It has been a tradition how Catholics glorifies religious images through veneration and procession such as the Black Nazarene events. These images they venerate are not idols as they claimed bec idols as there theology supplies, are those images considered as gods, whereas they never consider their images as gods. Thus in their view, they are not practicing idolatry. That is how resplendent is their stand.
I would like to prove that their practice is idolatry though.
I would like to present one thing, that idols are not necessarily those considered gods. Idols could be the catholic images.
How shall I do it? Let us see.
Ex 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any IDOL (pesel), 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:
Ex 20:5 Thou shalt not BOW DOWN (shachah) 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;
The verses suggest one thing:
DO NOT BOW DOWN TO IDOLS
Obviously, I believe no one will deny that this thing speaks about idolatry. Notice the word used, the action provided for doing idolatry—BOW DOWN.
Let us see what it really meant in HEBREW.
shachah shaw-khaw’
a primitive root;
to depress, i.e. prostrate (especially reflexive, in homage to royalty or God).
As provided, BOW DOWN is shachah which means PROSTRATE IN HOMAGE TO ROYALTY OR GOD… In other dictionary, it means, PROSTRATE IN HOMAGE TO SUPERIOR OR GOD.. If that is the action used in doing idolatry, then idolatry would mean, PROSTRATE TO IDOLS IN HOMAGE TO SUPERIOR OR GOD.
What is idolatry then? Is it about worshipping those who are considered gods, only?
As the Hebrew definition suggests, idolatry is prostrating in homage to god, meaning, prostrating to idols in homage to what is considered god—god could be the idol or something, it represents. Such as ZEUS, they prostrate to his image, in homage to the alleged God, zeus, who was thought as God himself. Or sometimes, they consider the idols themselves as god. Either way, it is idolatry.
But is idolatry only regarding to those considered gods?
As suggested in the Hebrew definition, it likewise includes the worship of what is termed as, superior.
PROSTRATE IN HOMAGE TO SUPERIOR OR GOD
It did not specify if the superior is god, thus, it could be anyone bearing superior status not necessarily god. It could be human beings as mary and the catholic saints. Thus we can safely say, that idolatry, is PROSTRATING TO IDOLS IN HOMAGE TO WHAT IS SUPERIOR. The idol, logically could be the superior, or, it could be the one the idol represents. Such as in the case of catholics, it could be mary or their saints.
What do I mean?
That idols are not necessarily referring to gods, but likewise, to superior beings. So if the catholic images bear the incorporation of mary or the catholic saints, as the superior being, they venerate, then, obviously, these catholic images are idols.
What is idolatry, then?
PROSTRATING TO IMAGES IN HOMAGE TO WHAT IS SUPERIOR SUCH AS MARY AND THEIR SAINTS.
They would deny it apparently as they never actually prostrate—but the semblance and relativity to idolatry, it’s intent and purpose is quite similar. Actually, worship is not only through prostration, it could be, as suggested, that worship, is by kneeling too, it is not necessarily prostrate, such as how Solomon worshipped God.
1Ki 8:54 . And it was [so], that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the LORD, he arose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven.
Or how god requires him to be worshipped, that is, by bending of the knees.Isaiah 45:22-23
[22]Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.
[23]I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.
So as a hint, worship is through, bending of the knees—thus when applied to idols, then obviously, it is idolatry.
So are Catholics doing idolatry?
They kneel down to images, in homage, to superior beings as mary and their saints. How is that not idolatry?
But objection may come like:
“…Joshua bowed down before the ark of the covenant which bore the two images of the cherubim. Did he do idolatry?…”
Obviously not bec God approved of it. Whatsoever god approves is necessarily authoritative. Indeed, he did as it say:
Joshua 3:7
[7]And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.
Now, as for catholics, did god approve of your custom regarding images of jesus, mary and the saints? Who authorized such custom?
God didnt approve of yours, thus yours is idolatry. Yet they said, Jesus called the temple that had been adorned with graven images as “a house of prayer” which naturally, they would be bowing down to these images. Lets read:
Matthew 21:12-13
[12]And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,
[13]And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
The thing is, it isnt intentional to bow on these graven images. It lacked a principal ingredient that is: intention. What was prohibitted by god is to bow down on images in homage to superior or god thus prerequisite for it must be the intervention of intent. Did they intentionally bow to the temple images to give honor to a superior being or god?
They didnt. So that isnt idolatry. Whereas yours is an intentional bowing to images in honor to whom it represents–superior being or god–thus its idolatry.
BY: DENNIS BUTIC
#MCGI
A BEAUTIFUL MIND 