Why worship statues??

[PatienceAndLove]

Then you’ll love this… there were no crosses in, on or around the Baptist church I used to attend (except for the crosses hanging from chains around people’s necks, or embossed onto the covers of Bibles). They excused this lack of obvious connection to historical Christianity by claiming that such images are a distraction to “true” worship. In other words, it was their way of saying, as I mentioned before, “We’re not Catholic.”

Gotcha!
BTW- you didn’t explain how the scripture I provided fit into the relationship v religion argument

 

[djrakowski]

Gotcha!
BTW- you didn’t explain how the scripture I provided fit into the relationship v religion argument

D’oh! Allow me to remedy said situation, right now!

Second Epistle Of Saint Paul To The Thessalonians 3:6
And we charge you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw yourselves from every brother walking disorderly, and not according to the tradition which they have received of us

Second Epistle Of Saint Paul To The Thessalonians 2:14
Therefore, brethren, stand fast; and hold the traditions which you have learned, whether by word, or by our epistle.

Personally, I would say that they don’t fit in to their way of thinking at all. Notice the subtle difference in translation of the word “tradition” in the NIV (one of the most widely-used evangelical Protestant transations) for these two passages:

2 Thess. 2:15 (NIV) - So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.

2 Thess. 3:6 (NIV) - In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.

The NIV translators deliberately translated this as “teachings” so they could slant the translation away from churches with an authoritative body of traditions. It should also be noted that they translated it as “traditions” anywhere the idea was being condemned, but as “teachings” anywhere it was being lauded and/or commanded. Thus, the NIV is an utterly unreliable translation, but I still use it frequently in apologetics work as it’s commonly accepted by the types of Christians I encounter on a day-to-day basis.

Steve Ray has written about this phenomenon in an excellent article called Bible Translations: All Created Equal? Protestant Bias of the NIV; Study of the Word Tradition. Enjoy!

 

[Tantum_ergo]

Pieces of cloth–I know, the Flag–where you pledged allegiance to THE FLAG. . .an object! Oh horrors!

I surely do hope FTW never gets into square dancing. . . imagine the ruckus he’d cause by refusing to ‘bow to his partner’ lest like us heatheny Catholics he’d be ‘worshipping’ them. . .

 

[Lee]

I was a Catholic up until the age of 20, whats amazing is that it all happened because I read 'The Bible" it was the douay reihms version.

So you read the Bible and intrepreted it to mean what you wanted it to mean. That’s why we have 30,000 different denominations, all claiming their intrepretation is the correct one. If you read the bible, that division in Christianity is a sin.

 

[Dirk_Skene]

And my ignore list grows longer.

 

[hamba2han]

If placing statues and graven images in places of worship serves to draw one closer to the Lord, then would not Jesus (pbuh) himself… or his mother… or his disciples would have done so themselves?

The FACT that they did not do so is surely proof enough that it is simply NOT a good idea to place statues and graven images in places of worship… or anywhere else for that matter.

And so, the question really should be → Why do Christians NEED to have statues and graven images in order to help themselves worship and come closer to the Lord?

 

[Thing]

If placing statues and graven images in places of worship serves to draw one closer to the Lord, then would not Jesus (pbuh) himself… or his mother… or his disciples would have done so themselves?

The FACT that they did not do so is surely proof enough that it is simply NOT a good idea to place statues and graven images in places of worship… or anywhere else for that matter.

And so, the question really should be → Why do Christians NEED to have statues and graven images in order to help themselves worship and come closer to the Lord?

We don’t need them, we want them. We want reminders of our Faith and we are not afraid of statues or reminders. Some people have an irrational fear of images - it is as if they do not know who it is they worship, and they don’t trust themselves not to worship plaster, wood, stone etc, etc.
Its either that or its just another way to have a pop at the Catholics.

 

[Thing]

Actually- he’s the one protesting the worship of statues are un-Biblical.

But I am assuming that you are being sarcastic- so ignore the above comment.

I’m not being sarcastic. FollowTheLight, like every other christian, worships images - unless he can prove to me otherwise - that is what I firmly believe. OK.

 

[hamba2han]

We don’t need them, we want them. We want reminders of our Faith and we are not afraid of statues or reminders. Some people have an irrational fear of images - it is as if they do not know who it is they worship, and they don’t trust themselves not to worship plaster, wood, stone etc, etc.
Its either that or its just another way to have a pop at the Catholics.

Christians should both NEED and also WANT to worship the Lord the way Jesus (pbuh) himself, his mother and his disciples worhipped the Lord.

If you say that you want statues and graven images in order to remind you of your Faith, then the question has to be whether or not your Faith is the same as that practiced by Jesus (pbuh), his mother and his disciples?

It is almost like someone saying that he wants to drink alcoholic beverages in order to remind himself of the beneficial health effects of being a teetotaller.

 

[SimonArizona]

I definitley worship statues, because when I need a savior, the rock and cement will come to save me!

Hail thou rock and cement! Come save me from my enemies.

 

[jmcrae]

I was Catholic, there are statues of Mary and saints and Jesus.

