Why dont Catholics belive that praying to the cross is not against the ten commandments?

Question

One of the ten commandments states thou shall not bow down to any false idols, or any items made from wood or gold ( not the exact extract but close enough) God is everywhere and you shouldnt need an aid to prey to him???

I think those who have said this is a stupid question are catholics as they cannot handle being questioned. there are some christian denominations that do not use the cross for this reason, as you should not need an aid or reminder, the life we have should be enough as Jesus said 'god is everywhere'. I also beg to differ that the cross is not idolisedhave you ever seen catholics clutching the cross or rosarie in situations in which they need help, they wouldnt do this if they didnt believe it held no power ????

Answer 1

Quite true, my friend...

To begin with, the concept of "idolatry" in Catholicism - as some like to call it, is not something that developed out of pagan surroundings, again, as some like to believe. My personal opinion on the matter is that it grew out of the artistic quest for religious grandeur; the religious art, which imposes certain awe upon incommers and worshippers, on looking upon those magnificent statues and architectures.

It is known that the reason the seat of the first patriarch (Peter) was established in Rome, was to present the symbolic implication that Christ's faith replaced the most powerfull pagan empire and culture of the time, and which persecuted Christians so horribly it most often did it for fun.

And Rome is known to have been a place of architectural grandeur, with sculptures and buildings that dazzled the eyes of the onlooker, several remains of which, tourists to Rome still marvel at till this day. The way I see it, the patriarchy of the first major church (the papacy of the Vatican) found it fit to inherit the architectural grandeur of that magnificent culture (despite the fact it was pagan) and to transform it into a visible grandeur of the unprecedented Christian faith.

Later on, and as the faith and its adherents developed, the natural outcome of institutionalizing a visual factor of affection took sway, and statues and icons, next to religious architecture (the religious arts) also developed and progressed (in my view) not with an intention of endorsing idolatry and pagan worship, but as a mere artistic completion of religious grandeur; like furniture to a house, plus the additional ornamentation. We can live in a house without them, but it would lack richness and glamor.

Now, when a worshipper kneels before a statue to pray, the initial thought is not kneeling to the statue, but being at the place designated for the act and time of prayer - say like the Holy of Holies in the Old Testament, but this in each and every household; the statue is already there as the basic ornamentation of the place and the visual factor of affection; like talking to a beloved with their picture in hand; it's just a visual reminder; something to enhance the sense of affection; like salt for food; it can be taken without it, but it won't taste the same.

Now all this set aside, we come to the issue of the cross, which is quite different than any icon or statue; it is of our salvation, and whether we mauld it; sculpture it, or carve it out of wood, kneeling before it or giving it praise, it is worthy of all veneration and praise, because it is the sign of our salvation, which God ordered Moses to make in the desert at a time of great anguish (Numbers 21:8-9; which took place after the ten commandments, which I think would safely imply that God is not totally against the making of figures, but rather the manner in which those figures are used and intended for), long before Jesus was crucified, and no matter whether before or after the commandments were handed down, venerating this sign, in a visible or invisible form, is a direct worship and praise to our Lord Jesus, The Son, and in no way offends God (Father; Son or Holy Spirit) or violates his most fundamental will or command, and I know some Evangelical churches (if not all), like the Pentecostal, place a large cross behind the altar place.

I'm a Catholic, myself, but a very open-minded one, who understands the insistance in Protestant and Evangelical denominations to reject idolatry and any form of worship that seems pagan, but yet who still sees the innocent aspect of worshipping with the aid of embodied forms, and I hope others will one day understand that Catholicism is not about paganism, but one of the most beautifully rich forms of Christian worship; one which never lost the essence of the faith, but always strove to enrich it with the ornamental arts and architectural grandeur with the sole intent to give it a visible reflection of its moral values; the inside-outer reflection of a precious jewel.

Answer 2

You DON'T prEy to the cross. You PRAY to the Person depicted ON the Cross, who is shown at the moment He purchased YOUR salvation. It's a visual aid, from an era when not many people were capable of reading.

Why do Protestants treat the Bible as an idol? It's ALSO made of processed wood or whatever.

Maybe you should worry less about other peoples beliefs and more about your own relationship with God.

Answer 3

You kill me with this woefully uneducated question. If you understood Roman Catholic faith, you would know that they do not pray to or worship crosses, statues, rosary beads, etc..... they use these tools to help focus their prayers.

Back in the days when 99% of people could not read, the only way the RCChurch had to teach people about their faith was through the use of statues, paintings, the Stations of the Cross, stained glass windows, and the rosary beads. These things (and others) began as tools to help those who could not read and who did not have an education to understand their faith.

