What does the catholic church have all these graven images and statues around God forbids it?

Question

this is why I quit that church and why many others are to as well as the child molestations

Answer 1

No offense to any catholics, but their religion is kind of corrupt. A lot of the Pagan converts caused the problem. They brought their heathen customs with them and blended them with their new Christian customs. These practices, such as baptizing babies and worshiping idols, became accepted simply because they were being done. They also used to use idols and stuff like that for teaching tools, but eventually they just started having them in their churches. I don't know if they really worship the idols though. During times of persecution, small groups of Christians gathered around the graves of martyrs to pray and encourage one another. Some Christians began praying to the martyrs even though they knew the martyrs were dead. In time, people came to believe that martyrs were not really dead. They thought God took them to heaven right away. The church kept two days: Sabbath in honor of Creation and Sunday in honor of the resurrection. The church placed more and more emphasis on Sunday worship during the next two hundred years. Sunday acceptance accelerated because pagan converts were more comfortable keeping their old day of sun worship. Eventually the seventh-day Sabbath was dropped.

Answer 2

No Rcc who is familiar with something related to the Rcc has ever worshipped a statue (a in pagan idolatry). If we cherish the reminiscence of political and conflict hero’s, what greater noble a hero than one which died for God. Are they not nicely worth honouring? Statues are in basic terms a reminder a seen help to the hero’s of God, the Christian faith. in the event that they weren't why in Rev 6:9-10 are they below the altar of God asking how long it rather is going to be till now the would be avenged in the international? they are there, it tells us, staring at and arranged. Scripture back up – a million according to 2:17, Rom 12:10, Heb 12:22-23, Heb 11, 2 Cor 3:18 BTW, I unquestionably have many pictures of relatives, buddies, the final Supper, Crucifix, and so on in my abode. they might all be destroyed the next day (& some have been in my flood) it did not shrink my love for the guy or my capability in my faith. why did God supply human beings imaginitive skills? why do you have pictures on your place? once you kneel in pray beside your mattress - are you worshipping your mattress? once you're praying beside a chum it is ill or death - are you worshipping them?

Answer 3

Child molestation is no more common in the Catholic priests than among any other group of men, and slightly less frequent than among Protestant clergy. You have been brainwashed by the secular press.

As for graven images, please tell me where in the Bible the making of statues is forbidden, without the accompanying command not to worship them? What the Bible forbids is "the making and worshipping" of graven images. It is idolatry that God forbids, not statuary. And His holy Catholic Church forbids it as well, as you could discover for yourself by looking in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

As for martyrs being dead, apparently the above poster either hasn't read the Bible or doesn't believe the words of Christ Himself, Who said that those who follow Him "will never die". Catholics believe Him, and therefore know that the saints are very much alive, indeed far more alive than they ever were on earth! It's amazing how many Protestant groups recite the Apostles' Creed as a statement of their core beliefs, yet have no idea what "the communion of saints" means!

Answer 4

We have answered this question a zillion times. Why don't you just refer to the files? It will save you points. By asking this question repeatedly you also run the risk of being reported for excessive posting. (Rule 20). I will not do that, but I think you ought to know.

Thank you for mocking and insulting my Church. You may not realize it but whenever you say these things about the Catholic Church you are actually helping us. If I were looking for a religion I would be wary of a Church that uses black propaganda and dirty tricks to discredit other religions. More so if it calls itself Christian. Have you heard Buddhists bash other religions? Have you considered the fact that this might be the reason why they are the biggest religion in the world? Have you ever wondered why name calling is hardly used in commercial advertising?

Jesus warned his Church that there would be people like you who will persecute us. He also said we will be blessed by such persecution. So what you are doing is a blessing to us. Thank you!

"Happy are those who work for peace; God will call them his children! Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them! Happy are you when people insult you and persecute you and tell all kinds of evil lies against you because you are my followers. Be happy and glad, for a great reward is kept for you in heaven. This is how the prophets who lived before you were persecuted." (Matthew 5, 9-12)

And now to answer your other question about child molestation.

According to statistical evidence you are more likely to abuse your children than a priest. The national average, according to the American Psychological Association, is 4% whereas the average involving the clergy is less than 1%. It should be noted that child abuse cases have also been reported in other Christian denominations.

For more information go to this link. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedophilia_and_sexual_orientation#Epidemiology
May the Lord's peace be with you!

Answer 5

Images and Statues
Deut. 4:15 - from this verse, Protestants say that since we saw "no form" of the Lord, we should not make graven images of Him.

Deut. 4:16 - of course, in early history Israel was forbidden to make images of God because God didn't yet reveal himself visibly "in the form of any figure."

Deut. 4:17-19 - hence, had the Israelites depicted God not yet revealed, they might be tempted to worship Him in the form of a beast, bird, reptile or fish, which was a common error of the times.

Exodus 3:2-3; Dan 7:9; Matt. 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32; Acts 2:3- later on, however, we see that God did reveal himself in visible form (as a dove, fire, etc).

Deut. 5:8 - God's commandment "thou shall not make a graven image" is entirely connected to the worship of false gods. God does not prohibit images to be used in worship, but He prohibits the images themselves to be worshiped.

Exodus 25:18-22; 26:1,31 - for example, God commands the making of the image of a golden cherubim. This heavenly image, of course, is not worshiped by the Israelites. Instead, the image disposes their minds to the supernatural and draws them to God.

Num. 21:8-9 - God also commands the making of the bronze serpent. The image of the bronze serpent is not an idol to be worshiped, but an article that lifts the mind to the supernatural.

