Statues in the catholic church

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nida007

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According to the 2nd Commandment:

Exodus 20:4-6 You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my Commandments.

God says not to make any idols or worship them,but why do Catholic church have idols?
I am aware that people bow down to it and worship them,others are there to only take blessings not to have any intentions to worship.

BUT WHY would the catholic church allow statues of saints to be put inside the church,they would know that people would start worshiping it anyway?

:confused:
 
The statues are not being worshiped… They are there for the same reason as pictures are hung in your house or even a government building where pictures of famous presidents hang.

They are a reminder of the great Saints who have gone before us.
St. Mary, St. Joseph, St. Patrick, and the list goes on.
Catholic honor and respect these Saints… They try to emulate these Saints and they will ask these Saints to intercede for them, especially to the Blessed Mother Mary.

They do not worship the Saint nor their Statue.

Only God is worshiped (Father, Son & Holy Spirit)

To worship is to take the Best that you have, your hope for the future and lay it at the feet of God… Read about Abraham and his sacrifice of Issac… Abraham took the best he had, his hope for the future and laid him at the feet of God… The angle stopped the sacrifice and Abraham saw a lamb which he used as a substitute.

That is worship… Asking a Saint to pray for us is not worship.
 
I think you’re mistaking worship of an object, and utilization of an object.

In Exodus, the Jews made the golden calf and began to worship it, the golden calf statue, that they just made. They basically believed that they could create their own god.

As Catholics, we use the statues as reminders, and focusing tools. We do not worship the statue, and none of out prayers are directed at it. Our prayers are directed to God, and to Christ, or to Mary and the saints. If we were actually praying to the stone then it would be an issue, but we are not.
 
First, we do NOT worship the statues, nor do we worship the Saints they represent. Prayer does not constitute worship. If you bow down in front of the Bible to pray, does that mean you are worshiping the Bible? No. If you kiss a picture of a loved one, are you only kissing the picture because you love the picture? No. You don’t worship the Bible, you are using the Bible as a way to focus the direction of your prayer to God. It is the same in regards to statues. The statues help us to focus our prayer. And when we pray to Saints, we aren’t worshiping them, we are asking them to pray for us just as you would ask your friends and family to pray for you here on Earth.

There is nothing inherently wrong with making statues, it is the worship of statues that would be a problem. Since we do not worship statues, there isn’t a problem.
 
nida007 said:
According to the 2nd Commandment:

Exodus 20:4-6 You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my Commandments.

God says not to make any idols or worship them,but why do Catholic church have idols?
I am aware that people bow down to it and worship them,others are there to only take blessings not to have any intentions to worship.

BUT WHY would the catholic church allow statues of saints to be put inside the church,they would know that people would start worshiping it anyway?

:confused:
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It is what one uses with the statue. Remember, in Exodus, in the desert, the Israelites fashioned a statue of the golden calf for worship. This is what the commandment is saying…not to fashion a statue/idol for worhsip.

It does not prohibit making statues for other purposes. The purposes of the statues are visual reminders…of Jesus, His mother, other saints who served Christ and serves as a model for us.

Also, prior to widespread literacy and the availability of printing, the earliest christians, majority that is, did not know how to read. The statues where used as visual aids and representations of the Bible stories, and we carry this tradition today.

And no, the statues are not for worship. Catholics worship via the Mass.
 
And don’t forget that after giving this commandment God commanded those same men who had made the golden calf to make golden Cherubim and other things for the Ark and the temple:

“And make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover.” Exodus 25:18
The Ark itself was also covered with gold, and its carrying poles were fastened with gold rings. The Temple also, was to be made with fine fabrics, gold, etc.

Did the Israelites worship these cherubim? Nope. They did what the Lord had commanded them and made these statues and fine things for the worship of God. God’s commandment did not forbid the making of statues, but it did prohibit the Israelites from carving a stone image like the pagans and offering sacrifices to it. God wanted the Israelites to worship him, and not a manmade thing.

Like the cherubim on the ark, statues figurines, and icons in the Church are not made to be worshipped, but they are made to draw our minds to God. We have them to remind us of Jesus and the saints, and to encourage us to live holy lives of service to God.
 
classica87 said:
And don’t forget that after giving this commandment God commanded those same men who had made the golden calf to make golden Cherubim and other things for the Ark and the temple:

“And make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover.” Exodus 25:18
The Ark itself was also covered with gold, and its carrying poles were fastened with gold rings. The Temple also, was to be made with fine fabrics, gold, etc.

Did the Israelites worship these cherubim? Nope. They did what the Lord had commanded them and made these statues and fine things for the worship of God. God’s commandment did not forbid the making of statues, but it did prohibit the Israelites from carving a stone image like the pagans and offering sacrifices to it. God wanted the Israelites to worship him, and not a manmade thing.

