Graven Images

[slyboots]

Kalt: No prejudice! Just telling it like I saw it. Sorry you don’t like my observations, but I know what I saw and those poor folks were worshipping that statue. I understand that the Catholic Church does not approve of this type of worship. It has been my general experience with friends who are faithful Catholics that their Biblical knowledge is rather sparse. The same can be said for many Protestants. If you would like to discuss the Biblical concept of the Ten Commandments please contact me at:

jacksdon@gmail.com

Still haven’t shown us any proof of busloads of Catholics worshipping a statue. I figure that is because it didn’t happen. And you know it didn’t happen and are using that fictional instance to stir up discussion.

 

[placido]

Kalt: No prejudice! Just telling it like I saw it. Sorry you don’t like my observations, but I know what I saw and those poor folks were worshipping that statue. I understand that the Catholic Church does not approve of this type of worship. It has been my general experience with friends who are faithful Catholics that their Biblical knowledge is rather sparse. The same can be said for many Protestants. If you would like to discuss the Biblical concept of the Ten Commandments please contact me at:

jacksdon@gmail.com

This last post of yours is clearly a tactical withdrawal. Now you know the Church does not approve of what you saw, yet you maintain your accusation of poor Catholics worshipping statues. Why not simply do us a favour and give us the name of the village, the name of the Parish or shrine plus the date - and please don’t forget to tell us what you were doing there.

 

[zosa]

Another scholarly question, if we refer to the 10 commandments in Exodus, we find part of the translation as…

You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me,"

No idols, nothing in heaven, nothing on the earth, nothing in the water. Basically no images. Would this not technically include the saints, mary, the crucifix? Or was this restated in the new testament to remove this requirement?

Please, no flaming each other. Just debate.

I’m a recent convert to the Catholic church from an evangelical denomination. When I look back on my “path” I remember traveling to Barcelona a few years ago and going to the main cathedral there. I was struck by the images on the wall all around the church that basically told the “story” of the Bible and Jesus. To that moment I had never really “understood” (although I knew it historically) that most people couldn’t read or write until 500 years ago. That means 75% of the time since Jesus, people were mainly illiterate and there was more of a need for visual symbols, etc.

Now this is part of the history of the Church and it seems silly to do away with all of it. If any “image” is an idol then we need to not keep any pictures of our friends, family and loved ones because looking at it might be “worship.” Also, putting up a tombstone to a loved one and visiting it could be argued to be an idol since many people go there and “talk” to the departed loved ones.

Many Catholics do have idols (and everyone else). They are the idols of sexual immorality, greed, pride ect. for all sin is choosing to make ourselves higher than God.

So idols do exist, there just not the ones non-Catholics attack the Church for…