These things were never intended to be worshiped - they were simply tools to teach. Over the centuries, these tools have become tradition. Families with small children, people with mental retardation and other disabilities, and many others still receive some part of their religious education in the RC Church by the use of these tools.

Your woefully ill-informed opinion that RC people worship anything by God through Jesus with the Holy Spirit is just plain wrong. You probably learned it from some "pastor" who didn't take the time to learn the truth before he started to bash another Christian denomination. That is disgusting.

Answer 4

Catholics don't pray to the cross, we pray in front of it as a reminder of what Jesus sacrificed for us. The cross holds no meaning other than to remind us, we do not pray TO it. We do not in any way believe that the physical cross can answer our prayers.....



Since the additional details have been posted, I have come to realise that no matter what is said here, the asker is not going to change his way of thinking. Many people have said that this is symbolism, and still the question is asked.......people clutch crosses in times of need because they are intensely praying and the cross is a reminder of God and Jesus. Also, as a Catholic, I am not afraid of questions because I understand that there are many misconceptions about Catholicism out there.

Answer 5

As a former Catholic and altar boy for a number of years I am unaware of people praying to the cross. I will openly say though they had kneeling benches in front of some of the statues of the saints. Whatever they may claim in all my years as a Catholic no one I heard ever suggested that we weren't to pray to the saints, or explain that we weren't praying to the statues. I did, and firmly hoped that the statue would talk back to me. They fail to expain why then the kneelers were placed in front of the statues. I don't buy the explantation that they are not praying to the statue but using it as a reference point. For that matter there is no where in scripture that we find anyone praying in front of statues or images. If something that important was true why then did Jesus or the apostles make no mention of it whatsoever. Sadly people are believing these teaching because they have substituted following Jesus with following their church or in this case pope. This is the cause of the problem. This is a viloation of the firs commandment to Love the Lord your God with all your heart mind and soul. In essence put God first. This has been the master stroke by Satan. People tink following their church means following God. I would ask them if Jesus and their leader were standing side by side and said follow me who would they follow. Again becoming a Christian means putting Christ first even before your church or any man including ministers as sincere and good as they may be. I belonged Our Lady Queen of the World in Richmond Hill Ontario and I had a brother who was going through to be a priest. Both my brother and a close friend of his left and they are reaching the lost with the gospel.

Answer 6

You DON'T prEy to the cross. You PRAY to the Person depicted ON the Cross, who is shown at the moment He purchased YOUR salvation. It's a visual aid, from an era when not many people were capable of reading.

Answer 7

Catholics certainly do not have to pray to cross, and are encouraged to pray to God everywhere, most denomination have some sort of visual aids ie. the icons of the Eastern church. We do not pray to the cross we pray to the man on the cross as well.

Also unlike the Protestant, Eastern, and Jewish 10 commandments the Catholic Church lumps together the first two commandments into one, and splits the last into 2.

Also Nita, where did you read that... I hate Catholics.com or some-place of that nature we certainly do read the Bible.

Answer 8

I am catholic and although i'm not a practising catholic i find yiour question very interesting, because it says it the bible that thou shalt not worship figures.

My conclusion is that catholics use the cross as a praying aid and a sign of there faith.

it's espeicially used in October, the month of mary, where the roseary is often said.

The cross is something for Catholics to focus on and remember Jesus and his sacrifices

Answer 9

i don't think they are praying to the cross....its just kind of like a reminder....like the way we have pictures of our family all over our homes....esp someone who was close to you....you would have a keepsake...a reminder....but you know that its only an image....a fragment of what was once flesh and blood....and the wood and gold statues or whatever you want to call them of thousands of years ago where crude images of "False" Gods......not the "Real Deal"....so i think that's what the commandments mean about false gods and idols of gold and wood.....if the catholics or another religion for that matter feel they need to kneel down in front of a "Reminder of their God then who can criticise them for that....its part and parcel of their faith.....whether we believe or not.....

Answer 10

Praying before a cross is not praying to the cross. This is done in other religions also. Buddhists meditate before statues of Buddah. The image or statue gives them comfort and inspiration.
Also, if you're that religious, I would advise that you not "prey" on your "god".

Answer 11

Catholics to do pray TO the cross, or TO the rosary, or TO statues. The cross is simply a symbol of their faith. It is not worhsiped and it is not prayed for. It's completely symbolic.

PS I think this question should be added to the drinking game.