CATHOLIC FRONT: DO CATHOLICS WORSHIP IDOLS?

""God spoke, and these were his words: "I am the LORD your God who brought you out of Egypt, where you were slaves. Worship no god but me. Do not make for yourselves images of anything in heaven or on earth or in the water under the earth. Do not bow down to any idol or worship it, because I am the LORD your God and I tolerate no rivals. I bring punishment on those who hate me and on their descendants down to the third and fourth generation."" (Exodus 20:1-5).

An idol is a figure or image worshiped as a god, or as the representation of a god or deity. Idols normally take the form of figures in the round or in relief. More than ten different Hebrew words in the Bible designate various types of idols. Some are distinguished according to the method of their construction: “carved image” of stone, clay, wood, or metal; “cast idol” of metal; “pillar,” usually an unhewn stone set erect. Other terms have a more general meaning of “shape, form,” and “representation.” The question, here, is this: What is idolatry and do Catholics worship idols? Follow me! "You will Know the Truth and the Truth will set you free" (John 8:32).

1. God forbids idolatry

Idolatry (the worship of idols) is strictly forbidden in the Bible, as it is written: "Worship no god but me. Do not make for yourselves images of anything in heaven or on earth or in the water under the earth. Do not bow down to any idol or worship it, because I am the LORD your God and I tolerate no rivals." (Exodus 20:3-5a). This was so because before the revelation of the Almighty God, to the world, through the people of Israel, people everywhere recognized and worshiped their own gods or deities - the Greeks, Romans, Indians, Americans, Africans etc. In fact, idolatry was widely practiced in the religions of the ancient Near East. Even today, over 2000 years after the full and final revelation of God in his Son, Jesus Christ, idolatry, occultism, Spiritism and many other forms of unholy religions are still widely and openly practiced in many traditional religions of both primitive and civilized societies around the world. In essence, idolatry is a direct affront to the supremacy of God and, so, constitutes the first mortal sin (Exodus 20:1-5). It is explicitly described and proscribed in Exodus 20:1-5; with verse 5 as a threat of grievous punishment for idolatry.

POPE JOHN PAUL II WITH MARIAN STATUE

2. CATHOLICS ARE ACCUSED

Now, many signs, symbols and practices of the Catholic Church appear to contravene this very first and fundamental commandment of God. They include: the sign of the Cross, the veneration pf the Crucifix, the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Marian devotion, devotion to the saints and holy angels, as well as the use of the Rosary and the scapular of the Virgin Mary. For this reason, protestant and Pentecostal churches accuse and condemn the Catholic Church for practicing and promoting idolatry, and even paganism. And many of these anti-Catholic churches use this accusation of idolatry as a net to fish the Catholic Church for new members – causing the exodus of many Catholics into other churches. But it is, also, true that some Catholics treat faith symbols just like idols or charms. Therefore, it is important to read and share this post - as a means to dispel the accusations of idolatry against the Catholic Church, to clarify the doubts about the truth of the Catholic faith, and to enable a better understanding of the use of images and symbols in the Catholic Church; which would profit everyone to practice their faith and to grow in spirituality.

3. interprete the Scripture

It is written: "Do not make for yourselves images of anything in heaven or on earth or in the water under the earth. Do not bow down to any idol or worship it, because I am the LORD your God and I tolerate no rivals." (Exodus 20:4-5a). The literal and logical interpretations of these scriptures - within the context of polytheism and for the objective of monotheism – lead to the following conclusion: God is jealous of his glory (singularity, supremacy and authority) and, so, does not tolerate rivals. In other words, no one must do, take or have, whatever God has made exclusive to himself. From this premise we can conclude that God does not forbid the use of images per se (in itself); but he forbids: (i) the use of images made by human beings, and (ii) the use of images as gods, or as representations of gods, to worship. Thus, the use of religious symbols or images not given or revealed to human beings by God is tantamount to idolatry. In the same line of reasoning, the use of images or symbols given or revealed by God - who is the Creator, is not idolatry. That is why Jesus - the living and active (Hebrews 4:12) Word of God (John 1:1-3, 14) - says, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life; no one goes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6). The conclusion is that when God gives or reveals an image, it becomes a symbol of faith, and is sacred and befitting as a means of spiritual communion with him - the Creator. This conclusion is justified by the principle of non- contradiction of the Holy Scriptures as God uses images and symbols in the Bible to interact with his people. Follow me - and you will know the truth (John 8:32).

