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:"
http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Religions/Roman%20Catholicism/catholic_idols.htm
2007-03-11 14:46:33 · 13 answers · asked by ? 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
and also this link
http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Religions/Roman%20Catholicism/a_picture_says%20it_all.htm
2007-03-11 14:48:03 · update #1
So all these are idolatry, but Jesus on the cross is not? You're all full of it.
2007-03-11 14:51:02 · answer #1 · answered by Skeff 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Do you have pictures of your loved ones? Have you ever looked at the picture of someone while talking to them on the phone?
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.
2007-03-12 00:03:21 · answer #2 · answered by imacatholic2 7 · 1⤊ 3⤋
Then you better not take any pictures of anyone.
If we were to take every word of the bible and live by it then there would be a lot of one eye, one hand people walking around and that is just from the New Testament.
What people wrote thousands of years ago has different meanings than today.
Exodus 20:4 was a way of saying not to worship idols. The people believed that the gods went into the idols and when you worshiped the idols, you worshiped the gods.
We do not worship idols. We worship God Who is represented by images, pictures, statues etc. God is not in the image, pictures and statues.
2007-03-11 22:05:47 · answer #3 · answered by Mary W 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I looked at both links and even read the comments written; all total nonsense. If you want to know what the Church teaches about everything on the websites you listed, read the Catechism or do the proper research to find out what the Church teaches, because whoever wrote that site is completely out of touch with what the Church teaches.
Here's a link to get you started: www.catholic.com.
2007-03-13 01:00:47 · answer #4 · answered by Danny H 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Use no carved images. Not only worship of idols but their manufacture is forbidden. This includes pictures, images, and statues used in worship. it does not, however, include all pictures or statues, since tabernacle contained carved cherubim. Also, God told Moses to make a serpent of brass. The commandment undoubtedly refers to pictures or images of deity.
2007-03-11 21:53:48 · answer #5 · answered by VW 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I think you may be confused on idolatry and symbols. The catholic church is high on its relics and things that were from early apostles. While most of those relics and archaeological findings have no value, they do place their hope and faith in them too much
2007-03-11 22:02:48 · answer #6 · answered by manitowocman2002 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes it can be. Idolatry is anything that takes God's place. All praise and worship should be directed to God, not saints. Prayer to the saints is not biblical, therefore it's idolatry since it replaces prayer to God.
2007-03-12 14:41:53 · answer #7 · answered by Gui 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Are not human spiritual being made in the image of God?
2007-03-11 22:00:41 · answer #8 · answered by Richard15 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Protestants should remove the crosses, altars, and various Jesus images from their churches before they go criticising the Catholics. Remove the plank from your own eye, and all that.
2007-03-11 21:51:19 · answer #9 · answered by Antique Silver Buttons 5 · 2⤊ 2⤋
This is another link to fallacies in Catholicism:
http://www.themiraclesofjesusministry.org/areyoucatholic.htm
2007-03-11 21:55:58 · answer #10 · answered by ~♥Anna♥~ 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
my point total is currently 1,664. I want you to know that YOUR hatefull, ignorant question is cused because now that I have answered it, the mark of the beast is on your question and, evidently, already on you.
2007-03-11 22:02:44 · answer #11 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