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H
happyme
Guest
Yes I also find this interesting, as no one has a picture of Christ or for that matter His mother Mary, so all posters and statues are in fact fictitious.
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ffg
Guest
So are you saying because camera’s were not around, representations are fake?
Considering fake / real is really not the argument, as it doesn’t conclude a discussion related to ‘worship of’, I’m not sure if this is what you are saying, but realized after a second read you were probably serious.
C
campeador
Guest
A
adrift
Guest
Are they idols?
Definition of idol
an image or representation of a god used as an object of worship.
- Statues are not a representation of a god
- Statues are not an object of worship
noun: worship1. the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity.
deity=god
They are not idols.
A
adrift
Guest
We do not worship a statue of Jesus but Jesus Himself. We don’t believe that the statues are Jesus only that they represent Jesus. I am not sure what you are asking in this strange question since having a statue of Jesus is not an idol. The statue is not God. Catholic do not believe any statue is a god
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Captain_America
Guest
for Protestants with some sense of “difficulty” here, ask yourself this one practical question:
In the Year 2013, in advanced first world countries, can anyone HONESTLY believe in praying to bits of wood or plastic?
Do you REALLY think Catholics do this?
Or (hypocritical?) are two-dimensional images of Jesus “good” while three-dimensional ones are “bad”?
To me, images are just visual reminders. I suppose you could just write the word “Jesus” on things and have about the same effect.
In the Year 2013, in advanced first world countries, can anyone HONESTLY believe in praying to bits of wood or plastic?
Do you REALLY think Catholics do this?
Or (hypocritical?) are two-dimensional images of Jesus “good” while three-dimensional ones are “bad”?
To me, images are just visual reminders. I suppose you could just write the word “Jesus” on things and have about the same effect.
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EvangelCatholic
Guest
Honestly, I have mixed feelings about statues in churches. I’ve been studying the magnificent churches in Europe built from the 15th to 19th centuries and admire the beautiful art work of countless statues/ depictions of Christ & saints. Today, that kind of display would be rare in contemporary Catholic churches. The crucifix is central to worship and perhaps a Madonna & Child.
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Tantum_ergo
Guest
No, they aren’t idols. An idol is a false god, something we worship AS a god.
So, suppose you go to a Church named St. Peter’s. . .and they have a statue of St. Peter.
Do the people who see the statue say, “That’s god?” Do they put the statue on the altar and call it god? Do they pray and say, “we believe in Peter, god almighty?”
No, they don’t.
Scripture does not say that we are not to make statues. Go carefully through your Bible and see what God required the Jewish people to fashion for the seat of mercy in the Holy of Holies. . .cherubim. What were they if not statues?
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R_C
Guest
There was a time in which most people did not know how to read and write. Even if they did, there was no printing press for 15 centuries - monks or other dedicated individuals handwrote Sacred Scripture and treasured it, while others who could do so and were called to do so, dedicated their life to learn and teach Scripture.
The artwork - icons, statues, and the like - was a direct way to convey the Good News to all. The teaching of God’s word could not be limited to the sermon during Mass. Anyone could look at a Church, even from afar, or walk in it and look at the artwork inside, and receive immediate visual knowledge of the life of our Lord. Anyone could genuflect before a statue of Our Lady and baby Jesus and feel like they were next to the poor shepherd and the rich magi. All of this was drawing people closer to the Lord.
Contemporary art, along with the inexorable pride that comes from our supposed “knowledge” of Sacred Scripture, has indeed made the display of modern churches sometimes banal, sometimes embarrassing. Nevertheless, any soul, regardless of his knowledge of the Good News, will feel a step closer to the heavens when they see this:
http://forums.catholic-questions.org/picture.php?albumid=2348&pictureid=15957
http://forums.catholic-questions.org/picture.php?albumid=2348&pictureid=15958
http://forums.catholic-questions.org/picture.php?albumid=2348&pictureid=15956
http://forums.catholic-questions.org/picture.php?albumid=2348&pictureid=15959
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Captain_America
Guest
Ahh, touche-- that’s a good one!Yes, and it has become known to me that all the virgins are Lutherans.
Jon
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Captain_America
Guest
You know what I find really weird about religious art is the depiction of Jesus as a white man. . . and the one I think is most amusing is the one I call “Football Player Jesus”, in which Jesus is depicted as a kind of guy with a football player build with a 1970s longish haircut.
