I would like to again invite you to add to this and ask any questions you would like. Remain civil, keep it clean, and be nice. I would like you to post any sources that you use. I will use Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition to make my point. I will look to the early Fathers of the Church and the road map to what the Catholic Church actually believes, the Catechism of the Catholic Church. I hope as you read this you will see a new light on what the Church teaches.
To start this post, the Catechism teaches Catholics that, “The first commandment condemns polytheism. It requires man neither to believe in nor to venerate, other divinities than the one true God. Scripture constantly recalls this rejection of "idols, [of] silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see." These empty idols make their worshippers empty: "Those who make them are like them; so are all who trust in them." God, however, is the "living God" who gives life and intervenes in history.
Idolatry not only refers to false pagan worship. It remains a constant temptation to faith. Idolatry consists in divinizing what is not God. Man commits idolatry whenever he honors and reveres a creature in place of God, whether this be gods or demons (for example, satanism), power, pleasure, race, ancestors, the state, money, etc. Jesus says, "You cannot serve God and mammon." Many martyrs died for not adoring "the Beast" refusing even to simulate such worship. Idolatry rejects the unique Lordship of God; it is, therefore, incompatible with communion with God.
Human life finds its unity in the adoration of the one God. The commandment to worship the Lord alone integrates man and saves him from an endless disintegration. Idolatry is a perversion of man's innate religious sense. An idolater is someone who "transfers his indestructible notion of God to anything other than God." (Catholic Church, 2000, 2112-2214).
Ok, now what does all of that mean to the average Catholic, and to the average non-Catholic. Let's start with the question of polytheism. As a Catholic, I have been taught in the church and through catechism teaching that we are to have only one God. We are never taught to “worship” a photo or statue. Yes, as a Catholic I have used a painting or statue to help me as I pray. I would liken this to a person looking at a photo album and recalling a cherished memory of a loved one. Is this person practicing ancestor worship? No, they are just being reminded of the good times they spent with a loved one. As a Catholic, I see that by looking at an image of the passion of Christ I am able to truly see and that I can start to understand the suffering that Jesus went through for me. By seeing images of the saints I have studied I can recall the events in their lives that I would want to imitate.
We have seen what the Church teaches about Idolatry and what the Catechism teaches. What does Holy Scripture say on the subject? I think we need to look at a few key passages that cover this area. I think the best place is in Exodus Chapter 20 verses 3-5, You shall not have other gods besides me. You shall not carve idols for yourselves in the shape of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth; you shall not bow down before them or worship them. For I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting punishment for their fathers' wickedness on the children of those who hate me, down to the third and fourth generation. This is very clear is it not? We are not to make an image and worship it as a god. God wants us to worship only him. If you are to read into exodus you find God letting Moses know that the people of Israel are making a graven image and are sinning against him. God Saw that his people still needed guidance. He even went as far as to have the Hebrew people perform sacrifices on the animals that the people of Egypt worshiped as gods. This was to show the Israelis that the gods of Egypt were impotent. So, does this forbid any icons or images for worship? If we are to “search the scriptures” (John 5:39) again we can find some things that might make you see this in a different light. We will start again in Exodus Make two cherubim of beaten gold for the two ends of the propitiatory, fastening them so that one cherub springs direct from each end. The cherubim shall have their wings spread out above, covering the propitiatory with them; they shall be turned toward each other, but with their faces looking toward the propitiatory (Ex 25:18-20). God is instructing the Hebrew people how to make Images. If we read on further, we see God tell Moses to make a bronze serpent (statue) and to instruct the people to look at the serpent if they are bitten and they will be healed (Num 21:8-9). They kept that statue until some tried to give it a name and worship it as a god named “Nehushtan” and at that time King Hezekiah (cf 2Kgs 18:4) had it destroyed (Catholic Answers 2006).
Now we see how God gave the Hebrews a tool to use to help them and once this was abused by the people there was someone to step up and destroy the problem. So, we can see that God has directed his followers to make icons or images. The problem starts when people try to make an image of God. How can we as people do if we have never seen God? We have seen or heard of the Holy Spirit as tongues of flame and descending as a dove. God came to earth as a man his name was Jesus. Men were able then to see God as man. So, when a Protestant has an image of a flame or a dove on their car does this make them an idolater? When a Christian kneels down to read the bible are they worshiping the Word, the bible? The answer to both of these is a resounding no. When a Catholic kneels to pray in front of an image of Jesus does this make him an idolater? Again, we hear a resounding NO.
To end this discussion I will invite you to go to Catholic Answers and read “Do Catholics Worship Statues?” This is a great resource. Catholic Answers can answer this question and more.
References
Catholic Church. (2000). Catechism of the Catholic Church: revised in accordance with the official Latin text promulgated by Pope John Paul II. United States Catholic Conference.
Catholic Answers. (2006). The Essential Catholic Survival Guide. Catholic Answers.
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