iconoclasm may be carried out by people of a different religion, but is often the result of sectarian disputes between factions of the same religion. the two byzantine outbreaks during the 8th and 9th centuries were unusual because the use of images was the main issue in the dispute, rather than a by-product of wider concerns. in christianity, iconoclasm has generally been motivated by a literal interpretation of the ten commandments, which forbid the making and worshipping of "graven images" of god.