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R_C
Guest
Our Lord was a a carpenter. Carpenters were tough men. We are also told He was a tall man. And we do know He carried a cross all the way to Mount Calvary. Also, the Holy Shroud tells us that our Lord had long hair. We do not know whether this was always so, or only in the latest stage of His life. This is also consistent with how the Lord appeared to the saints in each and every private revelation throughout the history of the Church. Why would the Lord allow Christianity to consistently depict Him in a certain way, unless this was somewhat accurate?
Second: many have tried to assign a specific race to our Lord. The undeniable truth is that there is no scholarly agreement on the race and appearance of Jesus; over the centuries, he has been depicted in a multitude of ways! Regardless, it is highly improbable that His glorified body presents any specific traits, and ultimately the Lord’s members are men of all nations and races. I have seen crucifixes of the Lord as a black man, and I have knelt before them, regardless of the historical accuracy.
It is in fact quite interesting (and related) how Our Lady has appeared in private revelations throughout the world manifesting different ethnic features. Yet we all know it is the one Theotokos who is making herself present
The following three icons are from the VI Century, two from Mt. Sinai and one from Egypt…
Christ and Saint Mina. 6th-century icon from Bawit, Egypt
(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
Pantokrator, 6th-century encaustic icon from Saint Catherine’s Monastery, Mount Sinai
(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
Second: many have tried to assign a specific race to our Lord. The undeniable truth is that there is no scholarly agreement on the race and appearance of Jesus; over the centuries, he has been depicted in a multitude of ways! Regardless, it is highly improbable that His glorified body presents any specific traits, and ultimately the Lord’s members are men of all nations and races. I have seen crucifixes of the Lord as a black man, and I have knelt before them, regardless of the historical accuracy.
It is in fact quite interesting (and related) how Our Lady has appeared in private revelations throughout the world manifesting different ethnic features. Yet we all know it is the one Theotokos who is making herself present
The following three icons are from the VI Century, two from Mt. Sinai and one from Egypt…
Christ and Saint Mina. 6th-century icon from Bawit, Egypt
(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
Pantokrator, 6th-century encaustic icon from Saint Catherine’s Monastery, Mount Sinai
(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
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adrift
Guest
The ones with the blue eyes startle me.
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concretecamper
Guest
images have been used by the Church practically since it’s beginning. The question could be…why doesn’t everyone?
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V
vsedriver
Guest
LOL! this could be me. I have a cabinet full of horses. I happen to like horses. I think my figurines are pretty. Some of them remind me of horses I used to own.
but they are not graven images. I don’t worship them, or think they are gods.
Likewise my crucifix is not a graven image but a reminder of Christ’s suffering and dying for me. He is God, not the image of him on my wall.
L
LiberalPrincess
Guest
I’m no theologian by any means 
… but I think it’s understandable why some might perceive statues in a church setting “idolatrous,”
I’ve spent time in Latin American churches it does look like “worship” from the outside due to the culture.
… but I think it’s understandable why some might perceive statues in a church setting “idolatrous,”I’ve spent time in Latin American churches it does look like “worship” from the outside due to the culture.
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R_C
Guest
Great statement!!! :clapping: We must understand culture in order to understand the different kinds of veneration that the faithful offer to Our Lady and the saints.
I live in a city where it is not uncommon to see people approaching statues with an enthusiasm unheard of, say, in Milan or Rome, they touch the statue, etc. You think that’s excessive for veneration? You should see what adoration looks like for them.
Every culture is different because they reflect the spiritual diversity of the Church. Did you know that the Carthusian monks prostrate face down when the Elevation takes place? In other spiritualities it would not be uncommon for people to not only look up but even raise their hands towards the Blessed Sacrament! Inherently there are states and positions that contribute to greater reverence, yes…but we cannot judge exteriorly without knowing first the context of what we are seeing
Even the most enthusiast lady of the procession of la Virgen de la Caridad knows very well that she is not God, not even close to what God is! Everyone knows. Oddly enough, only those who oppose the use of icons and statues don’t seem to know 
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rinnie
Guest
As my kids used to say when they were little. You gots to get out of the Old and into the new. Testament!!
Red Alert, Red Alert!! GOD revealed himself as the SON. So when you see a statue of Jesus it is made in the image of what Jesus revealed himself to be. A MAN.
The Blessed Mother was a Woman so her statue is in the form of what she looked like a woman.
Where is it ever stated from any Catholic ever that we BELIEVE the STATUE of Jesus is really him??
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