Nice thread because I have something to ask about Roman Catholic:
1. Why do they worship statues(idols)?
- I am a Roman Catholic too and I go to church every Sunday and there are statues of God, Jesus and Mary in there, why do they do this when it is clear in the Bible that you shouldn't make those things.
I actually wanted to change religion but my parents won't probably allow me to.
Hi Jobeliano, You've come to the right place for the Truth. I was raised strict Traditional Catholic. I am no longer a Catholic. May God bless you greatly with the Truth.
Catholics do worship statues. Here is part of an article and link from a Catholic site. It will help you to see that Catholics do worship statues:http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07664a.htm
In both East and West the reverence we pay to images has crystallized into formal ritual. In the Latin Rite the priest is commanded to bow to the cross in the sacristy before he leaves it to say Mass ("Ritus servandus" in the Missal, II, 1); he bows again profoundly "to the altar or the image of the crucifix placed upon it" when he begins Mass (ibid., II, 2); he begins incensing the altar by incensing the crucifix on it (IV, 4), and bows to it every time he passes it (ibid.); he also incenses any relics or images of saints that may be on the altar (ibid.). In the same way many such commands throughout our rubrics show that always a reverence is to be paid to the cross or images of saints whenever we approach them.
Did you see that? The Catholics pay reverence to images. And, the priest is commanded to bow to the cross---he bows profoundly to the altar or images place upon it. He even incenses the altar and the crucifix and bows to it every time he passed it! The priest also incenses any relics or images of saint that may be on the altar. Do you know what relics are of saints? They are clothing and their dead body remains! These are commands of the Catholic Church! Everytime a person enters a Catholic Church, they bow before sitting down---they are bowing to the altar and the "holy images" (pictures and statues of Jesus, Mary, and Catholic saints).
Read here from a Catholic site how the priest incenses statues and relics:
Symbolism and manner of incensing
Incense, with its sweet-smelling perfume and high-ascending smoke, is typical of the good Christian's prayer, which, enkindled in the heart by the fire of God's love and exhaling the odour of Christ, rises up a pleasing offering in His sight (cf. Amalarius, "De eccles. officiis" in P.L., CV). Incensing is the act of imparting the odour of incense. The censer is held in the right hand at the height of the breast, and grasped by the chain near the cover; the left hand, holding the top of the chain, is placed on the breast.
The censer is then raised upwards to the height of the eyes, given an outward motion and slightly ascending towards the object to be incensed, and at once brought back to the starting point. This constitutes a single swing. For a double swing the outward motion should be repeated, the second movement being more pronounced than the first. The dignity of the person or thing will determine whether the swing is to be single or double, and also whether one swing or more are to be given. The incense-boat is the vessel containing the incense for immediate use. It is so called from its shape. It is generally carried by the thurifer in the disengaged hand.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07716a.htm
Read here about what the Bible says about what happened to the bronze snake that Moses made. The Israelites burned incense to the bronze snake, so it was destroyed. So how do the Catholics do what God hates when the Catholic priest burns incense to the crucifix and any relics or images.
2 KIngs 18:1 In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. 2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother's name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. 3 He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done. 4 He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.)
I have shown you in the above post I made that Catholics do worship statues---they are COMMANDED to bow to them. Now read what the Bible says.......
Exodus 20: 4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments.
No longer bow down to the work of your hands (see Micah 5:13)