just a picture.
Prabhupāda: Oh, you don't honor him.
Guest (4): Don't honor him.
Prabhupāda: Then what is the use of picture? (laughter)
Guest (4): Could I ask you another question? Could I ask you another question? You've been hitting on some of the Ten Commandments tonight like "Thou shalt not kill." Now, if you believe the Ten Commandments like that, it also says in there that you shouldn't worship idols, bow down to idols.
Prabhupāda: Yes, we don't worship idol. We worship God.
Guest (2): Well, we just have a . . . we don't need to discuss.
Prabhupāda: Just like here is the picture of God. As you say, this picture is not important, but we say it is important because it is picture of God. Because it is important, therefore you have given the picture.
Guest (3): Well, we say that that picture is important because it's in commemoration or something of . . .
Prabhupāda: Anyway, you offer some honor. Otherwise why do you give this picture?
Guest (2): Honor, not worship.
Gurukṛpā: They put this on the top of their temples.
Guest (2): On one, two of them.
Gurukṛpā: I have seen in Salt Lake City.
Guest (2): Salt Lake City and . . .
Prabhupāda: No, no, anywhere, top of . . . here you are giving a particular picture. That means . . .
Gurukṛpā: Gold and silver.
Guest (2): That's right.
Prabhupāda: (to Gurukṛpā) Stop. That means you have got respect.
Guest (2): We have respect. We do not worship.
Prabhupāda: That means that respect is partial. Our process is whomever we respect, we worship him. That is more perfect.
Guest (2): Well, all right. That's fine.
Prabhupāda: That is perfection. If you respect somebody you must worship him. Just like . . . nowadays it has become a fashion. I don't . . . that is European fashion, that you respect some gentleman, political or social, who has done good service to your country, but you keep him in a public park and the crows are passing stool on his head.
Hari-śauri: Make a statue.
Prabhupāda: Statue.
Hari-śauri: If you want to glorify some great personality.
Prabhupāda: But we, if we keep that statue in a temple, is it not more respectful?
Guest (3): Yes.
Prabhupāda: If I expose the statue on the open field and the crows and birds are passing stool on his head and it is going down his mouth, is it respectful? Do you think it is respectful?
Guest (2): Probably not.
Prabhupāda: So if that statue is kept in a temple and you dress, you garland, you offer food, is it not more respectful?
Guest (2): Offer food to an idol?
Hari-śauri: It's not an idol. This is the point Prabhupāda is making.
Prabhupāda: The point is how to offer respect, that if you respect a person, so if you expose this form of the person on the public park, giving the crows chance to pass stool on his head, that is more respectful? Or if you keep that statue in a temple and daily dress him and garland him and offer him food, that is more respectful? Which is more respectful? You are doing the same thing, but you are exposing to the stool of birds and crows.