Pls see Commandment #2.Catholic friends: Kissing and/or bowing an almost naked man nailed on a cross, isn't idolatry???
No.
+ Idolatry +
The Commandment forbids idolatry. Man commits idolatry whenever he honors and reveres a creature in place of God, whether this be gods or demons (for example, satanism), power, pleasure, race, ancestors, the state, money, etc.
In the lands that surrounded Israel, there were many who worshiped false gods including the Egyptians. Later the Jews had to deal with the Greek and Roman gods and goddesses worshiped by their Governors and occupying forces.
Today people put many things in front of God in their lives including money, status, self, power, etc.
A statue of Jesus Christ, the Son of one true God, on the cross at the most important moment of human history is not an idol to a false god.
+ Graven Images +
Do you have pictures of your loved ones? Have you ever looked at the picture of someone while talking on the phone to them?
Statues and pictures of people we love are not idols.
Statues and paintings of Jesus and the saints are just like pictures of the people we love and respect.
The King James Version of the Bible states in Exodus 20:4: ';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';
Why were the Jews commanded not to make graven images? Graven images were the standard method of pagan worship. They were representations of false gods.
This is a very clear command.
However God commanded the Jews in Exodus 25:18 and 1 Chronicles 28:18鈥?9, ';And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them';
And in 1 Kings chapter 7 Solomon made bulls and other images out of precious metals.
It seems obvious that the Jews did not worship the cherubims and Solomon did not worship the bulls he had made. These images did not violate the command of God. Therefore, an image not made for worship is acceptable.
In Numbers 21:8-9, ';And the LORD said to Moses, ';Make a saraph and mount it on a pole, and if anyone who has been bitten looks at it, he will recover.'; Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he recovered.';
And in John 3:14-15, Jesus says in correlation, ';And just as Moses lifted up the [image of a] serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.';
How can a statue of our Lord Jesus Christ dead on the cross be considered an idol to a false god? A crucifix is the message of the Gospel without words held up for all to see, a visual reminder of the sacrifice of Jesus, no different from a painting, a play, or a movie.
Catholics do not worship statues but the almighty God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
With love in Christ.Catholic friends: Kissing and/or bowing an almost naked man nailed on a cross, isn't idolatry???
Pastor Billy says: why would a follower of Judaism who has decided to reject the Messiah post a question like this one?
I mean no answer would be adequate for you correct. Just wonder what is your opinion of the Jews in the desert who bow before the serpent on the pole that Mose had fashioned?
Listen you have so little respect for Christians I'll pray you're not struck down with a sickness.
When Jesus is sold for thirty pieces of silver or his hands and feet are pierced on the cross, the disciples do not discover this by sticking their noses into the book of Zechariah or Psalm 22. Rather, after Jesus is raised, they remember that these things were written and, blinking their eyes in amazement, say, ';It was staring us in the face all along, and we didn鈥檛 see it!'; The Old Testament is not the basis of their belief in these things; it is the witness to these things. Sounds familiar doesn't it sort of like Pharisaical Judaism.
Yeah, that's pretty much what it is. I grew up Catholic (which is why I feel I can criticize the way they ';worship'; God), and am currently searching for a new church as a result of contradictory practices of the Catholic church. They preach the Bible, yet they do something else, it doesn't make sense to me. But anyway, I would say that is idolatry.
The crucifix, like other images and/or statues found inside a Catholic Church, are called ';sacramentals';. Some non-Catholics like to think the bowing to or kissing of these objects constitutes idolatry, almost as if they desire the condemnation of Catholics.
Please see:
Deut. 4:15 - from this verse, Protestants say that since we saw ';no form'; of the Lord, we should not make graven images of Him.
Deut. 4:16 - of course, in early history Israel was forbidden to make images of God because God didn't yet reveal himself visibly ';in the form of any figure.';
Deut. 4:17-19 - hence, had the Israelites depicted God not yet revealed, they might be tempted to worship Him in the form of a beast, bird, reptile or fish, which was a common error of the times.
Exodus 3:2-3; Dan 7:9; Matt. 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32; Acts 2:3- later on, however, we see that God did reveal himself in visible form (as a dove, fire, etc).
