Article recommendation explaining the "worship" of statues

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My mother, coming from a Pentecostal background, is extremely upset about my decision to convert to the RCC. She has known about this for almost a year, so things have calmed down a bit. However, she is convinced Catholics worship statues. Can anyone recommend an article I can send her that explains this? I don’t know if she will even read it, but I’m willing to try. I don’t think any old article will do, (I can find many myself), but I need one that can speak to someone of her religious background.
 
Does she have any family portraits? A photo album? Does she ever go to museums? Does she paint, or take photographs herself?

It’s almost 4th of July and probably PBS will have A Capitol Fourth with fireworks from the Rotunda etc, with the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Monument.

Now, when people put their hands over their hearts and look at the Flag and sing the Star Spangled Banner, does she think they are worshiping the flag?

When she looks at the statue of Lincoln, does she think the tourists coming by are worshiping him?

At her church when people stand up when the Bible is read, are they worshiping the Bible?

Is there a cross in her church? Do people worship it?

Statues are things that are images. A statue can be an image of a person, a thing, even a ‘concept’. But nobody thinks the statue of Lincoln IS Lincoln. Nobody thinks a statue of “Jesus the Good Shepherd” IS ‘Jesus the Good Shepherd’ Himself.

Catholics don’t attribute salvation to a statue, or even treat it like a slot machine, “I’ll give you a candle, you give me good health” (although people sure treat things like medicine that way even if they don’t actually give good health!

They sit there and maybe, since Jesus isn’t physically in full visible body ‘in front of us’ but we know He is all around us and we can ‘see’ that little statue to help us think of Him more clearly, we bow our heads, not to a plaster statue but to the Jesus who IS, and we pray to HIM, and then we walk away, knowing He is with us.

I don’t know if it will help–I’m sure that as a Catholic I find it just as difficult to imagine somebody having trouble with the idea of a plaster statue being an ‘idol’ when a picture of my departed father is not, as they do with the idea of ‘catholics and statues’–but maybe it will.

If we DID ‘worship statues’, we’d dang well come out, say it, and defend it, just as we do with other things. Catholics don’t wimp back and say< “Well, we think the Eucharist is symbolic really” because we DON’T think that, even though a lot of non-Catholics think it.

So you can take our word for it. We really DO think the Eucharist is the body and blood, soul and divinity of Jesus.

We really DO think statues are plaster things, not God, not ‘the people themselves’, but just ‘visual aids to prayer’. Like stained glass windows or looking at a Cross and imaging Jesus’ sacrifice.
 
I would look for anything from Tim Staples. He came from the Baptist Pentecostal background.

www.catholic.com

So Catholics Worship Statues?

The first commandment says: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before m...
www.catholic.com www.catholic.com


The only thing I would probably add is to nicely ask her if it is possible for her to know if someone is worshiping a statue or anything they maybe praying in front of just by looking at them.

Hope this helps,

God Bless
 
Tim Staples’ article So Catholics Worship Statues

Do Catholics Worship Statues

I think it’s nearly impossible to explain this to someone who stubbornly refuses to admt that Catholics are anything but idolatrous heathens. I’ve tried, and I was on the other side of the fence, too. Sometimes it really needs a miracle from God to open their eyes. I’m still amazed at how God has brought me 180° from where I was.

Just remind her that when she sees Catholics reverencing a statue or icon, that she is guilty of judging them without understanding their hearts and true intentions. Only God really understands and knows that if we kiss a statue of Jesus or Mary or a saint, it’s because we can’t kiss them here and now, so we make do and kiss their picture. People do the same thing with pictures of their loved ones.

I have a picture of Mother Angelica, and to me it’s no different than having a picture of my grandmother.

If we kneel before a statue of Jesus, it’s because we are showing humility and worship of God. We want to be kneeling before Him in reality, but right now we only have an image to help remind us of who we are worshipping.

In our hearts, we kneel before God, not the statue. And kneeling helps remind our bodies of what we’re doing and helps keep us focused on our prayers. I kow I’m much less distracted when I’m kneeling.

You already know all this. I sincerely wish you the best in trying to convince your mom, but unless she is open to it, it’s probably best to just continually pray, pray, pray for her instead of getting hurt or angry. Praying will help you love and forgive her, and will help soften her heart. I know how hurtful it is to keep bumping heads about it.
 
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stpurl said:
If we DID ‘worship statues’, we’d dang well come out, say it, and defend it, just as we do with other things. Catholics don’t wimp back and say< “Well, we think the Eucharist is symbolic really” because we DON’T think that, even though a lot of non-Catholics think it.
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I love this point. It’s so true. Catholics are extremely upfront about what we believe, even when the world hates almost everything we say. Why would we insist on the Real Presence of Jesus despite all the controversy and yet lie about how we feel about statues. Does she know that we think lying is a mortal sin? 😆
 
As a returning Catholic myself, I think Catholics take it way overboard parading the streets carrying a statues around. To the outside world, yes it looks like we’re worshipping idols. I don’t blame them.

I could never picture the Apostles doing this.
 
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@ShowersofRoses yeah, I think I might be swinging in the dark here and it most likely won’t open her eyes. For some reason I feel compelled right now just to share something with her about it. It may come back to bite me in the butt, but my butt is used to that. 😉
 
@EvangelistVictor I come from a protestant background, and I understand what you are saying. And I see how my mom can feel this way. I feel there is a veil of ignorance over her eyes, and I want to at least have her read an explanation of why Catholics do that, rather than stay on the assumption bandwagon.
 
I just checked my copy of Catholicism and Fundamentalism by Karl Keating, and chapter 21 is called “Honoring the Saints” and refutes that we worship Mary and the saints. Maybe that would also be helpful.
 
For me, I explain it like this.

On my piano is a picture of my grandmother. When I walk by I will sometimes touch that photograph, remembering how much I love and miss her.

When I traveled (back in the pre-internet dark ages), I carried a photo of my son. Every night I would hold that picture as I said prayers for him and I would give that photo a kiss.

If your mother saw me doing either of these things, would she think I was involved in some sort of ancestor or descendant worship? No, she would think I love my family.

The pictures and statues are reminders of our brothers and sisters in heaven. We love them.
 
Heck, I’d even edit to add that back before everything was digital, people would have to leave for an emergency (flood, tornado, fire) and they would grab the family photos as their most treasured possessions. They did not worship those items, they valued them.
 
I would give her a Compendium of the Catechism. It is a “Reader’s Digest” version of the faith and clearly and accurately explains what we believe and why.

She simply does not know the Church, and overcoming that lack of knowledge (and the falsehoods she has been taught) is crucial to her understanding of the Church Christ founded.
 
USAFwife said:
I come from a Protestants background, and I understand what you are saying. And I see how my mom can feel this way. I feel there is a veil of ignorance over her eyes, and I want to at least have her read an explanation of why Catholics do that, rather than stay on the assumption bandwagon
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The reason Protestants hate any statues is because of Exodus 32 where after Moses received the 10 Commandments, the people were worshiping a golden calf. Moses ordered 3000 killed that day, and the LORD killed more later.

As Catholics we have to be very careful we’re not crossing the line of idolatry. Many, Catholics with lack of understanding of Catholic teaching, I believe can cross this line, and its dangerous.

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