Yes, there are. People use them for meditation, kind of like when someone is reading the Bible. Someone praying while they are reading the Bible isn’t praying to the Bible, and it’s the same thing - someone who is praying while contemplating a statue isn’t worshipping or praying to the statue.

What do you think praying the rosary is,

Meditation on the mysteries of the Gospel.

what do you think lighting candles at the feet of these statues are,

A remembrance of the prayers offered to God.

or what about the many other practices like parading with Mary statues.

What, you never put on skits or have parades in Sunday School? It’s just a big Sunday School parade.

Does Exodus 20 not say not to make an image of anything in Heaven above?

Nor on the earth below - to worship it. For other purposes, no biggie - in fact, God commanded that Solomon should make angels out of gold for the Temple. Was God breaking His own Law? I seriously doubt it - God cannot contradict God.

amazing what the bible tells us huh??

Especially if you read the whole thing, instead of just bits and pieces here and there.

 

[SimonArizona]

Almighty God actually commands the building of statues in the Old Testament?!

 

[Tantum_ergo]

Almighty God actually commands the building of statues in the Old Testament?!

Yes, He does. Those cherubim on the Ark were statues.

The staff of the bronze serpent that Moses made was a statue. Those who had been bitten by seraph serpents, if they looked at the bronze serpent that Moses raised up, did not die. It was also a prefiguration of Jesus who was ‘raised up’ so that others were saved from dying.

 

[Thing]

1. Christians should both NEED and also WANT to worship the Lord the way Jesus (pbuh) himself, his mother and his disciples worhipped the Lord.
2. If you say that you want statues and graven images in order to remind you of your Faith, then the question has to be whether or not your Faith is the same as that practiced by Jesus (pbuh), his mother and his disciples?
3. It is almost like someone saying that he wants to drink alcoholic beverages in order to remind himself of the beneficial health effects of being a teetotaller.

1.We worship exactly as He said we should. He did not forbid statues as you do. So, we do not forbid statues as He did not.
2.Christianity from the days of the Apostles has been one long, continuous reminder of what we are and of our obligations. Whether those constant reminders were the physical image of God dying on the cross at Calvary, or the constant reminders by all the Apostles and disciples by word and by letter, or by the constant reminder of all the Scriptures and friends of God contained in Sacred Art.

The real question is why do you not want to be reminded of your Faith?

1. What are the ill effects of being reminded of your Faith.

BTW
St. Paul, The Apostle, recomended and urged his frind to drink wine sometimes for the benefit of his health. The doctors now tell us a little red wine is beneficial. Those who drink very moderatly are healthier and happier than teetotalers.
You drank alcohol too if you were breastfed, there is ten times more alcohol in human milk than in cows milk. God put alcohol in your baby food. So its OK.

 

[SimonArizona]

Yes, He does. Those cherubim on the Ark were statues.

The staff of the bronze serpent that Moses made was a statue. Those who had been bitten by seraph serpents, if they looked at the bronze serpent that Moses raised up, did not die. It was also a prefiguration of Jesus who was ‘raised up’ so that others were saved from dying.

this i know!

What is HLS?

 

[SimonArizona]

Yes, He does. Those cherubim on the Ark were statues.

The staff of the bronze serpent that Moses made was a statue. Those who had been bitten by seraph serpents, if they looked at the bronze serpent that Moses raised up, did not die. It was also a prefiguration of Jesus who was ‘raised up’ so that others were saved from dying.

this i know!

What is HLS?

 

[cathopologist]

no im simply “gently correcting” my fellow brothers whom are very lost

We Catholics, already know the way. We are on board and sailing towards heaven.
(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
Our journey is never easy as there are always rough weather ahead of us but we will come through for we have Christ as Our Captain.

Since you have clearly abandoned the ship, you’ll need this more than anyone of us.
(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

 

[PatienceAndLove]

What is HLS?

Hook Line and Sinker Club!

 

[bpbasilphx]

** Originally Posted by djrakowski View Post
Yeah, that’s strange… I was a Baptist for several years and I never saw anyone pray to a piece of cloth!

I was gonna say, that sounds so un-Baptist!**

**Oh, it’s quite Baptist.

These pieces of cloth were brought in with high ceremony and placed in front of the church for the veneration of the faithful.

These pieces of cloth were worshipped with GREAT solemnity, with ritual gestures executed in unison on the command of the leader: “Attention! Salute! Pledge!”

What’s strange is that both prayers began with the same words: “I pledge allegiance…”

If Catholics worship statutes, then Baptists say prayers to pieces of cloth. You can’t condemn one and approve the other.**

 

[Soutane]

Why worship statues of saints, of Mary, or of Jesus??

Why do you worship a book?And only part of a book at that?A book that was assembled and approved by the Catholic Church(the WHOLE book that is)The Church(Catholic) is the pillar and foundation of Truth,NOT the Bible, 1 Timothy 3:15.The WHOLE Truth is Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition entrusted to the Catholic Church interpreted by the Magisterium of the Church protected by God Himself,the Holy Spirit who guarantees no error.I suspect that you’re just a provocateur who has decided to have some fun or you are a true bibliolator.