Those Idol Worshipping Catholics!

What do you say when a non-Catholic accuses you of worshipping idols and false gods?  Do you look at the person wondering where they get that strange idea?  The accusation may be that we, as Catholics, worship dead saints or Mary since we have statues all over our churches.  Yes, Catholic churches are adorned with some very beautiful statues and artwork, but are they there for worship?

The simple answer is...absolutely not.  In the early Church, most people couldn't read, at least not until the Church began educating the masses.  How do you tell the stories of the Church if the people cannot read?  One way is to use pictures and statues to fill the void of story tellers.

 If a grandmother is going into the church with her grandchild during Christmas, what is the easiest way to show that child the story of Jesus' birth?  Go over to the manger and show the people, who they are, how they got to Bethlehem and why.  Is this a form of idolatry or a method of teaching a child about the Son of God?  I bet you will find this form of "idol worship" in many Protestant homes too.



St Michael the Archangel,
Defend us in Battle



By placing this very famous statue in a church, are we encouraged to worship St. Michael, the Archangel?  We are shown how he is the angel who leads God's angelic army and that he will protect us.  We have a prayer to him, not to worship him, but to ask him for protection from the devil.

And what better way to decorate a church than with beautiful stained glass windows that bring the Saints to life and remind us of those who went before us in the Church and are models to live by?  Pictures of saints are no different than putting a poster of your favorite sports hero on the wall, except in the vast majority of cases, the saint is a much better role model.

These forms of art are nothing more than just that, art.  They allow us to remember stories or people from the Bible.  They may show the patron saint of a church.  My particular parish (St Joseph Catholic Church) has this statue out front of it. 



St. Joseph, Builder



It shows St. Joseph as a carpenter, showing Jesus a wooden boat.  We do not worship Joseph just because we have a statue of him.  We do honor him for the role he played in raising Jesus.  This statue makes it easy to tell a young child about Joseph and his role in Jesus' life and in our Church.

So next time you are accused of worshipping false gods because, as a Catholic, we have statues and pictures in our churches and homes, simply explain to the person the benefits of those items and how they offer us a method of teaching and being reminded of our rich faith.  The key is, educate, do not get defensive.