Why do Catholics and Orthodox Christians engage in Idolatry, having little pictures of Mary and Saints?

Question

No good argueing they are Icons not Idols; a rose by any other name.
"Thou shaft have no graven images" (Exodus 20:4)

How can these people call themselves Christians

So AMDG you claim.

"When one sees a person kneeling in prayer before a statue, this doesn't mean that the person is worshiping the statue (or the person depicted by the statue)."

Well what about the Idolator who kneels in prayer before a Idol (statue in your teminology) might they not claim they are also not worshiping the Idol. That the Idol is only a symbol of something higher. You sophisticated distinction is empty of any real content

Answer 1

The use of statues, icons, pictures, and even stained glass windows have their origins in the Old Testament. Statues are nothing more than three-dimensional pictures, while icons and stained glass windows are two-dimensional pictures. No one feels uncomfortable carrying a picture of a loved one in their wallet or displaying their photo or portrait in a prominent place in their home; these pictures remind the viewer of the person depicted. So it is with statues, icons and pictures of the saints; they remind us of the person depicted and the honor which they bestowed upon God.

The use of all images in worship of God is not forbidden by the first commandment (second commandment as the Protestants number them). Exodus 20:4-5 says


"You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God" (NIV).
The prohibition here is not the manufacture of images (pictures), but the worship of the images instead of God. This may be more clearly seen five chapters later where God commands the Israelites through Moses to:


"make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover (of the Ark of the Covenant)" (Exodus 25:18, NIV).
Cherubim are angels; something in heaven above. Then God commands them to make an image of something on the earth:


"Make a lampstand of pure gold and hammer it out, base and shaft, its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms . . . Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms . . . " (Exodus 25:31-36, NIV)
The Israelites would kneel before these images as part of their Temple worship; not in worship of the images but in worship of God.

All Christians, Protestant and Catholic, use a symbol of a fish to depict Jesus. The fish is something in the waters below.

When one sees a person kneeling in prayer before a statue, this doesn't mean that the person is worshiping the statue (or the person depicted by the statue). Worship is given only to God. Honor and praise are given to the saints for the example and assistance they have provided in our quest to do God's will. As was noted in the chapter titled "MARY", "Protestants, in their worship services, offer songs and praise and prayer to God; this is their highest form of worship. Since they don't have a priesthood, they have nothing else they can offer. Catholics on the other hand, offer the Sacrifice of the Mass to God. Our offering of sacrifice is made only to God and is our form of worship. This allows us to give lesser things such as songs and praise and prayer to those who can pray in our behalf before God: the saints and especially the Blessed Virgin Mary. When the Protestants see us offering what is their highest form of worship to someone other than God, it appears to them that we are worshiping someone other than God."

As it can be seen, the use of images has Old Testament origins where it is ordered by God; not as objects of worship, but as objects used in the worship of God. Statues, icons, and stained glass windows became popular in the early church as the people had no Bibles (printing hadn't been invented yet) and even if they had been able to possess them, the average Christian couldn't read. The images told the Bible stories and were used as methods of evangelization and instruction.

Answer 2

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 1 Chronicles 28:18–19, "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.

In Numbers 21:8-9, "And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a saraph and mount it on a pole, and if anyone who has been bitten looks at it, he will recover." Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he recovered."

And in John 3:14-15, Jesus says in correlation, "And just as Moses lifted up the [image of a] serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life."

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 3

Do Americans worship statues of Generals on horses? No!!! They are heroes and we honor them. Well, Mary and the saints are Christian heroes and we honor them too. Catholics do not worship them. We worship our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I visited a Christian radio station several times and even though they thought the same as you, they had pictures in little cubicles of Jesus and other holy images by which they could immerse themselves in the presence of God and pray or meditate. That is all the statues and pictures are to Catholics. They help bring us into the presence of the Lord.

Answer 4

Do you have a family? Do you have pictures of your kids or spouse in your wallet? If so, does this mean that you are worshiping them?

NO.

Catholics do not worship pictures, statues, angles, or saints; even Mary! We do appreciate art and do have love for our family, including our family in heaven. By your standards, the Israelites would be guilty of graven images by fabricating the Ark of the Covenant which had Cherubs on it.

And for those who would question praying to angles or saints, would you ever ask your family members for help? If you do pray, would you object to a friend praying for you? The angles and saints are more alive in Christ than we are! Why wouldn't we ask them to pray for us?

Answer 5

Unless you actually create a false idol....like the persons I encountered in Al Anon (a "support" group for persons who have an alcoholic loved one in their life) who kicked me out because I refused to refer to God as "HP/Higher Power"....like say you fixate yourself on a can of green beans and think of it as your "God", I encountered one who actually worshipped a door knob, you are not comitting a blasphemy against God.
I carry a rosary in my purse at all times, I am not Catholic, the symbolism of Christ being crucified on the cross is a constant reminder to me that every day as I gossip, smoke, cuss, drink (occasionally), flirt (I am married), judge others, condem others and all my other sins, that I am not living my life the way God intended.
It is a symbol, not an idol.
Christians are not perfect people.

