Should images be used in worship since it sounds like the bible?

Question

condems image worship. You go into a Catholic Church and you see American flags. Also like worship of the country.
Statues, and candles and stuff. Then women wear crosses on necklaces? Isn't all that stuff image worship?

Hass Jon the Almighty God Jehovah is YHWH.

Answer 1

I have not seen an American flag in a church.

I guess symbols are always important.

Image sells. Religions are selling what they preach and trying to make other religion irrelevant. That's one reason why one religion can condemn others of being idol worship but create its own brand of idols as sacred.

Answer 2

You are absolutely right that God condemns image worship. Two of the Ten Commandments demand that we should have no other gods beside the one, true God and that we should never make any idols.

There's a difference, however, between worship and plain acknowledgement of importance. Putting a flag in a church doesn't mean that the congregation is worshipping the flag or the country. Any more than having a cross in the church means that we are worshipping two sticks of wood. We can still worship God, while at the same time be thankful to Him that we live in the U.S. Many churches put flags in their sanctuary as a place of honor and respect...this is not the same as worship.

My wife wears a cross, but she doesn't worship it. Every time she looks at a cross, it helps remind us of what Christ did on the cross. In this case, it is a symbol that helps LEAD us to worship God.

Worship is placing something foremost in your life. Worship is glorifying someone or something as the most important thing you know. Christians worship God because He is our savior and our Creator. No Christian would claim that America is that. But anyone who puts their country before their God would be breaking those commandments that demand that He be considered above all other things.

Answer 3

image worship is when you have an image and then worship it. If you wish to wear a cross on a chain, then do it. You don't sit and worship it before you put it on, do you?
American flags are a statement of love and loyalty to our Country - God would embrace that, not condemn it.
Statues are the same deal. Do you worship the statue, or was it presented to the church as a gift to God's House?
God is a cardio-knower; that means He knows your heart.
Now on the other hand, if you go into a church and pray and worship saints, and ask them to protect you when you drive your car, etc; well, thats not a good practice. When Christ was crucified, the veil to the Holy of Holies was rent (that means torn) from top to bottom, so that all of the Children of God would have access to the Father at anytime and any place they choose. You do not need a "saint" or an Angel, or Mary (God bless her) in order to speak to your Heavenly Father. The Bible is quite clear that the Angels do not like it when someone does this - they would stop you and tell you to worship God, that they are fellow-servents with you. These are the things people want to be careful not to do.

Answer 4

Mankind has been using images from time immemorial. I'd say that once you take an image and then start to make it a sacred one, then it borders on image worship. The Catholic symbol of the crucifix, as borrowed from ancient pagan societies, shows how important images are to people. Flags to identify a country, though, I don't see a problem with.

Answer 5

contained in the Gospels of the Bible(i.e Mathew,Mark,Luke & John), once you examine the chapters on the start of Christ, you'll hit upon after the angel Gabriel got here to Mary, his greeting grow to be' haven't any concern. you've gained God's favour(i.e blessed are you between females). you're to bear Him(i.e God) a Son,' hence blessed is Our female's womb. those are words of honour - Mary is honoured, not worshiped. once you're catholic, you'll understadn that we belive that Mary grow to be assumed into heaven and so she is closet to God & she is holy. i do not unavoidably sense tender with the way some people worship Our female's stature, yet like in all Catholic statues, Our female's ought to dealt with with appreciate and honour because it represents someone who's holy. the Bible confirms that Mary grow to be an honoured female -she grow to be blessed. yet there is not any verse that speaks of worshipping Her

Answer 6

All of churchianity violates Scriptures, in various ways. Ex. 23:13 tells us not to use pagan names! The Almighty YHVH created this world very good. Once man sinned, he could no longer meet the requirements of YHVH. Because of His great love for man, He sent His son the Savior. The Savior's name means YHVH is my Savior!--YAHOSHUA! The only way one can have his sins taken care of is to invite the Savior in to carry them. If a person chooses to remain attached to their sins, they will be consumed in the cleansing fire the Almighty will send to cleanse this world so He can make it new! How could the Almighty be more generous? The only faith that leads to life, and YHVH is the faith that came from YHVH (Scriptures)

Answer 7

SAINTS

Before Jesus Christ died for our sins and opened the gates of heaven there were no saints in heaven. Therefore there are no Old Testament writings that would mention them.

Very few of the new Christians died before most of the New Testament was written. Therefore there is little in the Bible about asking saints to pray for us.

However the last book of the Bible does talk about the saints in heaven praying.

Revelation 5:8: Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones.

Revelation 8:3-4: He was given a great quantity of incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the holy ones, on the gold altar that was before the throne. The smoke of the incense along with the prayers of the holy ones went up before God from the hand of the angel.

The Holy Spirit guided the early Church in many things not explained in the Bible including how does the Body of Christ (believers) living on Earth relate to the Body of Christ (saints) living in heaven. We are still one Body.

Catholics share the belief in the Communion of Saints with many other Christians, including the Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Episcopal, and Methodist Churches.

The Communion of Saints is the belief 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 living here on earth to pray for you. Or, you may also ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Andrew, or your deceased grandmother living in heaven to pray for you.

Prayer to saints in heaven is simple communication, not worship.

STATUES

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.

CANDLES

Candles symbolize that Jesus is the light of the world.

IMAGES ARE ACCEPTABLE WHEN YOU DO NOT USE THEM FOR WORSHIP

WE CATHOLICS DO NOT WORSHIP IMAGES

BECAUSE THEY ARE ONLY WOOD AND OTHER NONLIVING MATERIALS

WE WORSHIP GOD ONLY

THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE

THE CREATOR OF YOU AND I

Answer 8

Yet another fallacy of the catholic faith. Trusting in emblems and saints to save them.....and looking to some man in Rome who wears a white beanie as their leader instead of worshiping Christ.....it's idolatry in every sense of the word.

Answer 9

Those are symbols with/of meaning, not items/idols of worship.