Why do Catholics worship graven images and carved idols?

Question

Whatever happened to the Commandments?

And don't tell me they don't worship them, I've seen them keeling, weeping and reaching out to touch them or kiss their robes.

If that's not worshiping, then what is?

Answer 1

Wow....even the baby is crying over this question

Answer 2

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 3

Catholics Worship Idols?

http://home.inreach.com/bstanley/idol.htm

Answer 4

Yes, I'm telling you we don't worship them. The statues you refer to as idols are images much like photos are to others. When we kneel and bow our heads and weep it's because we know the individual the statue represents. We understand the sufferings this person went through and we also know they were eventually triumphant in their time of hardship.

Every Catholic understands this. Absolutely no one worships idols. This has never been accepted in our faith and never will be. If this is your perception of what is happening then I can say without reservation you are wrong in your interpretation of this event.

Answer 5

They don't - isn't this good news.
There has been a lot of misunderstanding over this teaching - and I'm here to tell you it just isn't true.
If you really are interested in knowing the truth - there have been some great posts over the last month here - all worth a read and any confusion will be cleared away and truth will come to light.
I pray you will find the truth my friend.
God Bless and keep you.

Jesus The Way The Truth & The life

Answer 6

You must be thinking about the Mexicans. Catholics do not worship the images or idols. They worship God and Jesus. They honor Mary, Joseph, the saints and angels. The images help them focus. The Mexicans do all the other things that you mention. They mix superstitions with Catholic beliefs so that they feel more comfortable.

Answer 7

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.

Answer 8

Please notice that they've removed the 2nd commandment which forbids anyone from "bowing" to a graven image. It's obvious that the Catholic Church is trying to hide their sin of idolatry here.

In the Catholic Catechism (part 3) you'll read the following words of blasphemy...

"2132 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."[70] The honor paid to sacred images is a "respectful veneration," not the adoration due to God alone: "

First of all, not bowing to a graven image is the 2nd command, not the first. The evil men who wrote the Catholic Catechism deceitfully split the 10th commandment into two to make up for the missing 2nd commandment. Why are there two commandments telling us not to covet? Seems kind of strange don't you think? It's obvious what the devil has done here. You can't just eradicate the 2nd commandment!

Secondly, the quoted passage from the Catechism above is blasphemy. God clearly warns us in Exodus 20:4-5 NOT to make unto ourselves ANY graven images. The brazen serpent was God's idea, not Moses. God never told us ANYWHERE in the Word of God to worship / pray through a statue of Mary / Jesus. The Israelites were instructed to "look" to the serpent (which pictured Christ) and live. The people were NOT instructed to bow, honor, or pray to a statue. The Catholics can devilishly call their idolatry "Respectful Veneration" if they want to, but it's a direct violation of the 2nd Commandment (which you don't have in Catholicism).

"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..." -Exodus 20:4,5

Answer 9

I love the last answer, it is very consise and has the benefit of total dissolution of issue, great one god's child. In fact these answers sound the same. its soo easy to say that your statues are of real people. (or gods), but i bet those who made idols of other gods believed in them too.
so basically as long as you believe in the god that you portray its perfectly alright. Wow that means i could believe in anything i want.

Thats what comes of 2000 years of figuring out how to make your religion right over all others.....

Answer 10

Well "I've seen them keeling, weeping, and reaching out to touch them or kiss their robes." sounds like the POPE...not a statue....

Anyway...does your church have a picture of Jesus in it? Hmm...it does...isn't that a "graven image"?

What happened to you and the commandments?

I admit, my church has pictures of Jesus too.

Answer 11

they're showing know to the saint and asking for intervention on their behalf. Why is that a huge deal? If that's the way they desire to worship that is their perfect to achieve this....you worship the type you desire to. i'm so unwell of the catholic hate on right here!