Are Catholics actually worshiping false idols?

Question

I am a devout southern baptist. I have come to conclusion that Catholics although they worship Jesus. They are also doing strange ungodly rituals, and worshiping Mary. You cannot worship both. Just like in the bible. Either it is hot or cold. There is no inbetween. They cannot be worshipping saints, angels, and mary. That is blaspfamy, and heretic activity. Sure its the most powerful and dogmatic subgroup of christianity. I see it more of a political religion being that it is the wheathliest christian religion. It is the biggest subgroup of christianity. (Other subgroups include, methodist, baptist, protestant.) I'm sorry but I think these people are heading the wrong direction, and are leading themselves straight to hell. Worshiping false idols, doing ungodly rituals.

Satan works in mysterious ways. This may very well be his biggest trick. So many catholics. I pray.

you should direct your prays to jesus in the name of god. Not mary... so wrong they are and i should say they are practicing pagan like rituals in disguise while looking like worshiping jesus.

Answer 1

Yes they are. I know this to be true because I was raised catholic and saw it for myself. They have a prayer book with prayers to Mary along with other prayers. They bow to statues and pray to saints when it clearly tells us in Exodus 20:3-5 not to do any of this. Praying to the dead is a form of necromancy, and besides, the dead cannot pray for anyone or help anyone. They too had their sins just like the rest of us. They also call the priest "father" when it says in the Bible to call no man on earth your father. They use a rosary to pray with, and many of the prayers are to Mary. No where in the Bible does it tell us to use a rosary to pray. Also, they tell their sins to a priest and expect that priest to forgive them, when in all reality that priest can't even forgive his own sins, let alone someone else's. Only God can forgive sins. Many catholics stay in this religion out of tradition, but tradition will not pay for sins. Their priests do not teach Salvation or even tell them that they must be born again or any of that. It is all about following the church. Usually someone has a sister or an aunt who is a nun, or a brother or uncle who is a priest. This kind of locks them into the church with passed down tradition. Also, alot of catholics cuss and live like heathens. I know so many catholics who act like this and it is because they are not saved.

This is why I renounced the catholic religion and became a born again Christian and only follow the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Answer 2

Christianity would not be around if it weren't for Catholisicm, they are both pretty much the same in relgious views, except Catholics follow the OIld Testament more than the Christians who folow the New Testament.

Catholics believe in the pain that jesus endured to purge Humans of their sins, which is why they show him on the cross, while Charistians only have crosses without jesus hanging from one on their necklaces, in their churches, their homes etcetera.

But in my opinion, since you appear to be Christian, I need to ask, are you worshipping a false idol? All that you have been taught over the years?
If you feel angry or annoyed I said that to you, imagine how your question will appear to Catholics.

I don't think you or anyone else for that matter has a right to say anyone is worshiping a false idol, because all religions are fundementally the same in origin, they only differ these days because over the centuries, people's views have changed.

Answer 3

The people who have told you that Catholics worship Mary and the saints are misleading you.

If you see the catholic Church more as a political religion, then YOU are the one headed in the wrong direction.

If you want to learn what Catholics do and believe, ask a CATHOLIC.

Answer 4

Short and sweet, praying "to" the saints is just like asking people to pray with you. You likely have a prayer group. We simply ask those people in heaven to pray with us.

BTW, Protestant includes methodist and baptist. It is a generic term for any non-Catholic Christian.

Answer 5

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.

With love in Christ.

Answer 6

I can say that i'm not a devout Catholic but at least i can say that I firmly disagree to what you say.

It is clearly stated in the Bible that God condemns Idol Worship, right?

But as you can see, you cannot accuse us of worshiping Mary(or the Saints or Angels) by just seeing us VENERATE the persons/saints/Mary that are ONLY REPRESENTED by the images.

VENERATION is a religious symbolic act giving honor to someone by honoring an image of that person, particularly applied to saints.

Even the images themselves for us are consecrated but not regarded(just like what you think) as 'gods'. If you would go back to history the only real christian sect is Catholicism. The reason that you existed is because some people are subjecting their faith/belief to their own "PERSONAL INTERPRETATIONS" of the bible.

If you would it this way, we pray in front of the images so as like praying in front of God, Images only represent the real person, or the real center of faith. As to the Images of the saints, saints were the good examples of the church.

Do you pray before you go to sleep, or while you lie down before going to sleep? If so, why you accuse us praying before the images which is more logical than you praying before the wall or the ceiling before sleeping or waking up?

I do not oppose to you, my brother, so as to your belief, because you have given by God your free will in your own way to believe him. It's not my own opinion I which i stand for but the doctrine and our way of expressing our faith just like the millions of Catholic Christians.

If we are really leading ourselves straight to hell, or doing ungodly rituals, why would the Catholicism, exist? Or so also the other sects such as you baptist and protestants? Is it proper for you to call our faith 'heresy' for it is you protestants who seperated with the church?

I'm not telling this to convert you or to intimidate you, or to tell you that you're evil, but just to let you know that you watch your words. For it could have been a double-edged sword. Ican say that this is a no-hurt feelings thing. I don't care if what you think about me, but dont accuse us catholics as blasphemous and heretics for its only the pure and clean that can say it.

God bless you.

Answer 7

catholics don't worship mary, saints, or angels. but we do recognise that they are closer to God, spiritually, than we are, and so we pray to them. in layman's terms, we talk to them and hope they put in a good word for us.

we don't worship false idols either. "idols" or statues are there because our human minds cannot comprehend the image or being of God, and having something physically there maybe helps people to direct their prayers to Him. that's all.

with all the priests covering up stuff and all that [and i really don't like the new pope], i'm not exactly proud to be catholic. but i will say one thing - catholic people don't think that people from other religions are going to hell, like many christian denominations do. and i don't think it's right for you to say we're leading ourselves to hell. even if by some chance, we catholics have got it wrong, wouldn't God know that we had the right intentions in praying?

come on, seriously?

Answer 8

Catholics dont worship Mary or th saints rather its thru them that they pass their prayers. Mayb u shld read more about the catholic doctrine n remember u shld not judge. There is a story in th bible of these two pple who were praying n one considered himself holy n th other other knew he was a sinner n was repentful....u get where am leading dont u?

Answer 9

Catholics don't worship Mary and the saints. They pray to them, petition for their prayers to God.

Answer 10

Catholic here:

Instead of going through a very lengthy explanation, I'll just answer that no, we do not worship Mary, the saints, statues or anything else. Our worship and honor go to God and God alone.

Here's a great link to answer more of your questions:

http://catholic.com/library/Saint_Worship.asp

God bless.