why does the catholic church worship idols and saints??

Question

isn't it that God commands that man worship Him and commanded that those who worship him worship his son...

Answer 1

Do you have pictures of your loved ones?

Statues and pictures of people we love are not idols.

Statues and paintings of Jesus and the saints are just like pictures of the people we love and respect.

The King James Version of the Bible states in Exodus 20:4: "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth"

Why were the Jews commanded not to make graven images? Graven images were the standard method of pagan worship. They were representations of false gods.

This is a very clear command. However God commanded the Jews in Exodus 25:18, "And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them" and in 1 Kings chapter 7 Solomon made bulls and other images out of precious metals.

It seems obvious that the Jews did not worship the cherubims and Solomon did not worship the bulls he had made. These images did not violate the command of God. Therefore, an image not made for worship is acceptable.

How can a statue of our Lord Jesus Christ dead on the cross be considered an idol to a false god? A crucifix is the message of the Gospel without words held up for all to see, a visual reminder of the sacrifice of Jesus, no different from a painting, a play, or a movie.

Catholics do not worship statues but the almighty God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

This is an old question- they will tell you that they dont WORSHIP but venerate; thats the differnece in the words- venerate means to remember, they do not wordship; they use the statues to remember people and moments who made very important sacrafcises for the people of GOD. They do not worship Saints either. The Niacine Creed states that they have 'communion with the Saints', as does all manistream portstant churches ie, Methodist, Presbitrian, Epscipal, Lutherans, Baptists, and United Church of Christ.

Answer 3

They don't. Most people pray to the saints asking them to intercede for them on their behalf. Like asking a friend to pray for you. Why not go directly to God? You can, but some people feel that the saint's request will have more impact than their own. Or just that the more people asking the better. Also, they generally feel that that particular saint would understand their problem and so be earnest in their prayers. You want someone who's been there, whom you know understands, to plead your case. If a person is having trouble getting pregnant, for instance, they might ask St. Elizabeth to pray for them because she had the same problem, yet later conceived a child through God's grace. If a saint is able to perform a miracle, it's because God granted them the power to do so, just as He granted it to many of the Apostles. It's an affirmation of God's power, not a rival to it.

As for idols, do you mean statues? Some people will pray before statues, but they certainly do not pray to them. I'm sure you have pictures of your family, but would you ever mistake the pictures for the real people? The pictures are just a way to help remind you of them. The same goes for religious statues and paintings. They just serve as a reminder and a way to focus one's thoughts and sometimes as very beautiful art, but no more than that.

Answer 4

It's roots come from the Old Roman Empire that earlier Christians lived around, and as the old saying goes (which is a saying of DEFEAT) " if you cant beat them join them " The Romans worshiped a lot of gods and the christians among them were not going along with them....so they (that is the devil's deceiver character again) decided to mix in and in simple words " BAM" muliple worship to just about anything that sounds good , smells good , or looks good. When Jesus is the only good being, all the time.

Answer 5

Once again listen close I am a Catholic we do NOT worship saints or statues. Do you worship pictures that you have in your house of family members? Do you worship the cross that you wear around your neck or the Statue of Liberty?Do you worship your minister or your mother? Why do you not seem to understand. You ask what we believe, we tell you what we believe, you still think we believe. I don't think anyone can teach you anything.
Peace of Christ,
Debra

Answer 6

I agree with you, the catholic church is already violating the 1st and 2nd Commandments;
1. "I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me... .."
This commandment is to believe in the existence of God and His influence on events in the world. It prohibits belief in or worship of any additional deities.
2. "Do not make a sculpted image or any likeness of what is in the heavens above..."
This prohibits the construction or fashioning of "idols" in the likeness of created things (beasts, fish, birds, people) and worshipping them.

Answer 7

Catholics do not see it as 'worship'; they define it as 'veneration'. I am unable to tell the difference, so I know that for me to try to venerate an icon or a relic or a saint would be wrong. I have never met anybody who was able to explain the difference to me suifficiently clearly so that I felt it was safe for me to do so.

I cannot imagine Mary, or Joseph, or any of the apostles or saints in Heaven looking down and being dissatisfied, reach up (to tug on the hem of God's robe to get His attention) and say "LORD! What's wrong with those Protestants down there? They aren't venerating ME...!"

Of course they do not do this. I doubt that they spare even an instant of their time from worshiping and adoring the One they love, the One who bought them with His blood and brought them there, desite all their failures and shortcomings. After all, they are not infinite, as God is, and cannot pay attention to God and us simultaneously.

It is not surprising that the Catholic church has many cultural elements that have been with them since the Middle Ages. In those days, as a typical peasant, you could not talk to the King. No, you spoke to the knight who had fief over your land, and he spoke to the baron, and the baron spoke to the count and the count spoke to the duke and the duke spoke to the prince and the prince spoke to his mother, the Queen-- and she had the King's ear. It was the chain of command.

We know, now, that God is all knowing and so He needs nobody to pass messages along. I think it is mostly a sense of unworthiness that leads people to want to ask others to pray for them, that is, the saints in Heaven. If people had faith in Christ, that He always heard them, and that He cared for them and wanted the best for them, they would pray directly to Him.

I have even heard that many Catholics have not actually asked Jesus to be their Savior, assuming that He just is! And some have even been offended that perhaps they ought to, need to ask Him. But, if they love him, and they know that He loves them I don't see how it could possibly be offensive to Jesus. Perhaps some are a little nervous about starting a newer and better relationship with Jesus.

But I am sure that He knows what is in our hearts and that He is able to tell the difference between somebody who wants to know Him and love Him more, and someone who is trying to say that He didn't save them earlier. He knows what we need.

I pray for you, that you will ask Jesus to save you, if you have never done so before, and I pray that He will give you a blessing you have never had before!

Answer 8

Catholics do not worship statues but the almighty God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Ta lar!

Answer 9

Knock...Knock!
Watching the history channel a couple of nights ago, THEY said that the worship of statues of Saints in Catholic church's goes on today. (Kneeling before a statue is a form of worship.) (In Revelation when John knelt before an Angel, he was told NOT to do that)
Jesus said those in the memorial graves are asleep! (IN death)
How can the dead help the living?
Don't Catholics read their bibles?

Answer 10

FOR MERCYS SAKE PEOPLE!!!! Catholic do NOT WORSHIP saints. we honor and respect them. will anyone who dare to say we are breaking the commandments, (wich are listed in ex.) please tell me why, a few chapters later, God commands moses to "make an image of a bronze serpant" or ever after that isn't He the one who "blueprinted " the arc of the covenant? tell me why, then, are there "two cherebuim on either side" please get your facts straight, before you acuse us of that. That question has been going on for ever! its been sovled, if I were a debete with you, you wouldn't know what to say when I was through, I can cover that question completly, I just know you aren't going to read all of it if I wrote it down.

and God bless you all!
"let he who is without sin throw the first stone"



in regaurds to the avove...

yeah, Jesus said " Call no man father, right, well, let me tell you, what does Jesus call abraham??? in Romans, Paul, the rock of the church calls Abraham father too, so PLEASE do not asume! (btw, He meant not to put anyone in a higher place in your heart than God the Father, and God holds Mary in a Very high place, she was sinless)