The Use of Images in Worship Defeats God-Given Critical Thinking

The world today is stuck in the foolishness of worshiping graven images. Almost every religion in the world has it especially the major religions. Roman Catholicism and its similar offshoots (the Orthodox churches, Aglipayanism, Byzantine, Coptics to name a few), Taoism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism are among the recognized religions that are involved with the worship of images. They all their usual excuse that, "We are not worshiping the image but the one that is portrayed by the image." As a former Roman Catholic, actions speak louder than words. The worship of images actually defeats common sense like it did in Exodus 32, the story of the golden calf.

The story of the Golden Calf in Exodus 32 showed the stupidity of making idols. Aaron was given in to peer pressure. He should have known better than to make the idol, he even ridiculously told Moses that the calf came out by accident. What they did was that the gold that could have been used for the treasury were wasted on making the abomination called the golden calf. What happened was in Exodus 32:7-10 says:
And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.

The whole festival which they wanted to dedicate to God became a festival of stupidity. Verse 25 in the King James text suggests that the people were naked. Camp cleaning had to be done as the whole ceremony was so evil, it really needed camp cleaning. At least 3,000 people needed to be put to death for whatever gross violations they have done. It was not a pleasant sight. Verses 33-35 has God saying:
And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them.

God is downright serious about using idols for worship. People insist again that using images in worship does not deviate from worshiping God. But the Bible has proven that wrong time and time again. The prophets also had something to say about how the use of images in worship defeats God-given critical thinking.

Isaiah 44:9-18 says:
They that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed. Who hath formed a god, or molten a graven image that is profitable for nothing? Behold, all his fellows shall be ashamed: and the workmen, they are of men: let them all be gathered together, let them stand up; yet they shall fear, and they shall be ashamed together. The smith with the tongs both worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with the strength of his arms: yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth: he drinketh no water, and is faint. The carpenter stretcheth out his rule; he marketh it out with a line; he fitteth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the compass, and maketh it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man; that it may remain in the house. He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the cypress and the oak, which he strengtheneth for himself among the trees of the forest: he planteth an ash, and the rain doth nourish it. Then shall it be for a man to burn: for he will take thereof, and warm himself; yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread; yea, he maketh a god, and worshippeth it; he maketh it a graven image, and falleth down thereto. He burneth part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eateth flesh; he roasteth roast, and is satisfied: yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire: And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god. They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand. And none considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I fall down to the stock of a tree? He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?

The whole idea of the molten image is that it's made from the wood that shuld have been used for fier, is carved into becoming an idol. The very person who claims that he or she is not worshiping the image then says to the same idol he made, "Deliver me for thou art my god." They are in short, worshiping the very image that is worked by men's hands.

In the days of Jeremiah, idolatry was very heavy and it is what brought judgment to Judah. Now Jeremiah 10 is very easily mistaken for Christmas trees but it isn't once you read it into context. Jeremiah 10:3-5 says:
For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good. Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, OLORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might.

Looking at the foolishness of idolatry in the context of the Bible - wood is cut (or today, plaster of Paris or any suitable substitute is used), it is worked by the hands of men. Back then, they decked it with silver and with gold, it has to be fastened with nails to make sure the image would stand still. It has to be carried because it cannot walk. It reminded me of the fact that their gods needed saving. If a Buddhist Temple caught fire, the Buddhist monks would have to rescue their images because the images cannot walk on their own. Another Buddhist festival involved bathing a child god because their idol cannot take a bath by itself.

It just reminded me of how some Roman Catholics who told me that I have incurred the wrath of "Mama Mary" when I abandoned by faith for Biblical Christianity. I could still think of the stupidity of the feast of Black Nazarene where mayhem after mayhem happens. Though they say they are worshiping Jesus through the Black Nazarene image, the whole image was powerless t defend itself. When it fell down, I still hate to think people picked up pieces of that idol. It always causes chaos and one who had sickness ended up going to Hell hoping the idol would heal him. Catholic Faith Defenders may try and defend their foolishness but the truth is, they are defending idolatry. They can go ahead and use the Ark of the Covenant argument but it just goes nowhere.

