Are Catholics Idol Worshippers?

Roman Catholics are frequently accused by fundamentalist Christians of being “idol worshippers” because of the presence of statues in our churches. Fundamentalists believe that the Bible is the sole rule of faith and cite certain passages throughout Scripture to support their accusations.

“You shall not make yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything in heaven above or on earth beneath or in the waters under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them.” (Ex. 20:4-5) “You shall not bow down to their gods or worship them or observe their rites, but throw them down and smash their cultic stones.” (Ex. 23:24) These two quotes, and there are others, do condemn the worship of idols.

A Catholic reading these passages might be convinced to question his or her Catholic beliefs on holy images. After all, say the fundamentalists, “it’s in the Bible.” Who would dare contradict the Bible?

However, Holy Scripture itself nullifies and dismisses the accusation by presenting passages in support of making and using holy images.

God instructed Moses on how to build a sanctuary so that He could reside amongst the Israelites. God’s instruction included the carving of two winged creatures (angelic beings) to protect the mercy seat. “Model one of the winged creatures at one end and the other winged creature at the other end; you will model the winged creatures of a piece with the mercy seat at either end.” (Ex.25: 19)

Solomon too followed the same directions for building the temple during the Jewish restoration after the exile. “In the Holy of Holies he modeled two winged creatures of wrought metal work and overlaid them with gold.” (2 Chr. 3:10-11)

After the Israelites rebelled, God sent fiery serpents to bite them and those who were bit died. Moses interceded for the people and God Himself instructed him to make a bronze serpent as a remedy against death. “Make a fiery serpent and raise it as a standard. Anyone who is bitten and looks at it will survive.” (Num. 21 :8-9)

Unlike the two earlier quotes from Exodus, these three passages permit the making and use of statues. At this point it would seem that the Scriptures contradict themselves on this matter. However, it is not a question of inherent biblical contradiction but one of understanding the content within the context.

In the early days of the Old Testament the Israelites lived amidst a pagan culture, which worshipped statues of natural realities. God had not yet visibly revealed Himself to the Israelites therefore they did not have a point of reference for His likeness. They were forbidden to try and depict the true God in any material form because without a reference they could end up making statues in the likeness of the pagan gods. The result would have been to mistakenly transfer the worship of the true God of Israel to an image made of stone.

Eventually they would have fallen into paganism. This is exactly the problem, which the passages from Exodus that prohibit the making and worship of images are trying to avoid.
What then can we make of the passages that allow the fabrication of statues?

These should be understood in a very different context. The passages that prohibit the making and worship of statues are set in the context of avoiding paganism; those that allow the practice are set in the context of embellishing worship space (Ex.25: 19; 2 Chr. 3:10-11) or the ritual use of statues. (Num. 21: 8-9)

The overall conclusion from these texts is that God prohibits and condemns the worship of statues, but does not forbid the use of statuary in a ritual setting.

Are Catholics “idol worshippers?” The accusation could be valid if a person were to actually believe that in and of itself a stone or plaster image of Christ, the Virgin or a Saint is indeed a god and worthy of worship. I have never met a faithful Catholic who holds such a misguided position.

However, I do constantly meet those who by the use of holy images visualize the majesty of God, the tender love of our Blessed Mother and are encouraged to persevere through the example of the Saints.

Anyone who accuses a Catholic of idolatry by using a few selected passages from the Bible ignores the fact that Scripture itself vindicates the Catholic position on the use of holy images.