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Faith1960
Guest
Some Protestants think we pray to statues. Some Catholics kneel in front of, gaze at and pray. Isn’t that praying to statues?
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thephilosopher6
Guest
We do not pray to statues. Praying to statues would be idolatry and therefore blasphemy against God. We may bow before statues out of respect, but not out of worship. The worship of statues is idolatry and therefore blasphemy against God.
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Camillus14
Guest
This might do better to place in the Non-Catholic Religions forum.
But to answer your question, there’s a difference between praying TO the statues directly, and praying to the person the statue represents. Also, to clarify things on praying, I’m fairly sure Protestants think of praying as worship. It can be that way, but Catholics pray to Mary, the saints, angels, and etc. asking for their intercession. They are our friends, and we can ask them to pray for us, since we have yet to finish our earthly journey.
Hope this helps.
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StGerardMajella
Guest
How do Protestants then explain the angels that were carved in gold and sat atop the Ark of the Covenant?
Or the large angel statues in the Holy of Holies that stood behind the Ark of the Covenant?
Or Moses’ brazen serpent?
Were these not all idolatrous statues?
My point is that if Protestants want to be so strictly Biblical in their asking of this question, they would have to explain the Lord’s written commands to create these statues.
The core issue is idolatry, and whether these statues, or any others, are an affront to the Creator.
Catholics are not idolaters, although they are accused by other religions and denominations of such.
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KildareBrigid
Guest
Statues are viewed as pictures of our family and friends. They help us remember the person, but we don’t worship them. We ask the Saints to pray for us to God.
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Purgatory_Pete
Guest
On Remembrance Day many people, Catholic, protestant, Jewish, and al…
kneel and / or pray before the statues or shrines of the fallen.
Are they all Worshipping or Honouring.
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WJeffrey
Guest
Perhaps you should change the subject and simply ask your protestant friends if they pray for their family members when they die. When they say yes, ask them why they do it when they have already been saved?
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Faith1960
Guest
That’s what I’m trying to find out.
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Faith1960
Guest
Then why do some pray while looking at the statue? It seems to me that there are some Catholics who do pray to statues. Unless they are praying to Mary or whomever and using the statue as a visual aid.This might do better to place in the Non-Catholic Religions forum.
But to answer your question, there’s a difference between praying TO the statues directly, and praying to the person the statue represents. Also, to clarify things on praying, I’m fairly sure Protestants think of praying as worship. It can be that way, but Catholics pray to Mary, the saints, angels, and etc. asking for their intercession. They are our friends, and we can ask them to pray for us, since we have yet to finish our earthly journey.
Hope this helps.
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Purgatory_Pete
Guest
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WT1
Guest
They don’t pray for the dead period they pray for the families left behind. Catholics have a closer relationship with the heavenly realm in that we believe the saints are still connected to us but proestants do not believe there is any connection after death.
I’m grateful for the intercession of the saints and feel sorry that the proestants cheat themselves of that connection.
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Purgatory_Pete
Guest
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Camillus14
Guest
For me personally, I kneel in respect for the saints and Mary as they are awesome role models for us, like, the very best - especially Mary. While praying, looking at them helps me focus. Many times my mind will wander without a visual aid to keep reminding me what I should be doing. However, that’s only my two cents on the matter and there are many people in the Church. There is a possibility that some may actual worship the statues. If so, I pray for them that they may realize what they are doing is wrong.
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Dorothy
Guest
Yes, it is a visual aid. Some people gaze on a picture of a loved one who they have not been together with for a long time. They might even hold the picture to their heart. That is a gesture, they know the picture is not their loved one.
Peace,
Dorothy
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Pythagoras
Guest
Protestants kneeling before the Bible and/or kissing the Bible is idolatry 
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saellis
Guest
A Protestant friend of mine brought up the issue issue of praying “to” statues. I asked him if he prayed before going to bed and he assured me that he did every night. I then said that I assumed that he was not praying “to” the bedpost. He finally got it. You could almost see the lightbulb over his head. 
The issue of praying to saints took a little more convincing.
The issue of praying to saints took a little more convincing.
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pianistclare
Guest
catholic.com/tracts/do-catholics-worship-statues
The fact that anyone, in this day and age would even THINK that people worship statues is mind boggling. It’s just another way to trash our beliefs, and not even a well thought out one.
The fact that anyone, in this day and age would even THINK that people worship statues is mind boggling. It’s just another way to trash our beliefs, and not even a well thought out one.
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Faith1960
Guest
Thanks!
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Faith1960
Guest
Thanks!
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Faith1960
Guest
True.However, that’s only my two cents on the matter and there are many people in the Church. There is a possibility that some may actual worship the statues. If so, I pray for them that they may realize what they are doing is wrong.
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