A
DISCOURSE ABOUT THE USE OF IMAGES FOR RELIGIOUS PURPOSES BY THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
Stella Maris was walking with her friend Ikechukwu after
their morning lessons.
Stella Maris: Ikechukwu
Ikechukwu: Yes,
Stella Maris. What’s up?
Stella Maris: Have
you heard about what we learned today?
Ikechukwu: In
respect of what?
Stella Maris: About
the use of images for religious purposes.
Ikechukwu: You
Catholics have come again. What do you have to tell us this time, you jokers?
Stella Maris: No.
Jokes apart this time, I have wonderful references from the Bible.
Ikechukwu: We
don’t use the same Bible.
Stella Maris: True!
The fact is the original which is the most complete Bible was compiled by those
who lived with our Lord Jesus Christ in the person of the apostles of which
Saint Peter who is the first Pope was one of them. However, it doesn’t matter.
What I want to show you is also in your Bible.
Ikechukwu: And
you think these ‘wonderful references’ of yours will convince me?
Stella Maris: It
will definitely get you thinking. Without a doubt.
Ikechukwu: And
that’s enough?
Stella Maris: That’s
enough. A better understanding of the scriptures is a benefit to all
Christians.
Ikechukwu: Okay,
then. But first, I like to think I have a decent understanding of the
scriptures, so let me state my points.
In my opinion, the first
commandment is clear enough on this topic, but there are many other references
I can call.
For example, the book of Amos
completely rejects all hypocritical religious practices, and most of what was written
there still applies today.“‘You will carry away sakkuth, your king, and
kaiwan, your star god. These images which you have made for yourselves.
For I will exile you into captivity beyond
Damascus,’
Says I, the LORD, the God of hosts by name.”
Even in the book of Exodus.
Stella Maris: The
first commandment?
Ikechukwu:
Before that. Remember why Moses broke the first stone tablets? Stella Maris: Yes,
because the Israelites had molded a golden calf idol and started to pray to it
and saying it rescued them from slavery.
Ikechukwu:
Exactly! Those first commandments were written by God’s hand, yet Moses was so
furious that he broke them.
And I know, I mentioned it earlier, but let me just read the first commandment for you. In case you have something different in your Bible.
Ikechukwu: “I am the LORD
thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of
bondage.
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any 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: thou shalt not bow
down thyself to them, nor serve them-”
Stella Maris: “For I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting
punishment for their ancestors’ wickedness on the children of those who hate
me, down to the third and fourth generation; but showing love down to the
thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.”
Different words, but it’s the
same verses I learned.
Ikechukwu: Then,
how can you people blatantly disregard the very first commandment and not see
the problem because you Catholics like to claim you have the fullest of faiths.
Stella Maris: “Fullness
of Faith.”
Ikechukwu: Okay
that’s what I believe. So, let me hear your point.
Stella Maris: Good.
First, the issue of worshipping statues is a misunderstanding.
It’s a good thing to warn
people about the dangers of idol worship, but it is just ignorant to accuse
people of engaging in idol worship when you don’t understand their practices.
Ikechukwu: I
don’t need to understand the rituals of a secret cult in order to condemn their
practices.
Stella Maris: True,
but the practices of secret cults are not taught by the Bible.
Ikechukwu:
Worshipping of statues is not a thing the Bible teaches.
Stella Maris: True.
We both agree on that. God forbids the ‘worship of statues.’
However, Catholics do not worship statues.
That is the first thing people misunderstand.
What we practice is something
that is taught and used at various points in the Bible. The use of images for religious purposes.
Ikechukwu: Isn’t
that the same thing?
Stella Maris: It’s
not. First, let’s go back to the Book of Exodus.
Ikechukwu: Okay.
Stella Maris: If we
are equating the use of images for religious purposes to idol worship, doesn’t
that make Moses and the Israelites Idol worshippers?
Ikechukwu: How
so?
Stella Maris: Numbers: Chapter 21 Verse 8 -
9.
The bronze serpent.
Ikechukwu: You
mean the brazen serpent.
Stella Maris: Apples
to apples. Just read it.
Ikechukwu: “And the LORD
said unto Moses, ‘Make thee a fiery serpent, and
set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten,
when he looketh upon it, shall live.’ And Moses made a serpent of brass,
and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any
man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.”
Stella Maris: Isn’t
that a graven image?
Ikechukwu: It’s
not the same. God sent the serpents to punish the Israelites.
Only those who admit to
themselves that they are sinners can be granted that healing and the brazen
serpent was a symbol specifically requested by God as a symbol of saving faith.
Stella Maris: So,
in essence, it was an image used for a religious purpose.
Ikechukwu: Yes,
but in a specific situation and it was specifically requested by God.
Stella Maris: Okay,
let’s look at a different one. Back to the book of Exodus. Chapter 25. The
ark of the covenant. Almost that entire chapter is dedicated to the specific
descriptions God gave to create the ark.
God himself, commanded the use
of these images in religious context.
Ikechukwu: Hmmm.
I never thought about it that way.
Stella Maris: The
first commandment was very clear and strict about idol worship because, at the
time the commandments were given, the people served a plurality of gods.
They had gods of the earth,
the stars, gods under the water, and even gods they had inherited from other
nations.
It’s the reason why in the Exodus Chapter 32 verse 26,
Moses shouted to the Israelites “‘Whoever is for
the LORD, come to me!’ All the Levites then rallied to him and he told them,
“Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: ‘Each
of you put your sword on your hip! Go back and forth through the camp, from
gate to gate, and kill your brothers, your friends, your neighbors!’”
