It is still nothing more than shaped brass. Break it apart and you will find brass. Nothing more. No deity hiding inside.
Take a doll, place a veil on it and proclaim it a religious statue, and someone will soon light a candle in front of it.
Now take a Barbie doll, place a veil on it proclaim it a religious icon and again, someone will light a candle and kneel before it.
Again, it gives the APPEARANCE of idolatry.
I often wonder, when Cortez forbade the worships of Aztec gods because it was Idolatry, then set up a small statue of the Madonna between them, and fell down before it in veneration, not worship, what did the Aztecs think?
“He worships his goddess, but we can’t worship our goddess”?
Again, just where is that fine line between honor (veneration) and worship of a statue?
Should all pictures, statues, tee shirts, etc. depicting Jesus be forbidden ?
You were wrong about St. Paul not being bothered about the idols in Athens. The fact that you go on and on as if you had not made such an obvious and telling error just reinforces the well earned reputation of anti-Catholics.
Of course that is what the Aztecs thought, or what a Hindu or any other idol worshipper would think. From external appearances alone, with the bowing, praying, making offerings of candles/incense, building shrines, etc, the two practices are indistinguishable.