subject for dear Catholics to
read, if you want to know
more about this and other
subjects that are important
to Catholics, then I
suggest you read this
book: 'Understanding
Roman Catholicism'
from Chick Publications.
it. It answers lots of
questions that Catholics
may have about their
Church's traditions and
rules. It is a very
enlightening book! I wish
every precious Catholic
person would read it.
Now, back to the subject
Commandments, God the
Father in heaven
commanded us not to
put any other gods
before Him. In other
words, do not worship
idols or men or false
gods. In other words do
not worship anything or
anyone other than the
God of heaven. God
created men and the
materials that men
make statues and
idols out of (the earth,
rocks, marble, etc.).
God wants us to
worship Him, the
Creator, not the
things or the people
that He created!
Exodus 20:3
Thou shalt have no
Exodus 20:3
Thou shalt have no
other gods before me.
In the second of God’s
In the second of God’s
Ten Commandments, He
commanded us to not
worship any “graven
images”. A ‘graven
image’ is an idol or an
image carved out of
wood, stone, plaster,
marble, plastic or
similar materials. God
also commanded that
we should not bow
down to, nor serve
these images. Serving
them would be praying
to them, burning
incense to them, etc.
Exodus
20:4 Thou shalt not
Exodus
20:4 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:
20:5 Thou 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;
Leviticus 26:1
Ye shall make you no
idols nor graven image,
neither rear you up a
standing image, neither
shall ye set up any
image of stone in your
land, to bow down
unto it: for I am the
LORD your God.
In verse 16 below God
In verse 16 below God
warns us not to make a
“similitude” (picture,
painting, or statue, etc.)
of any person (living or
dead).
In verses 17 through 19
In verses 17 through 19
God also says that we
should not make
ourselves likenesses
of things He created:
animals, birds, fish,
etc., nor the sun,
moon, or stars,
nor worship or
serve them.
Deuteronomy
4:16 Lest ye corrupt
Deuteronomy
4:16 Lest ye corrupt
yourselves, and make
you a graven image,
the similitude of any
figure, the likeness of
male or female,
4:17 The likeness of any
4:17 The likeness of any
beast that is on the earth,
the likeness of any
winged fowl that flieth in
the air,
4:18 The likeness of any
4:18 The likeness of any
thing that creepeth on
the ground, the likeness
of any fish that is in the
waters beneath the earth:
4:19 And lest thou lift up
4:19 And lest thou lift up
thine eyes unto heaven,
and when thou seest the
sun, and the moon, and
the stars, even all the
host of heaven, shouldest
be driven to worship
them, and serve them,
which the LORD thy God
hath divided unto all
nations under the whole
heaven.
In the Old Testament there
In the Old Testament there
are over 200 verses about
different kinds of gods
people worshiped, other
than the Living God of
the Bible whose throne
is in heaven. Many of
those verses tell us that
these gods (idols,
pictures, icons, or
statues) provoked
God to anger! God
doesn’t want us
worshiping people
(dead or living),
animals, nature, the
sun, moon or stars,
because He created all
of us and all of them!
Colossians 1:16
For by him were all things
created, that are in heaven,
and that are in earth,
visible and invisible,
whether they be thrones,
or dominions, or
principalities, or powers:
all things were created
by him, and for him:
Some people worship or pray
Some people worship or pray
to dead people; but the
Bible tells us that after we
die, then there is the
judgment! So dead
people cannot help
you.
Hebrews 9:27
And as it is appointed
unto men once to die, but
after this the judgment:
Also, God says that all of us
Also, God says that all of us
human beings are sinners
and that there is not one
that is righteous. So,
human beings are not
to be worshiped, only
the Living God of the
Bible!
Romans 3:10
As it is written, There is
Romans 3:10
As it is written, There is
none righteous, no, not
one:
Romans 3:23
For all have sinned, and
Romans 3:23
For all have sinned, and
come short of the glory of
God;
Romans 5:12
Wherefore, as by one man
Romans 5:12
Wherefore, as by one man
[Adam] sin entered into the
world, and death by sin;
and so death passed upon
all men, for that all have
sinned:
God also doesn’t want us
God also doesn’t want us
worshiping non-living
man-made things, i.e.,
idols, statues, icons,
pictures, or shrouds
because those things
cannot help you because
they have no life in them!
God wants us to direct
our prayers and worship
toward Him, the Living
Creator who loves us and
made each one of us
especially for Himself!
Psalms
115:4 Their idols are silver
Psalms
115:4 Their idols are silver
and gold, the work of
men's hands.
115:5 They have mouths,
115:5 They have mouths,
but they speak not: eyes
have they, but they see not:
115:6 They have ears, but
115:6 They have ears, but
they hear not: noses have
they, but they smell not:
115:7 They have hands,
115:7 They have hands,
but they handle not: feet
have they, but they walk
not: neither speak they
through their throat.
115:8 They that make
115:8 They that make
them are like unto them;
so is every one that
trusteth in them.
Deuteronomy 27:15
Cursed be the man that
Deuteronomy 27:15
Cursed be the man that
maketh any graven or
molten image, an
abomination unto
the LORD, the work
of the hands of the
craftsman, and putteth
it in a secret place. And
all the people shall
answer and say, Amen.
Deuteronomy 32:16
They provoked him [God]
Deuteronomy 32:16
They provoked him [God]
to jealousy with strange
gods, with abominations
provoked they him to
anger.
Jeremiah 10:11
Thus shall ye say unto them,
Jeremiah 10:11
Thus shall ye say unto them,
The gods that have not
made the heavens and
the earth, even they
shall perish from the
earth, and from under
these heavens.
God reminds us in this
God reminds us in this
next verse that ‘gods’ (i.e.,
statues, icons, images,
paintings, shrouds, etc.)
are made with the “work
of men’s hands”,
meaning they are not
alive, and cannot do
anything to help you!
Deuteronomy 4:28
And there ye shall serve
Deuteronomy 4:28
And there ye shall serve
gods, the work of men's
hands, wood and stone,
which neither see, nor
hear, nor eat, nor smell.
God hates idolatry
God hates idolatry
(worshiping any object
or person above Himself).
It is an abomination to
Him! The definition of
‘abomination’ is ‘an
object of extreme
hatred’.
Deuteronomy 7:25
The graven images of their
Deuteronomy 7:25
The graven images of their
gods shall ye burn with fire:
thou shalt not desire the
silver or gold that is on
them, nor take it unto
thee, lest thou be
snared therein: for
it is an abomination
to the LORD thy God.
1 Chronicles 16:26
For all the gods of the
1 Chronicles 16:26
For all the gods of the
people are idols: but
the LORD made the
heavens.
God does not take it lightly
God does not take it lightly
when we worship other
'gods' or idols. A god can
be anything that we hold
in higher esteem, and
devote more time,
attention, and worship
to than we do to the
Living God of the Bible
who is in heaven! That
idol could be TV,
social media, a person,
our looks, our job, our
fame, our fortune, etc.
Jeremiah 1:16
And I will utter my
Jeremiah 1:16
And I will utter my
judgments against them
touching all their
wickedness, who have
forsaken me, and have
burned incense unto
other gods, and
worshipped the works
of their own hands.