4. god uses symbols

It is worth noting that God, who is Spirit, made himself known to humanity through images, signs and symbols: the final sign being the sign of Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14) – God incarnate in man. That is why Jesus, the Son of God, usually called himself the Son of Man (Matthew 8:20; Mark 8:38; Luke 18:8; John 12:23) – because he was fully God and fully man. It was, so that through his humanity he may bring human beings to the divinity of God. And, so, whoever saw Jesus Christ had seen God (John 1:18; 14:9). Before then God appeared or revealed himself to the patriarchs in a fire on Mount Sinai (Exodus 3:2-4), thunder and lightning (Exodus 20:18-20), clouds of the Lord’s presence (Exodus 20:21), dazzling light of the Lord’s presence (Exodus 12:16-17); sign of the rainbow (Genesis 9:12-17), bronze snake (Numbers 21:5-9), pillar of fire (Exodus 13:21), pillar of cloud (Exodus 13:21), etc.

In the New Testament the Invisible God, through the mystery of the incarnation, revealed himself in the form of a human being – Jesus; whom people saw and touched (John1:14, 18). At the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan God revealed his Holy Spirit in the form of a dove (Matthew 3:16). On the night before his crucifixion Jesus revealed and immortalized his sacrificial body and blood in the form of bread and wine (Luke 22:19-20). And on the day of Pentecost God sent down his Holy Spirit on the believers in the form of fire (Acts 2:1-4). Jesus himself used signs, symbols, parables and figures of speech to teach, unveil, and demonstrate spiritual mysteries. Finally, the Book of Revelation to John is expressed principally in signs and symbols, which conceal the spiritual realities, but at the same time lead the dedicated Bible student to access them through meditation.

Thus in both the New and the Old Testaments signs, symbols and objects were either used to reveal to and to connect the human mind and spirit to the abstract truths and spiritual realities, or to channel the Spirit and power of God to touch the lives and activities of the people. So how could God ban his people from meditating with the symbols which he himself used to speak to the same people, to reveal and to explain his deep spiritual mysteries? Therefore, religious signs and symbols are not idols, but instruments to know God; who is One, Almighty, and Everlasting.

5. catholics use symbols

Catholicism is a religion; and religion is simply defined as a practice by which believers relate, communicate or commune with a supernatural being. In this practice sins and symbols play an important role. So when God gives or reveals symbols of faith they become sacred and fitting as means of communion with him. The human being uses such signs and symbols as perceptible aids to relate, communicate and commune with the invisible being; trough contemplation, concentration and meditation. Thus the sign or symbol helps as a material support for the believer to transcend the human limitation and to enter into (connect to) the divine (or spiritual) reality or event, which the sign or symbol represents. The sign or symbol, itself, is not the divine reality; but by representing or conceptualizing the virtues, merits or qualities of a divine reality it enables the believer to actually enter into communion with that reality through contemplation, concentration and meditation or prayer.

An arrangement of faith objects or just the sight or touch of a sacramental, serves as a channel of escape or detachment from the material world for the believer to begin to contemplate the heavenly world. For example the use of a sacramental, like the holy rosary chaplet, helps the devotee to concentrate, contemplate, and meditate on, and to pray with the mysteries of the rosary. Thus sacramentals, as faith objects, serve to constantly remind the faithful of the contents of their Faith, their dedication to the faith, and their spiritual commitments in the faith. The wearing or public use of sacramentaly or faith objects is also a visual and active way of confessing and proclaiming one's faith - and this is beneficial to one's salvation and to the salvation of others (Romans 10:10).

