WHY CATHOLICS HAVE IMAGES?

BY CHRISTIAN PILLORA

This is the most debated topic. Why do Catholics have images? Our
Protestant brothers and sisters say that Catholics worship images and they
call the Catholics “pagans” because of it. And they are sticking to Exodus
20:3-5 (also found in Deutronomy 5:6-9)

“20:3 Don’t have other gods before me. 20:4 Do not make yourself a graven image
that is in likeness of anything in heaven, or on the earth beneath, or in
waters under the earth; 20:5 you shall not bow down to them or serve them. For
I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God; for the sin of the fathers when they
rebel against me, I punish the sons, the grandsons and the great-grandsons.”

Well there is no problem here. Because the meaning of “other gods” were
the Greek gods, Roman gods, Baals, and Bathala (Filipino term for god, which
before the Spanish colonization, early Filipinos worship the sun, moon, stars,
rivers, trees, animals and the like.) and those gods are not supposed to make
a graven image of them, because they’re false gods.

And now, what passage in the bible that God instructed his people to
make a graven image? It is in Exodus 25:18.

“25:18 For the two ends of the mercy seat you are to make two golden cherubim of
hammered gold.”

And as we can see, God commanded Moses to make an image of cherubim made
of gold. Well, Protestants will say: “well it is made of Gold, but the images
of the Catholics were made of wood.” Well, in the book of Exodus, God
commanded to make a graven image out of gold. But, does the Bible tell us that
there is also a graven image made of wood? Well, it is a big yes. 1 Kings 6:23

“6:23 In the inner sanctuary, Solomon made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten
cubits high”

Now, as we can see there is also a graven image out of wood. And they
will say: “the Catholics were kneeling in the front of their graven images,
thus, they are worshipping the images.” Actually, kneeling at a place with a
sacred image is called an altar. And kneeling in front of the altar is not
bad, or looking at the images is not bad or touching them, as long as they do
not serve the images as god. Now, I will give you a passage about kneeling the
altar in which the altar has a graven image of cherubim out of wood. 1 Kings
6:23, 8:54.
“6:23 In the inner sanctuary, Solomon made two cherubim of olive wood, each ten
cubits high”

“8:54 When Solomon finished offering all this prayer and entreaty to Yahweh, he
rose from before the altar of Yahweh where he had knelt with hands raised
towards heaven.”

Now this passage also is saying that looking at a graven image, is not
bad at all, as long as they do not worshipped as god.

Numbers 21:8-9

“21:8 and Yahweh said to him, ‘Make a fiery serpent and and set it on a
standard; whoever has been bitten and then looks at it shall live’ 21:9 So Moses
made a bronze serpent and set it on a standard. Whenever a man was bitten, he
looked towards the bronze serpent and he lived.”