No wonder they think we're idolaters

[Tenebrae]

Okay. this discussion had wandered off a bit. My original point was (and maybe I didn’t make it plain enough) that there are people who think that Catholics worship statues, and this newspaper article was worded in a way which would confirm them in their erroneous belief. You’d think that the religion editors would know better than to let something like this slip by.

 

[Joe_5859]

Okay. this discussion had wandered off a bit. My original point was (and maybe I didn’t make it plain enough) that there are people who think that Catholics worship statues, and this newspaper article was worded in a way which would confirm them in their erroneous belief. You’d think that the religion editors would know better than to let something like this slip by.

For what it’s worth, that’s what I took to be your point.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

“Albrecht [the restorer] said she also converses with the Marys about the meaning of their lives and how they want to look. When she is finished, she said, she asks if they like the results, and she believes they do.”

I don’t know about anyone here… but my common sense is telling me that the way the lady spoke to the statues is no different from the way Geppetto talked to his puppets when he made them.

Idolatry? No.

Loving her job? Most likely.

 

[Joe_5859]

I don’t know about anyone here… but my common sense is telling me that the way the lady spoke to the statues is no different from the way Geppetto talked to his puppets when he made them.

Idolatry? No.

Loving her job? Most likely.

I don’t think that’s the point the OP was making. He’s not saying that the woman in the article is really committing idolatry. He’s simply saying that the way the article was written could easily reinforce the sterotypes that many non-Catholics have that we are guilty of “idol worship”.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

I don’t think that’s the point the OP was making. He’s not saying that the woman in the article is really committing idolatry. He’s simply saying that the way the article was written could easily reinforce the sterotypes that many non-Catholics have that we are guilty of “idol worship”.

I don’t know. The only likely person I can imagine who would come to such conclusion after reading this article is a crazy fundamentalist.

 

[theistgal]

I don’t think that’s the point the OP was making. He’s not saying that the woman in the article is really committing idolatry. He’s simply saying that the way the article was written could easily reinforce the sterotypes that many non-Catholics have that we are guilty of “idol worship”.

Wow, how unusual - a newspaper slanting its stories about Catholics to make them sound weird!

Honestly, I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it.

 

[Gottle_of_Geer]

No - I dont see anything in the article to where the paper needs to be given an explanation . :twocents:

On reading that article, I was reminded of how children behave with teddy bears & dolls - the statues seem to be her dolls ​

 

[Gottle_of_Geer]

Who cares what non Catholics think?

So if non-Catholics were to say that Catholics worship statues, & to defend saying so by asking “Who cares what Catholics think ?”, you would not object ? Good ​

“[W]hat non-Catholics think” affects whether they are converted. If they think that Catholicism is a load of superstitious balderdash fit only for retarded zombies, they are unlikely to be attracted to it

 

[notsmart]

The Chicago Tribune newspaper, Friday, Sept. 5 issue featured a human interest story in its Metro Section religion page about a nice lady who restores damaged statues for parish churches. It was interesting reading until I came across a few lines which made me cringe:

they don’t print the address and phone number just so everyone knows.

Yes, I have written to them before.

 

[cavalierfan]

A catholic objecting to someone who may not even be catholic, that is conversing with Mary?
And your objection is? I don’t. Maybe they want to convert. Anyone that’s not against us is for us.

 

[notsmart]

A catholic objecting to someone who may not even be catholic, that is conversing with Mary?
And your objection is? I don’t. Maybe they want to convert. Anyone that’s not against us is for us.