Like the cherubim on the ark, statues figurines, and icons in the Church are not made to be worshipped, but they are made to draw our minds to God. We have them to remind us of Jesus and the saints, and to encourage us to live holy lives of service to God.
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EXCELLENT response! I wonder what the Protestants would say to that!

😃
 
57Bill said:
Idols are not statues anyway!😉
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Right on target, Bill! A statue is just a statue. Only when said statue is worshipped as a god does it become an idol. At that point, it goes out the door.

In fact, there’s a funny biblical story about that. I won’t look it up, because I’m lazy, but here goes:

Remember when the Israelites were poisoned by the serpents, and God commanded Moses to make a bronze snake and set it up on a pole? Well, whoever looked at it would be cured. Later on, we find out the Israelites have begun to worship this bronze snake. Long story short, it too, goes out the door.

The bronze snake did not cure the Israelites, God did. If anything, they should have regarded the bronze snake as a reminder of God’s love and grace–as Catholics do when praying before a statue, etc. Instead, the snake itself became an object of worship, and was destroyed. It was no longer a statue, but an idol, and therefore a violation of God’s commandment.

OP, I encourage you to get your own copy of the Church Catechism and find out for yourself what the Church teaches on these matters and others. The Catechism is official stuff–“straight from the horse’s mouth,” so to speak. This site, Catholic.com, is also an awesome place to start.

Often, many people are simply misinformed about the faith. Departing from hearsay and opinion is the first step. Get the facts. Get the truth. Educate yourself outside of other’s bias. You’ll be suprised at what you find. I certainly was.

Best of luck on your journey! God bless you, and thank you so much for your interest in Catholicism. Ask questions and find answers. The wonderful CAF community is here to help! 🙂
 
nida007 said:
According to the 2nd Commandment:

Exodus 20:4-6 You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my Commandments.

God says not to make any idols or worship them,but why do Catholic church have idols?
I am aware that people bow down to it and worship them,others are there to only take blessings not to have any intentions to worship.

BUT WHY would the catholic church allow statues of saints to be put inside the church,they would know that people would start worshiping it anyway?

:confused:
Click to expand...
Statues are not idols.

**Repeat that. Statues are not idols, statues are not idols. **

Once you truly understand that, then your whole concern is moot, because STATUES ARE NOT IDOLS and Catholics DO NOT WORSHIP IDOLS or STATUES.

**So there is no problem. People aren’t worshipping statues or idols or anything. Your problem is solved! **
 
If you look up the definition of “idol” you will see a few things:
  1. an image or other material object representing a deity to which religious worship is addressed.
  2. an image of a deity other than God.
  3. any person or thing regarded with blind admiration, adoration, or devotion
  4. An image of a false god.
The way Catholics regard statues at church does not meet any of these defiinitions. You will notice that during the preface of the Eucharistic Prayer we don’t say, “We lift them up to the statue”.

Our statues are not images of another God or a false God, they are of Jesus who is God and Mary, his mother who we venerate, not worship (very big difference between the two).

We don’t blindingly adore a statue, “Oh…statue you are the greatest God of them all”…ummm NO.

Statues are there as reminders and for ambience, to help people get into the right mind to worship God properly.
 
classica87 said:
And don’t forget that after giving this commandment God commanded those same men who had made the golden calf to make golden Cherubim and other things for the Ark and the temple:

“And make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover.” Exodus 25:18
The Ark itself was also covered with gold, and its carrying poles were fastened with gold rings. The Temple also, was to be made with fine fabrics, gold, etc.

Did the Israelites worship these cherubim? Nope. They did what the Lord had commanded them and made these statues and fine things for the worship of God. God’s commandment did not forbid the making of statues, but it did prohibit the Israelites from carving a stone image like the pagans and offering sacrifices to it. God wanted the Israelites to worship him, and not a manmade thing.

Like the cherubim on the ark, statues figurines, and icons in the Church are not made to be worshipped, but they are made to draw our minds to God. We have them to remind us of Jesus and the saints, and to encourage us to live holy lives of service to God.
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Further to this, we are told in the book of Joshua:

Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the LORD until the evening, both he and the elders of Israel – Joshua 7:6

Through this mode of prayer the Lord heard their cries and answered them. Whoever has an issue with venerating statues has an issue with the bible.

God bless,
 
nida007 said:
According to the 2nd Commandment:

Exodus 20:4-6 You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my Commandments.

God says not to make any idols or worship them,but why do Catholic church have idols?
I am aware that people bow down to it and worship them,others are there to only take blessings not to have any intentions to worship.

BUT WHY would the catholic church allow statues of saints to be put inside the church,they would know that people would start worshiping it anyway?

:confused:
Click to expand...
That’s not the second commandment. The second is, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that shall take the name of the Lord in vain.” (Exodus 20:7)
 
HamtramckSteve said:
That’s not the second commandment. The second is, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that shall take the name of the Lord in vain.” (Exodus 20:7)
Click to expand...
LOL. You’d think we would have noticed that by now. :doh2:
 
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