Are Catholic images of saints at all more objectionable than Orthodox images?

Question

MikeK60: And yet God, in the Old Testament, commanded that the Israelites put beaten gold images of cherubim on the ark of the covenant.

It seems a little silly to me to argue that a carved statue is necessarily an idol while a hammered statue is not. It seems silly to argue that a carved wooden altar piece is an idol while the flat images painted on an iconostasis are not.

Victor ious: But you missed the whole point of the question, which was why are you in such a lather over Roman Catholic images without a peep from you about Eastern Orthodox images. It seems like a double standard to me. And if there is any sin Jesus denounced with vigor, it was hypocrisy.

Answer 1

Do you have pictures of your loved ones? So do we.

Do you worship these pictures or the people they remind you of? Neither do we.

Do you love and honor the people represented in the pictures? So do we.

Catholics and many other Christians believe in the Communion of Saints where all saints are intimately related in the Body of Christ, a family. When you die and go to heaven, you do not leave this family.

Everyone in heaven or on their way to heaven are saints. You, me, my deceased grandmother, Mary the mother of Jesus, and Mother Teresa.

As part of this family, you may ask your family and friends here on earth to pray for you. Or you may also ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Andrew, or your deceased grandmother in heaven to pray for you.

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

The idea of statues is a problem in the Old Testament too. Hence the term 'graven' images. And the Orthodox certainly object to that, as do (most) protestants, both to the veneration of 'saints' and the 3-dimensional images (statues).

Answer 3

Statues in them selves are not the problem.., if its in memorium and not for the sake of "HEY! THERE'S A ROCK! LETS WORSHIP IT AS A SAINT!!!".

In ancient times such images were always presumed to be gods or godesses of some sort and people dropped knee to darn near any they saw - except for like the Jews (the ones who remained true).

Today? Its amazing. They see a statue..., "OH! There's a saint! I gotta go ask him or her for a favor.." and kneel, do the rosary or sign off on the cross.

Rome has much to answer for in its perpetual deceit in justifying Idol worship in the guise of Christianity. They are sending its members to hell quicker than they could on their own.