Stella Maris: And
he said “Israel! Here is your God, who brought
you here from Egypt!”
It was a direct condemnation of the fickle beliefs of the Israelites of
that time and how quick they are to fabricate or falter to a false god in times
of need.
Ikechukwu: It
still applies today.
Stella Maris: Of
course, it does. That fickleness of belief existed all over the world which is
why you’d see different religions and gods rise and change over time.
It becomes clear that God was
talking of being jealous of those actions which honour other ‘gods’ aside from
Himself, and spoke of the people who do so, as people who hate Him.
He could not have been jealous
of our Lord Jesus Christ, His Son.
Nor would God address the
followers of Jesus as those that hate Him, for He (God), and Jesus are one.
Ikechukwu: You
know, there is this passage in the second letter to
Thessalonians, Chapter 2. Let me show you-
Stella Maris: Yes,
I remember it. “We ask you, brothers, with
regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling with him, not
to be shaken out of your minds suddenly, or to be alarmed either by a “spirit,”
or by an oral statement, or by a letter allegedly from us to the effect that
the day of the Lord is at hand.
Let no one
deceive you in any way. For unless the apostasy comes first and the lawless one
is revealed, the one doomed to perdition do you not recall that while I was
still with you, I told you these things?
And now you know
what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his time.
For the mystery
of lawlessness is already at work. But the one who restrains is to do so only
for the present, until he is removed from the scene.
And then the
lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord [Jesus] will kill with the breath
of his mouth and render powerless by the manifestation of his coming, the one
whose coming springs from the power of Satan in every mighty deed and in signs
and wonders that lie, and in every wicked deceit for those who are perishing
because they have not accepted the love of truth so that they may be saved.”
Ikechukwu: Yes,
it is here. “And for this cause, God shall send them strong delusion, that they should
believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but
had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Ikechukwu: “- But we are
bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord,
because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through
sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: whereunto he called you
by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the
traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even
our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and
good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and establish you in every good
word and work.”
Ikechukwu: But,
how do you know the images that God approves of?
Stella Maris: It’s
made clear in the Book
of Exodus Chapter 32 Verses 1-34.
Stella Maris: Also,
in the Book
of Amos Chapter 5 Verses 26-27 and in Acts Chapter 7 Verses 42-43.
God was referring to the false
gods. Those gods of the earth, moon, stars, and skies. The gods and goddesses
of animals and, rivers and those that worship the devil and the demons under
the earth.
Prophet Isiah also spoke
against this and warned against the worship of demons through their false
gods.
This is why in Exodus Chapter 20 Verses 1-2, the
Lord says “I am Yahweh your God who brought you out
of Egypt where you lived as slaves. You shall have no other gods, to rival me.”
Ikechukwu: I see.
Stella Maris: God is
full of mysteries, but the Bible does a lot to help our understanding of His
Word and His messages.
Ikechukwu: That
puts things in a different light.
Stella Maris: And
this is all in your Bible as well.
Ikechukwu: Hmm…
This was a very interesting discussion.
Stella Maris: Can we
share a prayer?
Ikechukwu: Please
go ahead.
Stella Maris: In
the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Father we thank you for this
opportunity, you have given us for Christian fellowship.
We pray you to grant us and all
mankind the grace to understand the holy Bible messages so that confusion which
misleads many may be overcome and may all mankind come to find salvation.
Father we make this prayer
through Jesus Christ your son, our Lord and God, who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.
Amen.
Ikechukwu: Amen.
Thank you for taking the time. That gives me a bit to think about.
Stella Maris: No
problem. There are other references you can get from the Book of Psalms. Here
it is made clear that God was speaking of his enemies.
For example, Psalm 16 Verse 4-5 says, “Never
shall I pour libation to them, never take their names on my lips. My birth
right, my cup is Yahweh. You, you alone hold my lots secure.”
Stella Maris: In the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 28,
Verses 19-20, the last instructions our Lord Jesus Christ
gave to the disciples before he ascended into heaven were, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go, therefore, and
make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have
commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
It’s also confirmed in some of
their writings that the apostles did not put down all they were taught into
writing.
In the last chapter of John’s Gospel,
in verse 25 it says “There
are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described
individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would
be written.”
It is also stated in the second and third letters of John.
In second John, verse 12, he writes, “Although
I have much to write to you, I do not intend to use paper and ink. Instead, I
hope to visit you and to speak face to face so that our joy may be complete.”
Stella Maris: And in John’s third letter of
John, verses 13-15, “I have much to write
to you, but I do not wish to write with pen and ink.
Instead, I hope to see you soon,
when we can talk face to face.
Peace be with
you. The friends greet you; greet the friends there each by name.”
This is why Saint Peter warned us not to give private interpretations to
the Holy Bible’s messages, but to hold on to the interpretations handed down by
the apostles.
Ikechukwu: I
understand now. The true story guides the written text of the Bible through
oral interpretations.
Stella Maris: Saint
Paul talked about this in his second letter to the Thessalonians, Chapter 2
Verse 15, “Therefore, brothers, stand firm and
hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement
or by a letter of ours.”
From his own experiences, Saint Paul imbibed the mode of the apostles
who were taught directly by Jesus himself and Saint Paul also started to
emphasize the need for both oral and written Christian traditions to guide
against Satan’s end times deceptions.
Image
Creator: FatCamera
