and that's okay for you. You pray to Jesus right? What , you just don't pray to Jesus if your anywhere around the statue of Jesus in the Nativity? How close is too close? Talk about a double standard people!!!!
2006-11-17 10:00:27 · 23 answers · asked by Midge 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I make the mistake of assuming people have read a previous question. It had to do with who had a Nativity set and if they did why wasn't that idolatry because they claim statues that Catholics have is idolatry.
2006-11-17 10:15:08 · update #1
yeah funny the double standard - i like the poster who wrote - i have itm it was my moms and grandma's and i don't worship it, it reminds me of Jesus in HIs lowly state.....
yeah - same thing with the Crucifix on my wall and other pictures AND various statues and such in my church - they were gifted to the churches, they are reminders of "their lowly state"
thanks for pointing out the hypocracy!!!
2006-11-17 11:03:49 · answer #1 · answered by Marysia 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Catholics are not the only ones guilty of idolatry. On most church buildings is a symbol of the cross, a pagan religious symbol that predates Christianity by thousands of years. People also wear this pagan symbol as a part of their personal attire. Idolatry comes in many forms.
By the way, true Christians do not pray to Jesus. They pray to God through Jesus.
2006-11-17 10:19:16 · answer #2 · answered by LineDancer 7 · 1⤊ 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 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.
2006-11-17 15:52:12 · answer #3 · answered by imacatholic2 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Okay, I'm not sure what you are asking.
The statues as you call them.. Joseph, Mary, Baby Jesus, the animals, the people coming to bear gifts to the newborn Savior. The Star leading to where he was..That is a wonderful re-creation of what it was like when Baby Jesus was born.
Prayer: You pray to God, through Jesus. Since Jesus lived as a MAN, he understands more how it is to live in the flesh. He takes our prayers to God.
Happy Holidays!
2006-11-17 10:15:02 · answer #4 · answered by LittleBitOfSugar 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The statues you speak of are the nativity scene, set up to remind us of what Christmas is really about. There are many who might pray to the statues, but thats not why they are set out. We have been instructed to not pray to Jesus, by Jesus himself. We pray to God in the name of Jesus.
2006-11-17 10:09:44 · answer #5 · answered by Marcus R. 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have no problem with a nativity scene. It reminds me that God sent in Only Begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but will have ever lasting life.
Also, Jesus isn't a baby anymore. He is the King of Kings & Lord of Lords. So why would Jesus be confined to a nativity scene?
2006-11-17 10:06:37 · answer #6 · answered by t_a_m_i_l 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's an image, like a picture, motion picture, comic book or a painting. It's not idolatry until you start kneeling down in front of it, kissing it, or praying to it.
But then it's kind of dumb to just have a bunch of statues standing around a mantle, give it vaule and act as if they are just there.
2006-11-17 10:19:21 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
no one somewhat knows what got here approximately. all of us only has their very own theories. a number of those theories bypass as far as to declare that Mary, Joseph, Jesus, etc in no way existed. traditionally, the Christian concept is that Mary and Joseph have been engaged to be married, and before they consummated their union, Mary replaced into visited by potential of an angel who advised her she would bear the son of God, and he or she grew to become pregnant. it somewhat is the "immaculate theory" - considering she replaced into the "Virgin" Mary yet she bore a baby. regardless of the undeniable fact that, as I say, no one somewhat knows what (if something) got here approximately regarding Mary, Joseph, and Jesus 2000 years in the past. you will finally end up believing an thought that belongs to a undeniable faith, or maybe even springing up your individual. desire this helps. playstation - i'm a Buddhist.
2016-12-10 10:59:17 · answer #8 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Are you referring to the worship of idols? I don't normally have a statue of Jesus around the house - but I have a nativity scene that was my mother's and her mother's before that. I use it at Christmas as a reminder that He was born in such a lowly state. I don't worship it. I worship the Living God.
2006-11-17 10:05:18 · answer #9 · answered by padwinlearner 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
AAaarrrggggg..... such petty nit picking of the semantic details.
Why do you make fun of anothers faith? would you like it if someone made fun of your faith? What is wrong about praying to the Mother of God.... Mary is good too. Catholics pray to mary ten times as often as to God the Father...(in the rosary)
Would you mock people who believe in the trinity?
Is that idea alien to you?
2006-11-17 14:02:39 · answer #10 · answered by ??IMAGINE ?? 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