How many of you Catholics worship Saint, Mary, kiss Idols & pictures? Did you know Paul calls this sacrilige?

Question

Rom 2:22
22 Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?
(KJV)

Eph 5:5-6
5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
(KJV)

Rev 22:14-15
14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
(KJV)

Idolatry is one of the worst Sins in the Bible. God absolutely abhors it. Yet the Catholic Church thrives on Idolatry.

Do you see the contradiction. I am not asking you to join my church or agree with me. Study the scriptures!

Diane M - Sorry, I am not protestant, but I am Christian.


2 Tim 4:2-5
2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
(KJV)

People are dying and going to hell. They all call themselves the children of God, Christians, and go to church. Does any of this do any of them any good, if they faith to worship God in Truth & Spirit?

Idolaters will not enter heaven.
The Church of Jesus Christ is not preserved in a Pagan Organization like the Catholic Church.

Yet so many believers today are so ecumenical, do not offend anyone.

Jesus rebuked.

Cashelmara - thank you for your post. I did not know that the Catholics had dropped "no graven images" from the 10 commandments. I realize your post is was intended to prove otherwise, but indeed they skipped this commandment and divided coveting into two.

Where there is smoke there is fire:

You have images & statues in your churches.
Some do kiss, pray to, and burn candels to the images.
It is strictly forbidden to even MAKE such things in the 10 commandments.
God is very very clear about idolatry in the New Testament.

Then the smoking gun: The heart is desperately wicked and who can know it?

Why would God forbid even making these images (much less having them in a sanctuary or praying to them)?

Because God knows the heart of man will worship the image before it worships the Creator.

Try to justify it all you want. But the Bible clearly states that this is Sin. Frankly, you are taking a big risk believing the Judge will not call you on this.

Answer 1

Wow, what a waste of space ... and time!

I could've found more facts in a National Enquirer article.

At least you are stirring interest in the Catholic Church though. Thanks in advance for the future converts.

Answer 2

A simple but precious 'relic' of the dead is the memory we have of them. Memories are a source of both knowledge of the dead and comfort to us. After Christ's ascension it was the memory of him and of his teachings that his disciples treasured most. Of this memory the New Testament writings were born. Apart from the memory of the deceased, which is a mental relic, there is a more tangible one in the mortal remains of the dead. The early Christians treated with respect and veneration the remains of the martyrs. Mary, the mother of Jesus, has always held a very special place in the lives of all disciples of her Son. The Scriptural basis for why Catholics pray to her can be found in the following texts: Her importance in the lives of all Christians: Luke 1: 46-56 (Yes, from now onwards all generations will call me blessed, for the Almighty has done great things for me.) Although it is true that Christ is the only mediator (1 Timothy 2:5), Mary’s intercessory role through her special relationship with Jesus is very clear in Scripture: John 2: 1-10; Luke 8: 19-21; John 19: 25-27; Acts 1: 14. God Bless You

Answer 3

Please familiarize youself with Sacramentals:

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 4

"You Catholics"? Wow, no bias there.

Since you seem to be taking a poll:

1. I do not *worship* Mary or the saints -- only the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

2. I am not given to kissing statues or pictures. Well, I take that back. I have a picture of my grandchildren that I occasionally apply a kiss to, from my lips to my fingertips to the picture. Whoops, is this idolatry? Perhaps I should go to confession, then.

Oh, and thanks for the reminder about studying Scriptures. I've done so on an almost-daily basis for 30 years or so, but tonight our parish Bible study group meets, so I'm off to re-read the section of John's Gospel we'll be discussing tonight.

Have a blessed day.

Answer 5

For someone who professes to not being Protestant, you certainly post a lot of anti-Catholic uninformed propaganda. It's almost as if you are Protesting the practice of Catholicism. We could do the same with your practice, but we have better things to do, such as being positive about our faith. But, Hey! You seem to be fascinated by Catholicism so maybe you will see the error of your ways. Honestly, I could care less about what you do yourself or think of us.

Answer 6

i am a Catholic...
what you said is in fact true..
but let me tell you this...
this images and statues found inside every Catholic Church are just what they are...
but this things was sanctified...
it is not a sin...
we only venerate and give respect because those things remind us of the saints and holy people whom holiness was brought as example...
for example, the picture of your dead mother or what,...
are you going to disrespect them...
that picture reminds you of your mother...

