Why do we have statues in churches

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We don’t have statues in my church. We have banners that look like they were made by elementary schoolers.
 
Asiacamie said:
Why do we have statues in church like in my church there is a statue of mother Mary and in my home I have candles of Jesus and Mother Mary and Saints. My mom has a big Mother Mary and Saint Anne. When I read and look up stuff it just makes me so confused about being Catholic and I don’t know what to do cause I get worried about having those in my room and I don’t know?
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I’ve said this before in other threads. The CC goes back 2000 years. In the early church through the Middle Ages, people who attended Mass were by and large, illiterate. They could neither read nor write. And until post-Guttenberg and his printing press, bible were hand copied laboriously by monks. People didn’t go to the local bookstore and buy a bible to read because, they couldn’t read, and there were no bookstores. So, stained glass windows and statures proliferated in Churches, AS TEACHING TOOLS. When the celebrant gave a sermon on say, the nativity of Jesus, the descent of the Holy Spirit, the Resurrection and other topics, he would point to a statue or a stained glass window and the people could visualize what he was talking about. Statues, stained glass window, and the like are a long standing tradition with distinct education purposes.
 
Asiacamie said:
I don’t know I Just always see like people in a different religion say don’t pray to Mother Mary your not suppose to do that only pray to Jesus and they have statues in their church that’s scary and I just get confused about it all
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Asiacamie, there is nothing wrong with statues of Jesus, or Mary. Or any Saint. You know we don’t worship them, they remind us, and keep our focus on them in prayer. Just as you have photos of your family and friends, we have statues of Jesus.

How old are you, by the way?
 
Asiacamie said:
Isn’t that having Idols and Altars. I was reading the Bible and it talked about this and it says “Do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold.” I know we don’t worship those statues
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It isn’t. You answered your question rightly.

We do not worship them.

Leviticus 26:1
You shall make for yourselves no idols and erect no carved images or pillars, and you shall not place figured stones in your land, to worship at them; for I am the Lord your God.
 
We worship Christ, physically and substantially present in the Eucharist in body, blood, soul, and divinity. I suppose this is sort of overlooked in the whitewashed parishes of moved tabernacles and those lacking adoration as a regular part of liturgical life. Statues are pieces of art that have been passed down to us so we might not forget the faces of those we strive to imitate. In all your years of attending Catholic churches can you honestly claim they have ever really been utilized in worship? I’m not familiar with any directive in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal relating to statues. The only thing I can think of is the reverencing of the Cross on Good Friday where one may choose to kiss the feet of Christ on a Crucifix. This is done at the foot of the Sanctuary in which He is again physically and substantially present.
 
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Asiacamie said:
I Just always see like people in a different religion say don’t pray to Mother Mary your not suppose to do that only pray to Jesus and they have statues in their church that’s scary and I just get confused about it all
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Stop listening to people who are not Catholics. They are wrong. Go talk to your priest if you are confused or anxious about something. You are reading bible verses other people have fed you. What you don’t understand is those bible verses are out of context and incomplete. We don’t read the bible like that. You need to get rid of these bad influences who are trying to confuse you and go talk to you pastor about things you don’t understand.
 
I agree with 1ke about staying away from bad influences.

It also sounds like you are young and living with your mother. Your mom clearly thinks it is fine to have statues . Why would you doubt what your mom is doing? You shouldn’t be listening to people who are trying to undermine the example set by your Catholic mother.
 
I’m not accusing I just heard people saying that and was curious
 
Sorry, I didn’t mean to say you did. I meant the tract answers that kind of accusation.
 
What’s the matter? Don’t you like children?

Hey everyone, this guy doesn’t like children!

😝
 
Um…yeah. That’s a great way to make a good impression on the family. It’s also very effective for ecumenical collegiality.
“Sorry bro, but your church? The statues? Creepy, dude. Creepy.”
 
DisorientingSneeze said:
Would it bother you less if they were paintings or photographs?
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Yes. Paintings and icons are not graven images, so they are OK. Statues are graven images, i.e., 3D images. The commandment of God says: Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness above,
 
AlNg said:
Statues are graven images, i.e., 3D images
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So if your kid (real or hypthetical kid) brought you home a sculpture they made in art class, you’d throw it in the trash and tell them its a graven image?

How do you feel about Nativity Scenes?
 
Nativity scenes and pieces of art are used for decoration. They are only used as graven images if they are used as idols.
 
That’s good to know, because Catholics don’t treat our statues as idols either.

We certainly don’t worship them. They are reminders of our Lord and other friends who have gone ahead of us, and are praying for us now in God’s presence.

It’s the same as someone who leaves their Nativity scene on display year-round as a visual reminder.

If a Nativity scene is not sinful at Christmas time, then it’s not sinful during the rest of the year, either.

Just because you want to point fingers and claim that we worship statues doesn’t make it true.
 
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DisorientingSneeze said:
How do you feel about Nativity Scenes?
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Nativity scenes which are flat icons are fine. I don’t think that a flat icon would break the commandment of God which commands against graven or carved (i.e. 3D) images:
English Standard version and
NET Bible: “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth."
King James: “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:”
GOD’S WORD® Translation
Never make your own carved idols or statues that represent any creature in the sky, on the earth, or in the water.

JPS Tanakh 1917
Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor any manner of likeness, of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
Catholic
Douay-Rheims Bible
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.
Exodus 20:4
…
and Deut 27:15
Catholic
Douay-Rheims Bible
Cursed be the man that maketh a graven and molten thing, the abomination of the Lord, the work of the hands of artificers, and shall put it in a secret place: and all the people shall answer and say: Amen.
English Revised Version
Cursed be the man that maketh a graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and setteth it up in secret. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen.
 
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