Do not keep images do not bow to them
(a) A Catholic will quickly respond, "We don't
worship statues!" Be advised... if you get on your knees to an image or an object and bow before it, you are worshiping it. Aside, we are not to make them or keep them, let alone bow before them. The Catholic church contends that these graven images are "intended to awaken and nourish our faith in the mystery of Christ" which is a transgression against the second commandment:
"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:" -Ex. 20:4
Gen 19:1 And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing [them] rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;
Gen 42:6 And Joseph [was] the governor over the land, [and] he [it was] that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him [with] their faces to the earth.
1 Sam 28:14 He said to her, In what form is he? And she said, An old man comes up, covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground and made obeisance.
1 Kings 1:23- The Prophet Nathan
bows down before king david.
2 Kings 2:15- The sons of the prophets
bow down to Elisha at Jericho.
1 Chron. 21:21- Oranan the Jebusite did
obeisance to king David with his
face to the ground.
Tobit 12:16- Tobiah and Tobit
fell down to the ground in veneration before the angel Raphael.
Judith 14:7- Achior the Ammonite
kneels before Judith venerating her.
Dan. 2:46- The king
fell down on his face paying homage to Daniel, and command a offering be made to him.
Dan. 8:17- Daniel
fell down prostrate in veneration before the angel Gabreil.
We can clearly see that Bowing down, does not always mean worship but veneration and great honor.
Deut.5:9 I have actually asked Aieno not to state this verse because it doesnt say you cannot use statues in worship. It simply states dont worship statues.
"You shall not bow down to them"
means "you shall not worship them" But as I have already shown above not all bowing is worship.
Here in Deut 5:9 God's command is connected to false worship.
Rev. 3:9-
Jesus said people would bow down before the faithful members of the church of Philadelphia. This bowing is a sign og honor to the faithful, not worship.
I hope you have no images of anything on earth perhaps a picture of a fish?
Dont be silly God is saying dont worship any Graven image.
Once again Scorpion you have not done yourself any Justice.
God hates it and continues to command: "Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, which the LORD God hath forbidden thee." -Deut. 4:23
Is it forbidden for Protestants to have Pictures of animals?
Didnt think so. God is simply saying again dont worship them.
God still hates it: "Neither shalt thou set thee up any image; WHICH THE LORD THY GOD HATETH." -Deut. 16:22
Its true we shouldnt worship any statue and thank God we dont.
(b) The Bible tells us you have been "corrupted" and therefore are given to graven images: "Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves...Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of
male or female." -Deut. 4:15-16
Can we still have photos of family? Again you must understand what God is really speaking about. If God didsnt want us to make any image then why would he command Moses to make Statues of Angels? And a Statue of a serpent? God Doesnt want us to worship them, you still havent showed me where we cant use them
in worship.
(c) God forbids the bowing down to statues, which is a common practice in the Catholic church. In the convent I spent many days saying novenas (which is a recitation of prayers and devotion for a special purpose during nine consecutive days), bowing down before a certain statue saying my rosary. The next time you bow down before a statue, remember the following:
"Thou shalt NOT BOW DOWN THYSELF TO THEM, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy am a jealous God..." -Ex. 20:5
Above I have explained the meaning of bowing down. Indeed God doesnt want us to bow down before any pagan Idols.
(d) Bowing down before statues will not awaken and nourish your faith in the mystery of Christ. Rather, behind every graven image is a devil:
"What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing?...the things which the
Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice TO DEVILS, and not to God:
and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils." -1 Cor.10:19-20
What is going on here? Do Catholics sacrifice anything to Idols? I dont think so. God is talking about the Gentiles who used to sacrifice animal/humans to their Pagan Idols.
(e) God says to stay away from idols for your owngood. Everytime you bow down to one, you bow to the kingdom of Satan. This is not a command which the Lord hath given and He despises the practice. He will not share His glory with graven images, Mary worship or "saint" worship. "TURN YE NOT UNTO IDOLS, nor
make to yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God." -Lev. 19:4
As I have explained before we worship no one but God, we honor everyone that is Holy inculding our Mother Mary and the Saints.
Holy Ghost says do not make images
(a)Does this doctrine come from the Bible? No. The Bible clearly states, "NO IMAGES!" Again, the Roman Catholic Church admits it is another
TRADITION. If the Roman Catholic Church also got this tradition from a spirit, it's certainly not the Holy Spirit of the Bible. It is Satan who ALWAYS corrupts and changes the word of God. The spirits of Romanism defy what God has commanded!
Prove it
everything you have quoted refers to pagans who worshipped their pagan GodS.
It is significant that the Catholic religion says that the Holy Spirit guided this practice of images. Anytime someone attributes the work of Satan to the Holy Ghost they blasphemy. Read Matthew 12:22-24 and 31-32--in this passage, the Pharisees said Jesus cast out devils by Beelzebub the prince of the devils when in actuality He cast them out by the Holy Ghost. He told them:
All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. -Matt. 12:31
Thank God we dont blaspheme against the Holy Spirit then!
There is no Scripture to support her tradition. Ask yourself how these idols will awaken and nourish your faith in the mystery of Christ when you are forbidden to make them and bow down to them?
God forbids us to worship them indeed , not all bowing is worship, as I have shown you above.
The only conclusion is that these "MEN" (so-called "holy fathers"), "tradition," and another "spirit" set out to violate God's word. Their idols are nothing. They speak not, hear not, see not, and breathe not. They are nothing and benefit nothing. "The idols of the heathen are silver and
gold, the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not; They have ears, but they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouths. They that make them are like unto them: so is every one that trusteth in them." -Ps.135:15-18
Jesus says men reject the commandment of God that they may keep their own tradition: "Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition." -Mk. 7:9
Can you really bow down in front of a statute or
have them in your home after God has warned us in His word: "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: -Lev.26:1
If you really understood the Bible or took it so litrally then you better not have anything that is a picture of heaven earth or below it. God is talking about the Worship of Idols not the use of them
IN worship, you have yet to show me the verse i have specifically I asked for.
If Bowing is always worship then all the above have commited Idolatry.