Let us bare in mind the real meaning of idolatry..
idolatry is an act of worshiping a thing out of that thing..
if you believe that that thing is your god then that is idolatry....

i know that you are not convinced with me but i cannot blame you because its not part of what you believe..

hope you respect my side and this is what my faith dictates...
thanks a lot...

God Bless.....

Answer 7

Just what do you expect this provocative sniping to get you other than anger, annoyance and provocation. All Christians and all followers of the Prophet are seekers and many are devout followers of their faith as revealed to them by their leaders, ministers and priests, holy writings, sermons and guides. God in his wisdom has ordained that in His House are many rooms, it is not up to us to determine who lives where but to thank Him for the grace He has allowed us in our portion.

Answer 8

Yes, it is sacrilege -- which is why Catholics don't do any of those things!

The Catholic Church does not thrive on idolatry. But some fundamentalist churches thrive on anti-Catholic bigotry.

...

Answer 9

How many Catholics worship Saints, or Mary, or statues, or pictures?

None!

Isn't that fortunate? So you see, we are not worried about sacrilege as regards idolatry, because we do not practice idolatry.

Do we ask for the intercessions of the Saints? Certainly. If you want to condemn us for knowing the value of associating with holy people and actually believing in the eternal life promised to us (which the Saints currently enjoy), you'll have to take that matter up with God. He tells us in Revelations that the prayers of the saints are offered at the throne of God like incense. Paul asks people to pray for him and the Church, and also encourages us to pray for each other in several places throughout his epistles. We trust in the Word of God and follow Paul's example, confident that the holy men and women who have gone before us will offer our prayers to God if we ask it of them.

Would you like to condemn us for honoring (NOT worshipping) the mother of Christ? Kindly direct your objections to the Archangel Gabriel. In the Gospel of Luke, he greets her, "Hail, full of Grace." Why shouldn't we address her in the same manner and honor her for her unique role in Christianity? It says in the Bible that all generations shall call her blessed. Will you turn from God's Word and hate this brave, holy woman who bore the world a Savior? We are well aware of Mary's holiness, and we know from the story of the wedding feast at Cana that Christ listens to His mother. Who is better than she to pray for us to God?

Will you condemn Moses for making a staff adorned with the figure of a serpent, as commanded by God? Will you condemn the Israelites for placing figures of angels on the Ark of the Covenant, again as commanded by God? It is not religious images or objects that are objectionable to God; it is rather the *worship* of these objects *instead of God* that is a sin. For over a thousand years, the vast majority of Christians were illiterate and could not read the Word of God, much less afford to own a Bible before the advent of the modern printing press. How should these people have conducted their worship of God if they could not own a Bible and furthermore could not read it?

Our pictures and our statues are not objects of worship. They are the continuing legacy of a rich history of worshipping God by visual, tactile, and auditory means in addition to literary means. When I see a statue of Mary, I do not worship the plaster from which it is made, nor do I worship the woman it commemorates. Instead, I am reminded that here is a woman whose holy example I should aspire to follow. Here is a friend and advocate who will add her voice to mine when I bring my prayers to God. When I see a crucifix, I do not worship its wood and brass. I worship instead the Savior who stretched out His arms for us and died that we might live.

Do not be fooled by the falsehoods spread against the Church. *Nothing* in Catholic theology goes against the Holy Scriptures. Those aspects of our Faith that do not come directly from Scripture were given to us by the Apostles and their successors, as described by Paul in 2 Thess 2:15, "Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you have learned, whether by word or by our epistle." I know you probably hate what you imagine the Catholic Church to be. However, the image you have of idolatry, paganism, and whatever else the anti-Catholic mainstream would have you believe about the Church is just that - an image. It is a hologram as insubstantial as a breeze. I suppose it is too much to ask, but I will encourage you anyway to learn about the *real* Church from people who practice the Catholic Faith, not from non-Catholics who have an axe to grind against the Church. I think you'd be very surprised how different the Catholic Church is from the image you have of it.

Answer 10

Thank you to the above poster. It's good to see people from both sides being moderate.

I reported this so-called question and will move on to his others soon enough.