The sad facts are simply the truths about the RCC are far worse than any lies in my mind.
Does any RCC member honestly believe Paul would countenance statues and images in the Church (of any sort for any purpose?)
How can we know for certain? We know Christianity was illegal and being persecuted from it’s beginning. A statue, other than the emperor or pagan, would have been a sure sign of an illegal activity, causing the death of any who were near.
That leaves us to look for other examples, through the Old Testament and since the legalization of Christianity.
We know Solomon built a grand Temple and the Lord was pleased with that Temple, even though it was filled with images of birds, oxen, trees and other things. We know the Lord gave instructions on the ark of the covenant, which included images of angels facing each other.
The example of images that Protestants holds too to mean we shouldn’t have graven images, states ‘any’ graven images. Photos and paintings are images. Is everyone with a picture of Jesus in their home or Church in violation of having images? What about photos of family or ourselves, such as the image on our driver’s licenses?
The Lord wanted no graven images of ‘false idols’, false gods.
Does any RCC member honestly believe Paul ever said the Rosary. or Peter for that matter?
But such is human nature.
I don’t know what your objection to the Rosary is, but I have heard the argument of repetitive prayers being spoken against by other Protestants.
One only has to read Matthew chapter 26, specifically verse 44 to see the scriptures tell us Christ prayed the ‘selfsame’ words.
**Mat 26:44 And leaving them, he went again: and he prayed the third time, saying the selfsame word. **
Christ taught us how we should pray and gave us the words of what we should pray.
**Mat 6:9 Thus therefore shall you pray: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. **
I realize the Protestant Bible says this is the manner in which we should pray, but that’s not how it’s phrased in the Greek.
**(IGNT+) ουτωςG3779 THUS ουνG3767 THEREFORE προσευχεσθεG4336 [G5737] PRAY υμειςG5210 YE : πατερG3962 ημωνG2257 OUR FATHER οG3588 WHO “ART” ενG1722 IN τοιςG3588 THE ουρανοιςG3772 HEAVENS, αγιασθητωG37 [G5682] τοG3588 SANCTIFIED BE ονομαG3686 σουG4675 THY NAME; **
What other way did Christ tell us, through what He taught the multitudes, we should pray?
We saw the Lord teach against the elaborate, or vain, prayers, and show acceptance of the humble prayer.
**Luk 18:11 The Pharisee standing, prayed thus with himself: O God, I give thee thanks that I am not as the rest of men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, as also is this publican.
Luk 18:12 I fast twice in a week: I give tithes of all that I possess.
Luk 18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not so much as lift up his eyes towards heaven; but struck his breast, saying: O God, be merciful to me a sinner.
Luk 18:14 I say to you, this man went down into his house justified rather than the other: because every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled: and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. **
If asking Mary to pray for us is what you object too, we know the Bible is full of people asking for ‘supplications’ and prayers of others. Why is asking Mary, or the saints, to pray for us wrong? God is the God of the living and not the dead. Those in heaven with Him are eternally alive.
**Heb 12:1 And therefore we also having so great a cloud of witnesses over our head, laying aside every weight and sin which surrounds us, let us run by patience to the fight proposed to us
Rev 5:8 And when he had opened the book, the four living creatures and the four and twenty ancients fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.**