Martillo de Herejes

Before You Call Catholics Idol Worshippers, Read Your Bible First - Argument Falls Apart in Scripture Someone recently commented on a previous post I made: “The first commandment says have no other gods, yet you pray to saints. The second says don’t make graven images, yet your churches are full of statues. So you people are worshipping idols.” And I understand why many people think like this. But the truth is simple: It’s not rebellion. It’s misunderstanding. Because if Catholics truly worshipped statues and saints, then yes, we would be breaking the commandments. But we don’t. Not even close. Let’s slow down and think carefully. First commandment: “You shall have no other gods before me.” Every Catholic agrees 100%. Only God is worshipped. Not Mary. Not saints. Not statues. Only God. In the Mass, who do we sacrifice to? God alone. Who do we adore? God alone. Who created heaven and earth? God alone. So where exactly is the “other god”? Asking a saint to pray for you is not worship. If you tell your friend, “Please pray for me,” are you worshipping your friend? Of course not. So why does it suddenly become “idol worship” when the person is in heaven? The saints are not dead. Jesus said: “He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” (Mark 12,27) They are alive in Christ. We simply ask them to pray with us. Just like we ask people on earth to pray with us. Nothing more. Nothing less. The saints pray for us. They intercede for us. End of story. Now let’s talk about the second commandment.“Do not make graven images.” Many people stop reading there. This one always makes me laugh small. Because the same people quoting “don’t make images” are carrying: family pictures, wedding albums, cross necklaces, Bible movies, Jesus paintings. But suddenly Catholic statues are the problem? Be serious. If making images was automatically sinful, then God would be contradicting Himself. Because the same God later commanded images to be made. In Exodus 25,18, God told Moses: “Make two cherubim of gold…” That’s already an image. In Numbers 21,8–9, God told Moses to make a bronze serpent. Another image. In Solomon’s Temple, there were carvings of angels, lions, oxen, palm trees everywhere. And God approved the Temple. So either God is confused, or you misunderstood the verse. So clearly, the sin is not images. The sin is worshipping images as gods. That’s idolatry. And Catholics don’t do that. A statue is a reminder. A symbol. A visual catechism. When someone kneels before a statue, they are not worshipping cement or wood. They are praying to God while remembering the life of a saint. Just like keeping your mother’s photo doesn’t mean you worship paper. It helps you remember love. That’s all. Sometimes I feel people just want Catholics to be wrong so badly that logic leaves the room. Let me be blunt. If Catholics truly worshipped statues, Christianity would not have survived 2,000 years. But instead, this same Church preserved the Bible, defended the Trinity, and gave the world countless martyrs and saints. Idol worship doesn’t produce holiness. God does. So maybe before accusing, we should first understand. Because what you think as “idol worship” is simply “honor.” And honoring God’s friends does not reduce God’s glory. It shows what His grace can do in a human life. At the end of the day. We worship God alone. We honor His saints. We use images as reminders. And the commandments remain perfectly intact So be guided, because calling Catholics idol worshippers without facts is not zeal. It’s ignorance wearing confidence. We worship God alone. Always have. Always will. The rest is misunderstanding. And misunderstanding is curable, if pride steps aside. - Fr. Chisom