Refuting Catholic defense on so called sacred images

ONE OF THE GREATEST ALIBI:  Ezekiel 41:19 The face of a man was toward the palm tree on one side, and the face of a lion was toward the palm tree on the other side: set forth through all the house round about. (Douay Rheims Version)

Catholic Apologists say that in the temple there was a face of the man, they already concluded that in verse 19 that It is okay to make images of men and soon they pray and kneel down on it.

ANSWERS TO THIS ALIBI:

First refutation: read verse 18. It was written there that every cherub had two faces.

Ezekiel 41:18 And there were cherubims and palm trees wrought, so that a palm tree was between a cherub and a cherub, and every cherub had two faces.

so in verse 19, one of them has face of a man. AND NEVER REALLY AN IMAGE OF A MAN LIKE WHAT WE CAN SEE ON THE CATHOLIC ALTARS.

but look at this Catholic altar, are these cherubs? NO!

Second refutation: This is not part of the Christian era. They should read from the New Testament that Christians made images and bow down and pray to them but where?

Third refutation: The temple mentioned is not a Temple of Christians but of the Jews.

Fourth refutation: God himself said not to bown down on images. God knows that these images will be made by men but not for the purpose of worshipping it by praying and kneeling down on it but as decorations.

Deuteronomy 5:9 Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto 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,

Sixth refutation: You cannot read that these images should be worshipped.

But Catholic Cathechism says to worship the images of Christ, saints and of Mary.

“13. Is the worship of the saints confined to their persons?

 No; it extends also their relics and images…

15. Ought we to worship holy images?

-- We should have, particularly in our churches, images of our lord, as also of the blessed Virgin and the saints, and we should pay them due honor and veneration.”

(Catechism of Christian doctrine, no. 3, p. 87) 

Eduard Syndicus, a Jesuit Priest says:

“Moreover, following other schoolmen, Thomas also showed in a wonderful section of his summa Theologica, his understanding of the irrational element in the cult image and its veneration: When one turns to an image, he says in so far as it is a thing—either a painting or a statue—it deserves the same reverence as Christ himself. ‘Since Christ is worshipped with humble veneration, it follows that his image, too, must be worshipped with (relatively) humble veneration’ ”

(Summa Theol. III, pu. 25, art. 3)(Early Christian Art, p.151)

Seventh refutation: God himself in the Old Testament said that the altar for Him has no images but the Catholic altars have it.

Exodus 20:23 Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.  

Exodus 20:24 An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.

These gods of silver and gold have body parts of human but they cannot see, hear, touch etc.

Psalms 135:15 The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.

Psalms 135:16 They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not;

Psalms 135:17 They have ears, but they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouths.

Psalms 135:18 They that make them are like unto them: so is every one that trusteth in them.

Christians were commanded not to worship the idols but to flee from it. so they should not use images while worshipping God.

1 Corinthians 10:14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.

Idolatry will make them not inherit the Kingdom of God as mentioned in Galatians 5:20-21.

Because Jesus taught them to worship God in Spirit as mentioned in John 4:24.

A Spirit has no form to be seen. They must worship God w/o visual aids like images or pictures.

LAST GREATEST ALIBI: Joshua 7:6 And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.

ANSWERS TO THIS ALIBI:

First refutation: Catholics did not imitate Joshua. they did not fell to the earth before the ark of the LORD.

Second refutation: This is not part of the Christian era. They should read from the New Testament that Jesus or his apostles commanded to make some images and soon fell to the earth upon their faces on those images.


Third refutation: God did not accept Joshua's action in Joshua 7:6.

Joshua 7:10 And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?

Because God knows that He commanded not to bow down on images made by men even the 2 golden cherubs were commanded by God to be created (of course not for the purpose of worshipping it but AS A DECORATION)

Deuteronomy 5:9 Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto 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,

Fourth refutation: There is only one golden ark and sadly you cannot see an Ark of the covenant in the Catholic churches where Catholics bow down on it.

Instead what you can see there are images not of gold and Catholic saints and not 2 golden cherubs in the Ark.

Fifth refutation: God forbade the Israelites to have images near his altar.

Deuteronomy 16:21 Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the LORD thy God, which thou shalt make thee.  

Deuteronomy 16:22 Neither shalt thou set thee up any image; which the LORD thy God hateth.

The reason why God hated Mannasseh for putting an image inside the Temple. Putting an image that God never asked to make like the bronze serpent, images in the Temple of Solomon as mentioned in 1 Kings Chapter 6 and 7 and 2 cherubs on the Ark of the Covenant.

2 Chronicles 33:7 And he set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen before all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever:

2 Chronicles 33:2 But did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, like unto the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.

This is what the Catholics did. they instead make graven images which is abominable to Him. Images which he never commanded to make like the bronze serpent, 2 cherubs in the Ark of the Covenant and Images in the Temple of Solomon as mentioned in 1 Kings Chapter 6 and 7 which you cannot even see in a Catholic church.

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.