Misunderstandings in the Catholic faith..?

Question

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:
Mary is all over the Catholic churches. These are idols.
As holy as Mary was she was a sinner like everyone else born.
Catholics pray to Mary. Catholics pray to saints. They tell Mary or saints to talk to god for them. I consider that worshipping false idols:
Jesus the Massiah is the one who died for us so we should worship and pray to him 100% . Why have all of that other stuff interfere with our walk with God ?
I believe it is all a distraction that the Devil sends.

Why do Catholics have to follow priests and confess sins to a priest? The priest is not God, he is human just like us. The only way you can be forgiven of sin is to confess your sins to GOD and ask for HIS forgiveness, not the church's:
The Bible says, call no man teacher, the Holy Spirit should guide you into all your ways

My intentions we not at all to be rude I was just in complete confusion over religions and I wanted to see what Catholics and other Christians had to say about the scripture. Please don't jump down my throat, I was just wondering and trying to get some understanding from others.
Thanks

Answer 1

Having actually studied theology, this is a historically controversial issue in the Christian church. The Eastern Church revolted against images of Mary and the saints during the times of Iconoclasm considering them to be false idols. In the Catholic Church, the issue is side-stepped by distinguishing from "worship" and "veneration." The saints and Mary are venerated while God is worshiped. Official Catholic theology holds that Mary, the Communion of Saints, and priests in a sense are intercessors, meaning when some one prays to a saint or Mary, they channel that persons prayers to God but, importantly, they take no action that would have any other effect. Like the Eastern Church, Martin Luther also listed the veneration of saints and Mary as being incompatible with Scripture.

Answer 2

our woship is for God alone.
we pray for the intercession of this with Christ at this time - saints, martyers, etc
statues and pictures are not idols - if so then you'd better gt rid of your family pictures. they didn't have camera and such back then - these were created in memory of....
we are told to confess with our tongues AND Christ gave his disciples the ability to forgive or hold bound.
never heard about the bible saying not to call a man teacher -- better alert the school system ; ) actually it's father. however that is as our Godly Father for even in the 10 commandments a parent is called Father, we are also told to entreat the elders and fathers and brothers.
there are a lot of questions so i didn't go into full detail with Scripture and verse, however could if you'd like - just ask. however just so you know, all Rcc beliefs can be found in the bible, some plainly others indirectly indicated. Scripture itself points out an authoritative church & tradition. St Paul points out in his second letter to the Thess – stand firm & hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or letter. Here are some scriptures to check out 2 Thess 2:15, 1 Cor 11:2, 2 Thess 3:6, 2 Tim 1:13-14 & 2:2.

Answer 3

My dear, look what you said: "As holy as Mary was, she was a sinner like everyone else born". But to be holy is to be without sin. You have the answer within your own question.

Instead of concentrating on what you see as idolatry, try giving some thought and prayer to understanding Mary's holiness ... why it was necessary for her to be "full of grace" and without sin in order to carry in her womb the second Person of the Trinity ... and how it was that, while the apostles bore witness to the Word of God, Mary bore the Word.

Let the other stuff go for a while and ponder just this. Because understanding the holiness of the saints, including Mary, including all of the ones the Church has canonized and the many more whose names we do not know, is the key to why those of us who are part of the body of Christ with them join our prayers to theirs ... all in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Answer 4

So if Catholics are wrong for "following priests", then I suppose you're perfect and don't "follow" your pastor, right? Fair's fair, after all. And for the record, Catholics don't worship the Virgin Mary or any of the saints, they venerate them. In other words, they hold them in high regard, that's different than worshipping them. If you've ever gone to your pastor and asked him or her to pray for you or turned to him for guidance, couldn't that be considered worship by your terms?

Answer 5

So, praying to Mary is idolatry but praying to her son isn't?

Newsflash Einstein, praying "to" any image is idolatry, even if that image is supposed to be a portion of the trinity.

Answer 6

+ The Saints +

Before Jesus Christ died for our sins and opened the gates of heaven there were no saints in heaven. Therefore there are no Old Testament writings that would mention them.

Very few of the new Christians died before most of the New Testament was written. Therefore there is little in the Bible about asking saints to pray for us.

However the last book of the Bible does talk about the saints in heaven praying.

Revelation 5:8: Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones.

Revelation 8:3-4: He was given a great quantity of incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the holy ones, on the gold altar that was before the throne. The smoke of the incense along with the prayers of the holy ones went up before God from the hand of the angel.

The Holy Spirit guided the early Church in many things not explained in the Bible including how does the Body of Christ (believers) living on Earth relate to the Body of Christ (saints) living in heaven. We are still one Body.

Catholics share the belief in the Communion of Saints with many other Christians, including the Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Episcopal, and Methodist Churches.

The Communion of Saints is the belief where all saints are intimately related in the Body of Christ, a family. When you die and go to heaven, you do not leave this family.

Everyone in heaven or on their way to heaven are saints, you, me, my deceased grandmother, Mary the mother of Jesus, Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II.

As part of this family, you may ask your family and friends living here on earth to pray for you. Or, you may also ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Andrew, or your deceased grandmother living in heaven to pray for you.

Prayer to saints in heaven is simple communication, not worship.

And prayer to the saints is optional not required.

For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 946 and following: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect2chpt3art9p5.htm#946

+ The Ordained Clergy +

The hierarchy of ordained ministers in the Catholic Church mirrors how Jesus and the Apostles set up the original Christian Church.

There are three levels of Holy Orders, Deacon, Priest, and Bishop.

Bishops are the Apostles of today. Each one leads a diocese. Special types of bishop are archbishop, cardinal, and pope (who leads the whole Church).

Priests are co-workers of the bishops and can lead a parish. A special title for a priest is monsignor. Priests are called presbyters in the Bible.

Deacons assist the bishop and priests in the celebration of the Eucharist, in the distribution of Holy Communion, in assisting at and blessing marriages, in the proclamation of the Gospel and preaching, in presiding over funerals, and in dedicating themselves to the various ministries of charity.

+ Reconciliation (Confession) +

The Catholic Church believes that "Only God forgives sin."

When a penitent person asks God for forgiveness, his (or her) sins are immediately forgiven.

Catholics also believe that when someone sins they not only hurt their relationship with God, they also injure the entire church, the body of Christ.

Jesus said, "I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Matthew 16:19)

And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,"Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." (Luke 20:22-23)

Oral confessing of sins is recommended over and over in both the Old and New Testaments:
+ James 5:16
+ Acts 19:18
+ Matthew 3:5-6
+ Mark 1:5
+ 1 Timothy 6:12
+ 1 John 1:9
+ Numbers 5:6-7
+ Nehemiah 9:2
+ Sirach 4:26

The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation with a priest ordained in the name of Jesus Christ not only reconciles the sinner to God but with the entire church, including you and me.

For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 1422 and following: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt2sect2chpt2.htm

+ With love in Christ.