Why Christians do not follow the second commandment??

Question

Traditional division and interpretation
#2 "Do not make a sculpted image or any likeness of what is in the heavens above..."

This prohibits the construction or fashioning of "idols" in the likeness of created things (beasts, fish, birds, people) and worshipping them.

Sooooo many Jesus statues.
Isn't idolatry??? Isn't against God's words?????

BIG contradiction here. Most catholics in this site are saying Jesus IS God

Again I see a lot of contradictions. If Jesus is God, why are they statues of him on ALL catholics churches and why are you kneeling in front of the statue. That is my questions. Get it ???
Don't care about your quotations from the bible. They are meaningless. Like to knoe the reason behind that.

sorry for the mustype . "like to know".

Pls read the question before jumping on me.
Thanks.

Answer 1

You're right... the catholic IDOLATRY is AGAINST GOD'S LAW.

Catholics say they do not worship their idols, but they DO BOW BEFORE THEM which is precisely THE MEANING of one of the words in scripture which is translated by the English word, "WORSHIP."

Answer 2

If one worships a statue instead of God then that is idolatry. Like the Hebrews made and worshipped the golden calf while Moses was on Mt Sinai that was idolatry. Yes Jesus is God in the flesh. So again no idolatry. We Catholics worship Jesus Christ God Almighty, our Lord and Savior and Creator of everything. We do not worship or pray to statues.

Answer 3

This commandment came from the fact that the Israelites were in bondage in Egypt for 400 years and most of them worshipped the Egyptian gods. They also made graven images of these gods to worship. God didn't want any graven images made for worship. God alone wanted to be worshiped not some graven image. I do not agree with the statues of Jesus, Mary, the Saints, Rosary or even the cross as a article can be worshipped in place of God. It should not be so.

Answer 4

Try quoting the entire passage, as opposed to the part that serves your agenda:

Exo 20:4-5 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:

Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.

If it's forbidden to make any images of anything in Heaven, earth, or the oceans, then any photographs you have of your family or any realistic landscape paintings on your walls would be in violation of the commandment. Are you going to burn the family photo albums in order to comply?

And since when are we still living under the Law? Do you wear garments of mixed thread -- i.e., polyester and cotton? You're breaking the commandments. Do you eat pork chops or shellfish? Shame on you, you law breaker! You can't pick and choose the ones you want to obey.

Idolatry is putting something in place of God -- be it a statue, a person, or a hobby. Catholics don't worship a statue or mistake it for Christ. We worship the living and true God alone.

Jesus Himself acknowledged that He was the Son of God when He replied to Peter:

Matthew 16:16-17 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

If Christ was not the Son of God and He had agreed with Peter anyway, that would have been a lie. He would no longer have been sinless and therefore not acceptable as the perfect Sacrifice.

He obviously was sinless and an acceptable Sacrifice, and so your argument once again doesn't hold water.

Answer 5

A likeness of Jesus is not an idol unless its worshiped. I do not worship a statue. I worship a living God.

I can't speak for the Catholic community. It seems there is quite a bit of idol worship there.

Answer 6

Believers worship the likeness and image of God which is in their belief structure. Since among churches these liknesses of God are so diverse, it follows that many if not all of them are idolatry.

Moreover, nationalism is idolatry, fundamentalism is idolatry, economic rationalism is idolatry, moralism is idolatry.

NIV:
3 "You shall have no other gods before [a] me.

4 "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. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them

Literal:
3`Thou hast no other Gods before Me.

4`Thou dost not make to thyself a graven image, or any likeness which [is] in the heavens above, or which [is] in the earth beneath, or which [is] in the waters under the earth.

5Thou dost not bow thyself to them, nor serve them.......

.........

God fashioned the one and only likeness of God and it was humanity.

Love one another.

Answer 7

You make me laugh. I can honestly say I never thought of this one! If we truly believe the trinity (and I do) you should not be fashioning his image at all. Unless we say that because he was in human form and that negates the law? Got me. I really like some of the portraits people have done and the movies too!

I also think too many treat the cross this way too. But, I do not have a problem with a cross in the Church.

Answer 8

Followers of YHWH worship no cross nor follow such pagan holidays as Halloween, Christmas, etc. Those that don't know the very book they hold, follow nothing more than tradition. Something the book clearly tells us not to do.

Please watch grouping all as one, for some of us (few) know the truth, follow the truth, and uphold His 10 laws, including #4, the true Sabbath. Friday sun down till Saturday sun down, not this fake Sunday gig.

I could go on and get much deeper, but it would offend many and I have no wish to do so. And you last part.... its Yahushua not Jesus. This is a pandora box topic here.

Answer 9

We do not worship the images. And THAT is what is commanded. Your religion forgets that part of the commandment.

Exodus 20:2-6
2I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; 3you shall have no other gods before me. 4You shall not make for yourself an image, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, 6but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Now, praying to icons like Saints. That is a valid question. But I'm protestant. I don't need an intermediary between me and God. I have a personal relationship with Him.

And yes, Jesus IS God.

Answer 10

Jesus is God, the statue is not God. Christians do not worship statues.