Answer 6

As someone just said... they are reminders to those people. They remind them of what God accomplished through those people portrayed in the icons, and how He used them for His Goodness... As for "How can they call themselves Christians"?... The question is actually, how can anyone who condemns a person, who believes in, prays to, and glorifies the same God be a true Christian?

Answer 7

Catholics and Orthodox are indeed Christians. There's more to the Bible than Exodus 20:4:

Images and Statues
Deut. 4:15 - from this verse, Protestants say that since we saw "no form" of the Lord, we should not make graven images of Him.

Deut. 4:16 - of course, in early history Israel was forbidden to make images of God because God didn't yet reveal himself visibly "in the form of any figure."

Deut. 4:17-19 - hence, had the Israelites depicted God not yet revealed, they might be tempted to worship Him in the form of a beast, bird, reptile or fish, which was a common error of the times.

Exodus 3:2-3; Dan 7:9; Matt. 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32; Acts 2:3- later on, however, we see that God did reveal himself in visible form (as a dove, fire, etc).

Deut. 5:8 - God's commandment "thou shall not make a graven image" is entirely connected to the worship of false gods. God does not prohibit images to be used in worship, but He prohibits the images themselves to be worshiped.

Exodus 25:18-22; 26:1,31 - for example, God commands the making of the image of a golden cherubim. This heavenly image, of course, is not worshiped by the Israelites. Instead, the image disposes their minds to the supernatural and draws them to God.

Num. 21:8-9 - God also commands the making of the bronze serpent. The image of the bronze serpent is not an idol to be worshiped, but an article that lifts the mind to the supernatural.

I Kings 6:23-36; 7:27-39; 8:6-67 - Solomon's temple contains statues of cherubim and images of cherubim, oxen and lions. God did not condemn these images that were used in worship.

2 Kings 18:4 - it was only when the people began to worship the statue did they incur God's wrath, and the king destroyed it. The command prohibiting the use of graven images deals exclusively with the false worship of those images.

1 Chron. 28:18-19 - David gives Solomon the plan for the altar made of refined gold with a golden cherubim images. These images were used in the Jews' most solemn place of worship.

2 Chron. 3:7-14 - the house was lined with gold with elaborate cherubim carved in wood and overlaid with gold.

Ezek. 41:15 - Ezekiel describes graven images in the temple consisting of carved likenesses of cherubim. These are similar to the images of the angels and saints in many Catholic churches.

Col. 1:15 - the only image of God that Catholics worship is Jesus Christ, who is the "image" (Greek "eikon") of the invisible God.

Relics
Mark 15:43; John 19:38 - Joseph of Arimathea sought Christ's dead body instead of leaving it with the Romans. Joseph gave veneration to our Lord's body.

Mark 16:1; Luke 24:1 - the women came to further anoint Christ's body even though it had been sealed in the tomb.

John 19:39 - Nicodemus donated over one hundred pounds of spices to wrap in Jesus' grave clothes. This is also veneration of our Lord's body.

Matt. 9:21; Mark 5:28 - the woman with the hemorrhage just sought the hem of Christ's cloak and was cured. This shows that God uses physical things to effect the supernatural.

Acts 19:11-12 - Paul's handkerchiefs healed the sick and those with unclean spirits. This is another example of physical things effecting physical and spiritual cures.

Acts 5:15 - Peter's shadow healed the sick. This proves that relics of the saints have supernatural healing power, and this belief has been a part of Catholic tradition for 2,000 years.

Rev. 6:9 - the souls of the martyrs are seen beneath the heavenly altar. Their bones are often placed beneath altars in Catholic churches around the world.

2 Kings 13:21 - Elisha's bones bring a man back to life. The saints' bones are often kept beneath the altars of Catholic churches and have brought about supernatural cures throughout the Christian age.

Rom. 13:7; Phil. 2:25-29; Heb. 3:3; 1 Pet. 2:7 – we are taught to honor the people of God and in 1 Cor. 4:16-17; 1 Cor. 11:1-2; Phil. 3:17; 1 Thess. 1:6; 2 Thess. 3:7; Heb. 6:12; Heb. 13:7; James 5:10-11 – we are reminded to imitate them. Keeping relics of the saints serves both to honor and imitate their heroic faith in Christ (just as keeping articles of deceased loved ones helps us honor and imitate them).

Answer 8

Praying to and worshipping are two different things. Protestants only worship God and believe that God and Jesus are different entities. They thank God for sending His son to die for their sins. Catholics believe that Jesus and God are one in the same. They worship both as God. Both religions believe that loved ones along with Saints and Mary join God in heaven and continue to exist. Praying to them is talking to them and expressing love for them.

Answer 9

Christians do not worship the idols themselves. The idols are just reminders.

Answer 10

Idols are worshiped. Icons are not. These are icons.

Do you not have photographs of your loved ones? If not, I find more in you to pity than just your blind faith in a religion.