6. symbols are not gods

The official catholic faith symbols are the, Blessed Sacrament, the Crucifix, images, statues and / or symbols representing Jesus Christ (who had lived as human being), the Holy Spirit, the Virgin Mary, the Angels and the Saints in heaven. The essential sacramentals used in the devotion to the Virgin Mary - Chaplet of the Holy Rosary, Brown Scapular of Mount Carmel, Marian Statue, Crucifix. For example the Eucharist (Blessed Sacrament), is the physical and spiritual presence of Jesus Christ; in his body, blood, soul and divinity. For it is written, “"Then he took a piece of bread, gave thanks to God, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in memory of me.” In the same way, he gave them the cup after the supper, saying, “This cup is God's new covenant sealed with my blood, which is poured out for you."” (Luke 22:19-20). The Crucifix is the memorial of Christ’s triumphant Death on the Cross which recalls – through contemplation, meditation and prayer – the wisdom and the power of God (1 Corinthians 1: 23-24).

There is also the contemplation of the sacred images and monuments of the Virgin Mary as revealed in the Bible (Revelation 12:1). As symbols of faith and aids to meditation they, also, do not constitute idolatry; for in the Bible God himself uses symbols to connect with believers to release his power, e.g. the bronze snake (Numbers 21:8-9). In fact, the Virgin Mary is not a deity but an entity of the divine hierarchy in heaven (Revelation 12:1-17). Thus, the devotion to the Virgin Mary as a means of spiritual growth does not contravene the first commandment of God (Exodus 20:1-5). For the Virgin Mary is the privileged channel by which God was made human (Matthew 1:23) and, so, is also the privileged channel by which humans may attain to divinity through meditation on the Word of God. Mary is the channel and not the destination, of the believers' communication with God. As she does; at the same time that she intercedes for the believer, she also exhorts the believer (John 2:3-5). In conclusion, therefore, there is no image or representation of God in the Catholic faith.

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7. symbols carry power

The regular and fervent use of a faith symbols or object makes it a permanent channel and / or depository of divine power. But this is different from a charm, which is “charged” by a spiritualist and whose energy dissipates over time. The difference between a sacramental and a charm is that a sacramental is an object which is used by a believer to attune or connect spiritually with God (it has no power of its own); whereas a charm is an object which is imparted with spiritual power to achieve a certain purpose (it acts without the one who imparted it). Thus a sacramental or faith object is charged by God himself through constant communion with the believer or devotee. The material instruments (e.g. rosary, scapular) used in the devotion to the Virgin Mary are not charms but sacramental objects. However, when such objects are fully dedicated and devotedly employed, they become channels of God's power, just as the stick of Moses (Exodus 4:1-5, 17), the bronze snake (Numbers 21:8-9)), the cloak of Jesus Christ (Matthew 9:20-22)), the handkerchief of Paul (Acts 19:2) and the shadow of Peter (Acts 5:15).

Let us take electricity supply as an analogy: a sacramental is the electric cable, the devotee is the electric bulb, the devotion is the electric switch, and God is the electric generator or powerhouse. But on the other hand, a charm is a solar cell, the spiritualist is the sun, and the user is the bulb. A devotion - which is the switch - does not exist for a charm because, unlike a sacramental, a charm does not create a relationship between its maker and its user (when it is made, delivered and paid for, the transaction is over). This is the reason why charms (like solar cells) lose their power with use and over time, while sacramentals gain more power with use and over time. Thus the key difference is that while a sacramental is a means of communion between God and the user, a charm is a means of separation between the maker and the user. If we take telephony as an analogy, the sacramental is the handset, the devotee is the caller, devotion is the network, and God is the receiver of the prayer.

The significance of this difference is the reason why God forbids the use of charms (Numbers 23:23; Isaiah 47:12) - it is not that God cannot make charms. For God created us and revealed himself to us so that we may know him, love him, fellowship with him, and come to live with him in heaven (eternal life) - how then can this relationship exist and grow if God were to transfer his power (Spirit) into objects and give us to use as charms? Then the objects would become our gods, which is idolatry. The truth is that charms do not save souls - rather they take people away from God to Satan, for their use is contrary to the very purpose of Christianity. But with the proper use of faith objects in Christian devotions, they become the live wires of faith - spiritual lifelines which nourish, vivify and strengthen the believers’ relationship with God - who protects and fulfills them, spiritually, physically and materially. Hence, the many testimonies of healings, successes, deliverances and blessings through the use of faith objects in devotions and prayers.