Catholics, why do you make grave images?

Question

Whatever happened to God's commandment forbidding those images?

I meant GRAVEN IMAGES

Thanks for pointing out (and supporting with documentation) yet another Bible contradiction...

Misunderstood? Ha ha... it's more than clear in ANY Bible....the boilerplate is freshly-added apologetic nonsense.....

You may make that lame pamphlet say whatever you want....

It just doesn't make it any truer....

Answer 1

The commandment about “graven images” is one of the most misunderstood scriptures. Consider Exodus 25: 18-19: “And make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. Make one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; make the cherubim of one piece with the cover, at the two ends.” Here, God is commanding that images be made!

So is God contradicting himself? First he say don’t make a graven image, and then he orders graven images to be made?

No, he is not contradicting himself. The problem is that folks have misinterpreted the words “graven image.”

According to Strong’s Concordance, the original Hebrew words that were translated into “graven image” referred to idols (Here is the concordance link: http://cf.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?strongs=06459 ). Of course, we know that an idol is a false god, or something that you place above God. Since the Cheribum are not false Gods, there is no contradiction.

Therefore, also, statues in Catholic Churches are not a violation of the commandment either. They are not idols, because they are not false Gods. My Church has a statue of an angel, just like God commanded the Israelites to make. We have a statue of Jesus, who is CERTAINLY not a false God. We have statues of saints because they are heroes of the faith, not gods - just like America has statues of its heroes – Washington, Lincoln, etc. – and those are not idols either.

Bottom line: The commandments forbid images of false idols or false gods, but there is nothing wrong with beautiful artwork of Jesus, Mary, or angels, whether that artwork be paintings, statues, or whatever.

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

If graven (engraved or carved) images are sinful, you have a very long line of artists and sculptors who are in big trouble. Michelangelo and Leonardo are near the top of the list.

The notion that God condemns representational religious artwork is more akin to Islam than Christianity. But Puritanical extremism now and then rears its intolerant head, e.g., when Calvinists gutted the great Catholic churches of Switzerland during the Reformation.

A good test of whether an Old Testament rule is really from God is to find at least an inkling of it in the words of Jesus, or at least in the letters of the apostles in the New Testament. It is simply not there. In fact, it is really not in the Old Testament either; the command is not to worship idols.

Cheers,
Bruce

Answer 4

You are making a classical misunderstanding of the commandment. There are actually two parts:
do not make graven images AND worship them.

Do you have pictures in your house of loved ones? do you have magazines? do you have any statues at all? these are all forms of graven images. The important part of religion is that it follows what God said specifically, and not just in some way to suit one's fancies or provide a basis for bashing others based on personal thoughts. We have graven images, yes, almost every christian church does, but we (like all good Christians) do not worship any other than God.

Answer 5

People who oppose religious statuary forget about the many passages where the Lord commands the making of statues. For example: "And you shall make two cherubim of gold [i.e., two gold statues of angels]; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end; of one piece of the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be" (Ex. 25:18–20).

David gave Solomon the plan "for the altar of incense made of refined gold, and its weight; also his plan for the golden chariot of the cherubim that spread their wings and covered the ark of the covenant of the Lord. All this he made clear by the writing of the hand of the Lord concerning it all, all the work to be done according to the plan" (1 Chr. 28:18–19). David’s plan for the temple, which the biblical author tells us was "by the writing of the hand of the Lord concerning it all," included statues of angels.

Similarly Ezekiel 41:17–18 describes graven (carved) images in the idealized temple he was shown in a vision, for he writes, "On the walls round about in the inner room and [on] the nave were carved likenesses of cherubim."
God forbade the worship of statues but not the use of religious statues.

Answer 6

It would really help if you had the faintest idea what you're asking.

Also....if you've ever been to some other Churches (Greek) you would see that they are not the only ones with Statues and pictures of Saints,etc

Educate yourself....that would eliminate some of these questions.

Answer 7

Lighten up...
Graven images would be images opposed to God.

Answer 8

Here you go-
http://www.catholic.com/library/do_catholics_worship_statues.asp

Answer 9

I don't.