Catholics and the Crusifix?

Question

Why do catholics make an Idol by putting a statue of Jesus on the Cross? Don't they even know the very basics, that Jesus Died and Rose again. Why don't they ever take Him off the Cross?

Why do they put crusifixes all over their houses, over their beds like they are warding off evil spirits. Does anyone find them acting in superstition?

Jesus is in heaven, at the right hand of the Father. Why don't you open up your Bibles, take Jesus off the cross, and start claiming the fact that He has risen from the dead.

Why do you need the Statues and Idols? Perhaps you are focusing on the Physical things, and not the Spiritual?

Stop breaking the second commandment! Actually, your organization deleted it from the Bible, but go find a real Bible and read the second commandment! No Idols!!

Answer 1

Well I think many "so called" christians wear a cross with jesus on it, not just catholics. "So called" christians don't follow the bible anymore, they follow religious leaders who change biblical views to gain popularity in which brings in more money into the church.

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.

How can a nativity set set up in your house to constantly remind you and teach your children of God's love for use be idolotry?

Catholics do not worship statues but the almighty God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

With love in Christ.

Answer 3

As Christians we all need reminders of our faith. Up until the last century the vast majority of people in the world couldn't read, so having a bible was pretty pointless (as they couldn't read it). (In fact even today most of the world are illiterate).

In the absence of being able to read the bible, most people needed other ways (visual ways) of understanding their faith. This is why many churches used images, symbols, stained glass windows to retell the stories of our faith and remind people of what they believe in.

If you were an illiterate peasant, seeing a crucifix reminded you of the gospel message (that Jesus died for your sins John 3:16). Much better than a bible that you couldn't read or understand.

This neccesity of syumbols and images has created the legacy of many churches and christians feeling that they need images and symbols to remind them of their faith.

In certain circumstances this has developed in an unhealthy superstition, which should at all points be discouraged.

However, please do not paint all Catholics as this sort of superstitious person.

I am a catholic and have a crucifix in my living room, which when I'm not reading my bible reminds me of the glorious truth that Jesus died to forgive my sins and through his resurrection bring me to everlasting life. It also serves as a sign to visitors that this is what I believe.

Answer 4

Pssssst. Your organization did not even record anything while it was supposedly happening. It waited 70-170 years after the fact to do so. THEN, your organization selected what it liked and didn't for its version of the bible. Get a grip. Why do insist on worshiping words that some men wrote down?

Answer 5

The Crucifix is only there to remind us that Jesus suffered and died for our sins. Crucifixes, just like statues, are reminders of those we love and who love us in Heaven, just like you keep pictures of your family and friends on your computer or in your room to remind you of those you love. Some of them are living and some have passed away and nobody accuses you of worshipping those pictures. So stop thinking you know what we do.. you do not.

Answer 6

I often wonder if non-Catholic Christians who have a bare cross do not want to think about Jesus dying for our sins. they only want to think about Him being resurrected. Seeing Jesus on the cross is not a pretty sight to them. They may start thinking that we may be called to die for our faith.

Friend, Jesus' resurrection did not open the gates of Heaven for us. Jesus' resurrection did not pay the price for our sins. His DEATH did that.

Answer 7

Now. I know the Old Law speaks against making "false idols." Are you implying tha Jesus is false???

Answer 8

The idols, statues serve the faith of a catholic.

The key point to understand here is that faith is something personal. You can follow any religion and be familiar with your own rituals but each must be respected.

As Gandhi said something like... Different religions are like different roads that lead to the same thing.

Integration is also key. Rather proving who knows God better, what is important to me is how I integrate my faith in my daily life.

Answer 9

Where does your authority to interpret Scripture come from? Does it come from God? My Church's authority comes from God.

The use of statues, icons, pictures, and even stained glass windows have their origins in the Old Testament. Statues are nothing more than three-dimensional pictures, while icons and stained glass windows are two-dimensional pictures. No one feels uncomfortable carrying a picture of a loved one in their wallet or displaying their photo or portrait in a prominent place in their home; these pictures remind the viewer of the person depicted. So it is with statues, icons and pictures of the saints; they remind us of the person depicted and the honor which they bestowed upon God.

The use of all images in worship of God is not forbidden by the first commandment (second commandment as the Protestants number them). Exodus 20:4-5 says
"You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God" (NIV).

The prohibition here is not the manufacture of images (pictures), but the worship of the images instead of God. This may be more clearly seen five chapters later where God commands the Israelites through Moses to:
"make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover (of the Ark of the Covenant)" (Exodus 25:18, NIV).

Cherubim are angels; something in heaven above. Then God commands them to make an image of something on the earth:
"Make a lampstand of pure gold and hammer it out, base and shaft, its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms . . . Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms . . . " (Exodus 25:31-36, NIV)

The Israelites would kneel before these images as part of their Temple worship; not in worship of the images but in worship of God.

All Christians, Protestant and Catholic, use a symbol of a fish to depict Jesus. The fish is something in the waters below.
When one sees a person kneeling in prayer before a statue, this doesn't mean that the person is worshiping the statue (or the person depicted by the statue). Worship is given only to God. Honor and praise are given to the saints for the example and assistance they have provided in our quest to do God's will. As was noted in the chapter titled "MARY", "Protestants, in their worship services, offer songs and praise and prayer to God; this is their highest form of worship. Since they don't have a priesthood, they have nothing else they can offer. Catholics on the other hand, offer the Sacrifice of the Mass to God. Our offering of sacrifice is made only to God and is our form of worship. This allows us to give lesser things such as songs and praise and prayer to those who can pray in our behalf before God: the saints and especially the Blessed Virgin Mary. When the Protestants see us offering what is their highest form of worship to someone other than God, it appears to them that we are worshiping someone other than God."

As it can be seen, the use of images has Old Testament origins where it is ordered by God; not as objects of worship, but as objects used in the worship of God. Statues, icons, and stained glass windows became popular in the early church as the people had no Bibles (printing hadn't been invented yet) and even if they had been able to possess them, the average Christian couldn't read. The images told the Bible stories and were used as methods of evangelization and instruction.

Answer 10

A) We KNOW He rose from the dead. It was HIS apostle, Peter (who headed our church) who told us.

B) We use a crucifix as a reminder of His sacrifice, of the divine love for us which made that sacrifice freely and of our faults, flaws and failings which made that sacrifice necessary!