How do Catholics defend the whole "graven image" stuff?

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What say you, Sparkle?

In this forum have we hammered enough graven images to suit your Protestant friends?
 
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Carl:
What say you, Sparkle?
In this forum have we hammered enough graven images to suit your Protestant friends?
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Thanks Carl, Dave, others. I like the Webster’s definition someone gave, that a “graven image” IS something worshipped. That in itself just might explain my stupor??? We Catholics do not worship statues. Still, I’m puzzled a little because the Commandment says thou shalt not MAKE any graven image doesn’t it? It doesn’t say thou shalt not “worship” any graven image? But then if “graven image” means something worshipped, this wording is self-explanatory. Someone post this exact Commandment please. Can’t seem to locate my Bible now!

THX!!!
 
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sparkle:
Please help with knowing what to say when Fundamentalists say “Catholics have all these graven images, completely contrary to the Ten Commandments”. How should we respond?
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I say, “When you get ready to ask me a question about my faith rather than attack it, I’ll be happy to explain our position.”

Antonio 😦
 
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sparkle:
Still, I’m puzzled a little because the Commandment says thou shalt not MAKE any graven image doesn’t it? It doesn’t say thou shalt not “worship” any graven image? But then if “graven image” means something worshipped, this wording is self-explanatory.
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Bingo!!!

Using Webster’s definition, which is how the Jews themselves understood it then and now (as they made many graven images and decorated their Temple and Ark with them, as they do their Synoguoges today), then we ought not to make graven images (idols to be worshipped).
 
“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath.”

Well, if we want to take that part literally, then ALL images are out. No photos, no movies, no videos, no paintings, no etchings, no statues, NO TV !
 
JimG said:
“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath.”

Well, if we want to take that part literally, then ALL images are out. No photos, no movies, no videos, no paintings, no etchings, no statues, NO TV !
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No money as we know it.
 
Thanks Dave,

I actually had to go to my dictionary and look it up myself. I was thinking to myself, it can’t be that simple. But it is. Graven image specifically refers to something made to be worshipped. That would mean that it does not forbid art, especially art that would help us foster a greater devotion and worship of God. Just like the carvings God commanded the Israelites to make.

God Bless,
Maria
 
This is an easy one. Someone probably said it already but you just compare it to photographs. This is the tried and true defense argument they tell you to use. You ask them to crack open their wallet/purse and see if they happen to have pics of their kids etc. Why?? Are they worshipping those pictures? Of course not. These are just images to remind us. Has grandma passed away? Well you don’t think it’s really grandma in that picture. Of course not. Same deal. No different. Besides which you’re hard pressed to find ANY protestant church that doesn’t have a picture of some kind in it of Jesus.
 
The key is reading the commandments as the early Jews must have read them. The other nations at the time were worshipping idols that they made themselves. The idols were not considered to be representations of a deity but they were considered to actually BE a deity. God was telling them that they are not to do what the other nations do.
 
To all,

I read all the threads and you’ve made some good arguements but I wanted to add a little bit because of many debates I’ve had on anti-catholic discussion boards.

This is another arguement they use: “You Catholics have changed the number of the 10 Commandments in Exodus 20 to hide the ‘Graven Image’ commandment. Ex 20:4 says, ‘Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven thing, nor the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, nor of those things that are in the waters under the earth…’ See, you’ve made the 2nd Commandment part of the first to hide it!”

Answer: No we didn’t. Show me where in Exodus 20 that verse 4 is the 2nd Commandment? It doesn’t. Nor does it in Deut 6.

May God bless,

James224
 
The word graven when used as an adjective means engraved, carved, scultptured.

The images on coins are graven images. And the pictures on currency are printed from graven images. Your Protestant friends are in serious trouble when they possess money. This is especially true when one considers how many people really do worship money.

Tell your Protestant friends to get rid of their money, now! They can toss it inside the nearest Catholic church, which, in their opinion, is already a depository for graven images.
 
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