Commandment #2:
"Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 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. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments." (Ex 20:3)
When asked why Catholics venerate statues this excuse is familiar (I used to think the same thing):
"The protestants’ list forbids any graven images whatsoever, which is an extra commandment when compared to the Catholic listing, but this isn’t adhered to in a lot of protestant churches, which have crosses and stained glass windows of biblical events. It also wasn’t adhered to by God, who told the Israelites to put graven images of 2 angels on top of the ark of the covenant, which carried the Ten Commandments, who told Solomon to put graven images of cherubs and palm trees in his temple, and who told the Israelites in the desert to make a graven image of a bronze serpent, so that the Israelites who looked upon it (not worshipped it) would be healed. The protestant commandment to not make any graven images whatsoever does not take into account the entire paragraph, which includes the prohibition against worshipping the graven image. The key here is that God didn’t want any more golden calf incidents, where the people actually believed that the graven image of the golden calf (an Egyptian god) was a god itself. (An interesting observation is that there is a statue of a bull on Wall Street in New York City, where a lot of people worship money and wealth.) No Catholics actually believe that a plaster and paint statue of Jesus or Mary is a god and worship it; they only believe in what it represents, like when you look at a picture of your kids in your wallet. The image that it puts into your mind is that of your kids, and usually brings back fond memories; it doesn’t mean that you believe the photo in your wallet is actually your kid." (http://www.catholicbible101.com/thetencommandments.htm)
The argument that it's ok to have statues to adore that represent God (or Mary) because you know they aren't actually God but only an image is wrong. God did not say, "Go ahead and make statues to venerate, as long as you don't think they are really gods." The problem is that anything created that gains the attention and devotion of humans becomes a place for a demon to inhabit and thus be worshiped as a god. When asked why Catholics venerate statues this excuse is familiar (I used to think the same thing):
"The protestants’ list forbids any graven images whatsoever, which is an extra commandment when compared to the Catholic listing, but this isn’t adhered to in a lot of protestant churches, which have crosses and stained glass windows of biblical events. It also wasn’t adhered to by God, who told the Israelites to put graven images of 2 angels on top of the ark of the covenant, which carried the Ten Commandments, who told Solomon to put graven images of cherubs and palm trees in his temple, and who told the Israelites in the desert to make a graven image of a bronze serpent, so that the Israelites who looked upon it (not worshipped it) would be healed. The protestant commandment to not make any graven images whatsoever does not take into account the entire paragraph, which includes the prohibition against worshipping the graven image. The key here is that God didn’t want any more golden calf incidents, where the people actually believed that the graven image of the golden calf (an Egyptian god) was a god itself. (An interesting observation is that there is a statue of a bull on Wall Street in New York City, where a lot of people worship money and wealth.) No Catholics actually believe that a plaster and paint statue of Jesus or Mary is a god and worship it; they only believe in what it represents, like when you look at a picture of your kids in your wallet. The image that it puts into your mind is that of your kids, and usually brings back fond memories; it doesn’t mean that you believe the photo in your wallet is actually your kid." (http://www.catholicbible101.com/thetencommandments.htm)
The Bible says when things are sacrificed to idols they are actually sacrificed to demons, or devils:
"They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not." (Deut 32:17)
"But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils." (1 Cor 10:20)
Let's let some images below contrasted with scripture tell the real story: (notice how often the idol being worshiped is Mary, who you saw in my last post actually represents Isis, Sophia, etc. )
"Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God." (Lev 26:1)
"But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not," (Psalm 115:3)
"Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made," (Isaiah 2:8)
"And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen." (1 John 5:20)
