Statues in the Church

Catholics, often, was accused by the claim of worshiping statues in the church! We are the worshiper of statue. People still make this ridiculous claim on it because Catholics have many statues in the churches, and they are violating the commandment of God. The commandment of God: 'You shall not make for yourself a graven 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. You shall not not bow down to them or serve them' (Ex 20 : 4-5). ' Alas, this people have sinned a great sin; they have made for themselves gods of gold. (Ex 32:31). The commandment of God clearly stated in the old testament of the bible. So, now, does Catholics really commit the sin of idolatry since it is clearly mention in the old testament by God saying that you shall not make yourself a graven image?

The answer is NO! Calling Catholics idolaters because they have images of Christ, Mary and the saints in the church is based on the misunderstanding or the ignorance of what the says about the purpose and uses , both good and bad of statues.But, it is right to warn people against the sin of idolatry when they are committing it. There is a Anti-Catholic writer Loraine Boettner, in his book Roman Catholicism, makes a statement which stated that 'God has forbidden the use of images in worship'. Yet if we would search the scriptures (cf. John 5:39), you would find the opposite is true. God forbade the worship of statues, but he did not forbid the religious use of statues. Instead, he actually commanded their use in religious contexts.

People who against the religious statuary, actually they have forgotten about the many passages where the Lord commands the making of statues. For example, In Ex 25: 18-20, 'And you shall make two cherubim of gold  [for example; two gold statues of angels]; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end; of one piece of the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be'.

David gave Solomon the plan 'for the altar of incense made of refined gold, and its weight; also his plan for the golden chariot of the cherubim that spread their wings and covered the ark of the covenant of the Lord. All this he made clear by the writing of the hand of the Lord concerning it all, all the work to be done according to plan' ( 1 Chr. 28: 18-19). David's plan for the temple, which the biblical author tells us was 'by the writing of the hand of the Lord concerning all,' included statues of angels.

Similarly, Ezekiel 41:17-18 describes that graven (craved) images in the idealized temple he was shown in a vision, for he writes, 'on the walls round about in the inner room and on the nave were craved likenesses of cherubim.'

If you still able to recall, during a plague of serpents sent to punish the Israelite during the exodus, God told Moses to make A STATUE of a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it shall live. So Moses made a bronze serpent, and set it on a pole; and if a serpent bit any man, he would look at the bronze serpent and live. (Num 21: 8-9). One have to LOOK at the bronze statue of the serpents to be healed, which shows that statues could be used ritually, not merely as a religious decorations. Catholics use statues, paintings, and other artistic devices to recall the person or thing depicted. Is just like a person looking at his or hers mother pictures, so it helps to recall the example of the saints by looking at the pictures of them in the church. Catholics also use statue as a teaching tools.  In the early church, they were especially useful for the instruction of the illiterate. It also use statues to commemorate certain people and events.

Gods forbids the [worship] of images as gods, but he doesn't ban the making of images. If he had, religious movies, videos, photographs, paintings, and all similar things would be banned. But, as the case of the bronze serpent shows, God does not even forbid the ritual use of religious images. It is when people begin to adore a statue as a god that the Lord becomes angry. Thus, when people did start to worship the bronze serpent as a snake-God (whom they named 'Nehushtan'), the righteous king Hezekiah had it destroyed. (2 Kgs 18:4)

Statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Special thanks to Catholic online resources.