Deut. 5:8 - God's commandment ';thou shall not make a graven image'; is entirely connected to the worship of false gods. God does not prohibit images to be used in worship, but He prohibits the images themselves to be worshiped.
Exodus 25:18-22; 26:1,31 - for example, God commands the making of the image of a golden cherubim. This heavenly image, of course, is not worshiped by the Israelites. Instead, the image disposes their minds to the supernatural and draws them to God.
Num. 21:8-9 - God also commands the making of the bronze serpent. The image of the bronze serpent is not an idol to be worshiped, but an article that lifts the mind to the supernatural.
I Kings 6:23-36; 7:27-39; 8:6-67 - Solomon's temple contains statues of cherubim and images of cherubim, oxen and lions. God did not condemn these images that were used in worship.
2 Kings 18:4 - it was only when the people began to worship the statue did they incur God's wrath, and the king destroyed it. The command prohibiting the use of graven images deals exclusively with the false worship of those images.
1 Chron. 28:18-19 - David gives Solomon the plan for the altar made of refined gold with a golden cherubim images. These images were used in the Jews' most solemn place of worship.
2 Chron. 3:7-14 - the house was lined with gold with elaborate cherubim carved in wood and overlaid with gold.
Ezek. 41:15 - Ezekiel describes graven images in the temple consisting of carved likenesses of cherubim. These are similar to the images of the angels and saints in many Catholic churches.
Col. 1:15 - the only image of God that Catholics worship is Jesus Christ, who is the ';image'; (Greek ';eikon';) of the invisible God.
As far as Jesus being almost naked, Matthew 27:35 - 35: And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots;
no, not if you are not worshipping the statue. as for commandment two, which numbering method are you referring to? catholic or protetant? there is a difference in the way which we number the commandments
';As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life'; (John 3:14鈥?5) cf(Numbers 21:9 ).
Adoration or veneration of an image or representation of Christ's cross does not mean that we are actually adoring the material image, of course, but rather what it represents. In kneeling before the crucifix and kissing it we are paying the highest honor to the our Lord's cross as the instrument of our salvation. Because the Cross is inseparable from His sacrifice, in reverencing His Cross we are, in effect, adoring Christ. Thus we affirm: 'We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee because by Thy Holy Cross Thou has Redeemed the World.'
It isn't idolatory because the Man we kiss and bow to is God Almighty. Why is He almost naked? Because they took away His Robe and cast lots for it.
Here is the difference between you and Catholics. Catholics like Mary and John stay at the foot of the cross and worship the Lord and share in His sufferings. Whereas people like you stand afar like the Pharisees and the Roman soldiers and mock the Lord in His nakedness and shame, and mock the ones who stand at the foot of the Cross worshipping Him.
RNW was trying to explain to you (patiently and politely )the parallel between seeing the one you love in a picture or a wooden cross. You dont have to be rude just because you are the one asking the question.
Our God is alive, yes or no?
Have a picture of my dead mother, s that an idol?
Do not trash our worship of our Lord. :
He is nearly naked because that's how He died on the cross. It's a pretty accurate depiction.
Idolatry? No. Our worship and devotion is to Jesus, and we are simply expressing that by showing affection using a representation of Him, like a status/picture/etc. Idol worship is against the 2nd commandment.
http://catholic.com/library/Do_Catholics鈥?/a>
When my husband is away, I've been known to kiss his picture because I miss him. I can't kiss him so I kiss his image as a substitute. My husband knows I am not in love with the picture. I may like the picture but only because it reminds me of my husband. My husband is not jealous of the picture when I kiss it, because he knows that my affection is not truly directed at the picture but at him. Sometimes I weep because I miss my husband and hold his picture in my arms while I sleep. My husband knows all of this and yet, has never once contemplated divorce on the grounds that I have had an emotional affair with his picture.
I long to stand with the faithful disciples at the foot of the cross and comfort Our Lord as He made that sacrifice for us. If I could, I would kiss His feet and and just be with Him because what happened there had to happen so that I could be with Him forever. But time separates me and He is in heaven and I cannot be there where I long to be and fear to be all at the same time. And so I kiss the crucifix, for the same inexplicable reason I kiss the picture of my husband when I long to be with him but cannot.
