Do Catholics Worship Statues?

QUESTION:

I’ve got a question and I’ll love good, enlightening and convincing contributions.

If the church do not worship idols but only rever and honour the real person they represent (I may be wrong on this tho)

If so,  churches already have Mary’s statues, why should a special veneration be given to a particular statue and it’s even going round the world

Is there anything special about this particular statue?

I don’t want to see it as a form or idolatry action….

Contributions will be highly appreciated.
Thanks.

#nana maria

Answer:

DO CATHOLICS WORSHIP STATUES?

For him who believes, no explanation is necessary; for him who does not believe, no explanation is possible! This is a question that has been asked from generation to generation, so it is not really a new question. The answer therefore will not be new either!

Unbelievers continue to question, not in order to know and believe but to make a case for continuing disbelief!

To better appreciate my answer, it would be necessary to understand the whole concept of statues of the saints and Mary, and their use in the Church.

Because Catholics have statues in their churches, goes the accusation, they are violating God’s commandment: “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 bow down to them or serve them” (Ex. 20:4–5)

The question is did God ever prohibit the making of statues and images? Its a BIG NO! People who oppose the religious use of statues forget about the many passages where the Lord commands the making of statues.

If Catholics are idolaters for having statues, then Moses must be an idolater for having make statues of angels, or Cherubim (Exodus 25:18)

I will not doubt that many people today, if they lived in ancient Israel, would have considered Moses an idolater when he “made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole,” so “that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.” (Numbers 21:9)

By extension, we would be accusing God of idolatry because he ordered Moses to do these things! We should be clear that God would not make a law and flout it himself. There are numerous instances of God asking people to make images (Ex. 25:18–20; 1 Chr. 28:18–19; Ezekiel 41:17–18 etc)

In any case, don’t we have statues of former heads of state and other personalities to honour them? And even name places after them? But no one accuses us of idolatry! The same way when lawyers bow to judges in court, nobody accuses them of worshipping them because the intention is very clear, that is to show respect or honour them! SO WHY CAN’T WE GET IT WHEN CATHOLICS SAY THEY DON’T WORSHIP STATUES?

Catholics use statues, paintings, and other artistic devices to recall the person or thing depicted. Just as it helps to remember one’s mother by looking at her photograph, so it helps to recall the example of the saints by looking at pictures of them. Catholics also use statues as teaching tools. In the early Church they were especially useful for the instruction of the illiterate. Many Protestants have pictures of Jesus and other Bible pictures in Sunday school for teaching children. Catholics also use statues to commemorate certain people and events.

If one measured Protestants by the same rule, then by using these “graven” images, they would be practicing the “idolatry” of which they accuse Catholics. But there’s no idolatry going on in these situations. God 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.

To conclude, I don’t think carrying a particular statue from place to place will mean it is being worshipped. A supernatural event could occur  through a particular statue of Mary or any saint. That doesn’t guarantee that the same phenomenon will occur at all places where a similar statue is. God does his own things the way he pleases. It is not for us to question why tho way and not the other way. In the Acts of the Apostles, the shadow of Peter brought healing to people through the power of God. Why that particular shadow and not others even though there were millions of other shadows? (Acts 5:15)
Also handkerchiefs and aprons used by Paul healed the sick through the grace of God. Why not other handkerchiefs and aprons all over? Let us leave God to be God!

I hope this answers you even more than you have asked but I don’t intend convincing you, just as I don’t know the criteria you have to judge whether a contribution is good, enlightening and convincing.

May God bless you and guide you to himself, the Truth!

Padre Antonio
(WhatsApp number: +233 541 859198)

(You may whatsapp your questions and contributions for further clarifications)