I Kings 6:23-36; 7:27-39; 8:6-67 - Solomon's temple contains statues of cherubim and images of cherubim, oxen and lions. God did not condemn these images that were used in worship.

2 Kings 18:4 - it was only when the people began to worship the statue did they incur God's wrath, and the king destroyed it. The command prohibiting the use of graven images deals exclusively with the false worship of those images.

1 Chron. 28:18-19 - David gives Solomon the plan for the altar made of refined gold with a golden cherubim images. These images were used in the Jews' most solemn place of worship.

2 Chron. 3:7-14 - the house was lined with gold with elaborate cherubim carved in wood and overlaid with gold.

Ezek. 41:15 - Ezekiel describes graven images in the temple consisting of carved likenesses of cherubim. These are similar to the images of the angels and saints in many Catholic churches.

Col. 1:15 - the only image of God that Catholics worship is Jesus Christ, who is the "image" (Greek "eikon") of the invisible God.

Controversies in the Church
Matt. 13:24-30 - scandals have always existed in the Church, just as they have existed outside of the Church. This should not cause us to lose hope in the Church. God's mysterious plan requires the wheat and the weeds to be side by side in the Church until the end of time.

Matt. 13:47-50 - God's plan is that the Church (the kingdom of heaven) is a net which catches fish of every kind, good and bad. God revealed this to us so that we will not get discouraged by the sinfulness of the Church’s members.

Matt. 16:18 - no matter how sinful its members conduct themselves, Jesus promised that the gates of death will never prevail against the Church.

Matt. 23:2-3 - the Jewish people would have always understood the difference between a person's sinfulness and his teaching authority. We see that the sinfulness of the Pharisees does not minimize their teaching authority. They occupy the "cathedra" of Moses.

Matt. 26:70-72; Mark 14:68-70; Luke 22:57; John 18:25-27 - Peter denied Christ three times, yet he was chosen to be the leader of the Church, and taught and wrote infallibly.

Mark 14:45 - Judas was unfaithful by betraying Jesus. But his apostolic office was preserved and this did not weaken the Church.

Mark 14:50 - all of Jesus' apostles were unfaithful by abandoning Him in the garden of Gethsemane, yet they are the foundation of the Church.

John 20:24-25 - Thomas the apostle was unfaithful by refusing to believe in Jesus' resurrection, yet he taught infallibly in India.

Rom. 3:3-4 - unfaithful members do not nullify the faithfulness of God and the work of the Holy Spirit in the Church.

Eph. 5:25-27 - just as Jesus Christ has both a human and a divine nature, the Church, His Bride, is also both human and divine. It is the holy and spotless bride of Christ, with sinful human members.

1 Tim. 5:19 - Paul acknowledges Church elders might be unfaithful. The Church, not rebellion and schism, deals with these matters.

2 Tim. 2:13 - if we remain faithless, God remains faithful for He cannot deny Himself.

2 Tim. 2:20 - a great house has not only gold and silver, but also wood and earthenware, some for noble use, some for ignoble use.

Jer. 24:1-10 - God's plan includes both good and bad figs. The good figs will be rewarded, and the bad figs will be discarded.

1 Kings 6,7,8 - the Lord commands us to build elaborate places of worship. Some non-Catholics think that this is controversial and the money should be given to the poor, even though no organization does more for the poor of the world that the Catholic Church. We create our churches with beauty because Christ our King lives in the churches in the blessed Eucharist.

Matt. 26:8-9; Mark 14:4-5; John 12:5 - negative comments concerning the beauty of the Church are like the disciples complaining about the woman anointing Jesus' head with costly oil. Jesus desires that we honor Him with our best gifts, not for Him, but for us, so that we realize He is God and we are His creatures.

Matt. 26:10-11 - Jesus says we have both a duty to honor God and give to the poor - a balanced life of reverence and charity.

Answer 6

the graven images are pagan symbols or things not of god. it also applies to worshipping them which catholics don't do. so was solomon guilty by building the temple?or when the cherubim and the other details of making the ark wrong? god commanded some molten things be made and so it is ok to have the things we have, by your reasoning we shouldn't have ornaments or jewlery,do you wear a cross around your neck or have one at home,do you know the process in how it was made?do you have photos of loved ones?aren't they images?do you have posters/t shirts or other depicting jesus or others?the images for us are to call to memory/mind important aspects of our faith,the same way people have pictures of loved ones. as for the child molestations you may aswell find an island for yourself because this problem is in every church and generally everywhere whether religious or not. the church is trying hard to rectify the issue.

Answer 7

God forbids the worship of the graven image. Any Catholic worth his/her salt would immediately tell you that they do not worship their statues. Many other denominations would not allow any graven image in the church building, Catholics are just more liberal than most in this regard.

Answer 8

That is not the real reason you quit church.
Veneration of images or acknowledgment as long as the honor is directed towards Christ our Lord.
When was the last time you saw a statue of a cow or a whale in a Christian Church?

Get A Grip.

Answer 9

Just as you have pictures of Christ hanging in your home or pictures of your kids in your wallet, so does the Church put pictures (statues) of Christ, Mary, Joseph and other saints in the Church. They are just plaster, marble or wood and that's all they are, but they have a specific purpose. They are there to help us to visualize who they may have been and what they have done for Christianity or the Catholic Church in some special way. When we pray at the foot of the crucified Lord we do worship that Christ on the Cross, but that Christ who died for us by walking through His passion, death and resurrection. The image on the wall or in the alcove helps us call to mind their holiness and our need for it.

Answer 10

Oh hogwash. One of the fundies got ahold of you and you believed their lies because you didn't know the truth about your own faith.

We do not worhip anyone but God.