To My "Bible Only" Christian Brothers and Sisters, From A Catholic Convert [a humble vanity]

[Cronos]

CG —> as Mark has pointed out, bowing in respect is different from worship as is clearly indicated in the Bible. Also, God in Exodus told the Israelites to create graven images, so His injunct is against the belief that these graven images are God. And they aren’t — no one showing respect to the person represented believes that the statues of God or the crucifix is in any way God. to go into the complete image against is the Moslem way....

[Country Gal]

The 10 commandments is very clear. Don’t bow to graven images. It doesn’t state don’t bow to people. Now, I don’t know why it’s so upsetting to God, but He says it is. I’m not going to try to wrap my logic around it. I’m just going to accept that it upsets Him because He states very simply and clearly that bowing to graven images (not people) is bad.

The fact that He puts this in the 10 commandments, but nothing about homosexuality, shows that to Him it’s more heinous than homosexuality.

[Cronos]

The 10 commandments is very clear. Don’t bow to graven images

Let's look at the commandments -- firstly 10 is a convenience number, if you read Exodus 20:2-17 you'd see things clearly. here it is for you

 ²I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

 ³Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

 ⁴Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

 ⁵Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

 ⁶And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

 ⁷Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

 ⁸Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

 ⁹Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

 ¹⁰But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

 ¹¹For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

 ¹²Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

 ¹³Thou shalt not kill.

 ¹⁴Thou shalt not commit adultery.

 ¹⁵Thou shalt not steal.

 ¹⁶Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

 ¹⁷Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

Let's count them:

1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth
3. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them
4. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain
5. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
6. Honour thy father and thy mother
7. Thou shalt not kill
8. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
9. Thou shalt not steal
10. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
11. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house
12. thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife
13. nor his manservant, nor his maidservant
14. nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is his neighbors

How many do you read? 14 instructions (you can make it 15 since "Keep the Sabbath day holy" is mutually exclusive from "do not work on the Sabbath"

The present catechism follows the division of the Commandments established by Augustine, which has become traditional in the Catholic Church. It is also that of the Lutheran confession. The Greek Fathers worked out a slightly different division, which is found in the Orthodox Churches and Reformed communities

The second commandment

Isn't it odd that there were all sorts of "heavenly symbols" in the Temple and on the vestments of the OT priests that were commanded by God to be there and yet these establishments follow the giving of the Second Commandment. Do Christians follow the Temple or the 'Synagogue' model of worship and is this even the right question to be asking? It's interesting that the Second Commandment states "that ANYTHING in heaven or earth" should not be made and yet all sorts of "heavenly beings" are within the Temple. Then we have the Temple and the "icons" in the Holy of Holies. Is this really something to condemn fellow Christians for? Is it really a violation of the Second Commandment?

for the veneration of images to violate the second commandment, it would have to:
1. Be an image of some type,
2. We would have to bow to it,
3. We would bow to it in order to serve it,
4. And to serve it as a god, to supersede God.

Thus, it would turn into worship and break the second commandment

you are wrong to say that just "don't bow to graven images" -- do read your Bible. Are you afraid that if you bow to an Icon and kiss it, you might find yourself someday falling into worship rather than just veneration and honor?

The truth of the matter is that you simply cannot accidently worship an Icon. Worship is intentionally giving veneration to a god. As long as that god is the God, then you have nothing to worry about. No one can accidently worship a statue -- bowing to them does not in any way signify that these are god or gods and no one who does in any of the pictures you post, no one believes that

[Country Gal]

This is my last post on this thread. It’s not my job to make anyone change their behavior. All I can do is point out what scripture states, and it does so plainly. If you want to continue to promote / engage in this activity, it does not impact me at all.

It’s not a matter of what the word “is” is. I’m not going to try to overwhelm you with scriptures in the OT of how angry it made God then.

I’m not going to interject my human logic into what God says. Like I said, I don’t understand why it’s so upsetting to Him, but I respect that it is. The OT is replete with examples of how angry it makes Him.

I do read my Bible. Please do not imply that I don’t. It’s precious to me.

May God bless you and your families. Peace to all my brothers and sisters in Christ, regardless of what church membership roll your name is listed.

[Cronos]

cg, you need to read scriptures. Your posts not only get it wrong, but are incredibly wrong.

Do you ever read the Bible?

Do you even realize that God himself ordered the creation of graven images in the temple?

Go read the Bible sometime and then come and talk

[Cronos]

and I'm not implying -- a person who doesn't read the Bible would post the posts you posted.

Isn't it odd that there were all sorts of "heavenly symbols" in the Temple and on the vestments of the OT priests that were commanded by God to be there and yet these establishments follow the giving of the Second Commandment.

The second commandment taken in light of God's word is clear thatfor the veneration of images to violate the second commandment, it would have to:
1. Be an image of some type,
2. We would have to bow to it,
3. We would bow to it in order to serve it,
4. And to serve it as a god, to supersede God.

Note -- clearly to serve it as a god. Anything else is not a violation of the second commandment -- or would you be implying that God was wrong to order the creation of cherubim statues in the template