To all catholics: Why is idoltary permitted in the Roman catholic church.?

Question

Does the ten commadments not state: that you shall not priase idols - Is jesus on the cross not an idol, the statue of mary, the many saints, the angels etc. On whose authority is this allowed.

Answer 1

In the 16th c., Luther, reacting to serious abuses and clerical corruption in the Latin Church, to his own heretical theological vision (see articles on sola scriptura and sola fide), and, frankly, to his own inner demons, removed those books from the canon that lent support to orthodox doctrine, relegating them to an appendix.

Removed in this way were books that supported such things as prayers for the dead (Tobit 12:12; 2 Maccabees 12:39-45), Purgatory (Wisdom 3:1-7), intercession of dead saints (2 Maccabees 15:14), and intercession of angels as intermediaries (Tobit 12:12-15).

Ultimately, the "Reformers" decided to ignore the canon determined by the Christian Councils of Hippo and Carthage (and reaffirmed and closed at the Council of Trent4), and resort solely to those texts determined to be canonical at the Council of Jamnia.

, the Protestant "Reformers" decided against the canon held dear by the Apostles in favor of a canon determined by Pharisees some 40 years after Jesus rose from the dead -- the same Pharisees who denied the Truths of the entire New Testament, even accusing the "Nazarenes" of stealing Jesus' body from the tomb and lying to the world!

And do you know why the Book of Maccabees was thrown out by the Jewish Council? Because the Council was conducted under the auspices of the Flavian Roman Emperors and they decided that that particuar book, which tells of the Maccabean Revolt, might be inflammatory and incite rebellion by the Jews. So, all those Protestant Bibles are lacking the Book of Maccabees, which speaks clearly of praying for the dead, because a pagan emperor pressured the Pharisees, around 40 years after the Resurrection of Christ, to exclude it.

Luther wanted to remove the Epistle of James, Esther, Hebrews, Jude and Revelation. Calvin and Zwingli also both had problems with the Book of Revelation, the former calling it "unintelligible" and forbidding the pastors in Geneva to interpret it, the latter calling it "unbiblical".


Our regard for beauty and the created order, and our use of them to help us meditate on the Holy is not what Catholicism is all about any more than your new sofa, bedroom suite, and matching sheets are what your home is all about. Your home is where you live. It is a place you cherish. It is where your family is. You want it to be beautiful. It is the same with our Catholic churches where, in the Tabernacle, in the Holy of Holies, Christ is. We want them to be beautiful, too! (Exodus 25:18-22, Exodus 26:1, 1 Kings 6:23-28, Ezekiel 41:17-19, Revelation 5:8)

Answer 2

>>>Why is idoltary permitted in the Roman catholic church.?<<<

It's not. It's a violation of the First Commandment, which is usually abbreviated but in the Catholic Catechism includes the prohibition against worshipping idols.

>>>Does the ten commadments not state: that you shall not priase idols<<<

Yes, they certainly do. Which is why we Catholics do not worship idols.

>>> - Is jesus on the cross not an idol, the statue of mary, the many saints, the angels etc.<<<

No, they're not. An idol is a false object of worship. But we do not worship statues. We worship only God.

Statues of Jesus, Mary, and the saints are simply reminders of them -- just as a photo of your loved ones remind you of them.

Exodus 20 tells us that we are not to fashion graven images for the purpose of worshipping them.

But Exodus 25 and 26 command the Israelites to fashion all sorts of images to be used as AIDS in worship (as opposed to OBJECTS of worship). The statues and other images that you see in Catholic churches serve the same purpose, and it's all entirely Biblical.

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Answer 3

Do you have pictures of your loved ones? Have you ever looked at the picture of someone while talking on the phone to them?

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.

Answer 4

You actually seriously think that a billion+ intelligent people WORSHIP plaster and marble?? No-one with an ounce of sense would accept such an absurd notion. Then again, I suppose bigotry overrides common sense. If you pick up a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, you will find that idolatry is clearly defined, and is absolutely condemned in every form. Images of holy people simply recall the roles they played in the history of our faith and our Church, just like images of great political leaders. (Maybe you consider the Lincoln Memorial a site of pagan worship??) The Christian brethren represented by such images are not worshipped - ever! - except of course our Lord and Savior - and while it seems ridiculous to even mention it, their statues certainly are not worshipped either!

Answer 5

razzthedestroyer is correct in his portrayal of RCC teachings. The RCC teaches that people ought not to pray *to* statues, but rather to ask for the intercession of saints represented by statues.

Unfortunately, many RCs forget or never accept this teaching and continue praying to saints and/or statues. In the past I have been asked if I wanted to pray to Saint Francis - by someone pointing to his statue.

As for the cross - I believe most RCs realize that the cross is just a representation and not Jesus himself. Think of it as a focus or a reminder. People usually pray *toward* the cross, not *to* the cross. This is also true of saint's statues but, in my experience, the difference is not as clear.

One of the main reasons I left the RCC was because of this acceptance of praying to statues. Even though idolatry is not the official teaching (in fact, is specifically prohibited by RCC *teaching*), it is, as you say, *permitted.* Statues *encourage* this practice. The RCC should know better than this. Statues should be removed and frequent reminders of the proper way to pray for the intercession of the saints should be given. This would resolve one of my doctrinal disagreements with the RCC.

Also, the 10 commandments vary depending on your beliefs. Really, they do. General divisions: Jewish, Catholic/Orthodox, Protestant.

Jim, http://www.jimpettis.com/wheel/

Answer 6

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.

Answer 7

Jesus says "when you pray, say Our Father who art in Heaven...." Now what are we only to say this once because anything more would be repetition? ....No, that's just a foolish saying with no understanding with the no repetition thing. As far as the idols go, maybe they would be idols if they weren't our relatives but, because they are truly our relatives because we truly receive the body, blood, soul, and Divinity of Jesus we may have these reminders free of any guilt of the "crime" you accuse us of just as you carry pictures in your wallet of your family members and also why is it that Protestants scream Idols! Idols! and then drag their own nativity set from the closet every Christmas? They do not receive the body and blood of Jesus so if anybody is guilty of the Idol thing it would be them as they are not related by blood.

Answer 8

Do you actually understand the actual meaning of the term "Idolatry," or are you merely repeating what someone else has told you?

In order for something to be an idol, it must be worshipped. Catholics do NOT worship statues, Mary, saints, crucifixes, or anything else. Worship is reserved for God and God alone. Statues and pictures remind us of those who loved God and lived holy lives in His service -- they are not worshipped for themselves.

I hope that clears up any misunderstandings you may have had. God Alone is to be worshipped -- nothing else.

Answer 9

I'm an atheist now, but when I was a Catholic, I heard this accusation all the time. The veneration of saints, angels, and Mary is not idol worship. If you've ever asked a living person to pray for you, that is what it is like to ask a deceased saint to pray for you on your behalf. Putting up statues of Jesus, Mary, and the saints is supposed to give people a feeling of reverence. You don't actually worship the statues.

Answer 10

It is not permitted
Why do you assume that you know when in fact you do not
Did not God himself say to build cherubim on the ark of the covenant and Solomon to carve out the Cherubim on the pillars
The Christian veneration of images is not contrary to the first commandment which proscribes idols. Indeed, "the Honor rendered to an image passes to its prototype," and "whoever venerates an image venerates the person portrayed in it." The honor paid to sacred images is a "respectful veneration," not the adoration due to God alone:

Religious worship is not directed to images in themselves, considered as mere things, but under their distinctive aspect as images leading us on to God incarnate. The movement toward the image does not terminate in it as image, but tends toward that whose image it is.