Bro. Gerry Soliman also has made a distinction between Latria and Dulia that... there is no distinction. Both latria and dulia are both worship. Praying to saints is already giving them dulia and the same goes for praying to Mary. Roman Catholics may go ahead and say they aren't worshiping Mary but a prayer by St. Alphonsus of Liguori states:
Most Holy and Immaculate Virgin! O my Mother! Thou who art the Mother of my Lord, the Queen of the world, the advocate, hope, and refuge of sinners! I, the most wretched among them, now come to thee. I worship thee, great Queen, and give thee thanks for the many favors thou hast bestowed on my in the past; most of all do I thank thee for having saved me from hell, which I had so often deserved. I love thee, Lady most worthy of all love, and, by the love which I bear thee, I promise ever in the future to serve thee, and to do what in me lies to win others to thy love. In thee I put all my trust, all my hope of salvation. Receive me as thy servant, and cover me with the mantle of thy protection, thou who art the Mother of mercy! And since thou hast so much power with God, deliver me from all temptations, or at least obtain for me the grace ever to overcome them. From thee I ask a true love of Jesus Christ, and the grace of a happy death. O my Mother! By thy love for God I beseech thee to be at all times my helper, but above all at the last moment of my life. Leave me not until thou seest me safe in heaven, there for endless ages to bless thee and sing thy praises. Such is my hope. Amen.

The whole idea of Roman Catholicism and its worship (which they deny) of who they call as saints, angels (many of them are fallen angels pretending to be messengers of God) and Mother Mary (which is not the Biblical Mary) defeats common sense when you read the Bible. It's no wonder why I hated to read the Bible until I opened it and realized I was in dead trouble with God. I would call it a Martin Luther experience and I was reading it from a Good News Bible which is a popular Roman Catholic translation. If you read 1 Timothy 2:5 it says EVEN IN THE CATHOLIC BIBLE that there is only one Mediator between God and man, Mary CANNOT be a co-Mediator because there is only one Mediator. I find it crazy why some Roman Catholic apologists say they believe 1 Timothy 2:5 but then they still pray to Mary as a co-Mediator or two, deny praying to Mary but are seen reciting the prayer I just wrote above. It's the logical fallacy of double standard.

If one was to use their critical thinking, one may get shunned for asking, "Father (note that no man should be called father in the spiritual sense, see Matthew 23:9), why do we have to pray to the saints and to Mary if Jesus is the Mediator?" It usually gets one into trouble when one asks critical questions to a Roman Catholic priest or anything that goes against Catholic tradition, you get into trouble. Remember in the days of Jesus, the Pharisees were rejecting God's Word in favor of the teachings of men (Mark 7:8-13). They were defeating common sense with their own traditions, putting artificial restrictions and adding to their own tradition. Today, the biggest group of Pharisees are the Roman Catholic priests and the highest first class Pharisees are the Jesuits! Based on history, the Roman Catholic institution had put to death just anybody who refused to bow down to worship any of their graven images or a piece of bread as something worthy of worship. Catholic Faith Defenders are quick to jump to defend their "Mother Church" but as said, the truth is against them.

It's no wonder why the Dark Ages forbade the people from ever reading the Bible. Only the Roman Catholic Pharisees were allowed to read it and interpret it. People who gave others copies of the Scripture were persecuted and suffered terrible consequences. The Spanish Inquisition ruled without fear. When Martin Luther started the Reformation, the Counter-Reformation soon came out and the most infamous of the persecutors were the Jesuits. The Jesuits would arrange murders to just anyone who went against them even for the most pitiful of reasons (ex. The Jesuit priest didn't get his VIP seat during a party or a person refused to do obeisance to a Jesuit priest in the fruit market) or most of them are very arrogant Pharisees. If people read the Bible, it would be difficult to control them like puppets since the Bible does not call for blind obedience, it calls for discerning obedience.

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