index

“Make two cherubim of beaten gold for the two ends of the propitiatory, fastening them so that one cherub springs direct from each end. The cherubim shall have their wings spread out above, covering the propitiatory with them; they shall be turned toward each other, but with their faces looking toward the propitiatory.” [Exodus 25:18-20]

Later, God commands Moses “Make a saraph and mount it on a pole, and if anyone who has been bitten looks at it, he will recover." [Numbers 21:9] God is not only instructing Moses to make a bronze serpent; but to hang it on a pole and get the people to look on it in order to be cured! God certainly would not command man to violate his commands!

So what is God commanding? If you read the next verse you will see what God is commanding: “Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God.” [Exodus 20:5] The command here is obvious - Do not create gods for yourself; do not create for yourself a substitute god.

Not long ago, a Protestant friend of mine admonished me: “’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:’ [Exodus 20:4] You Catholics build statues and bow down and worship them.”

Did God really forbid man from making images? Or does this command mean something else? It is unlikely that God meant that man should never make images of anything. Almost immediately after giving Moses the Ten Commandments, God commands him to build the Ark of the Covenant:

So why do we have statues? Nearly everyone has in their homes pictures of their loved ones. When you look at a picture of your grandparents, do you love the picture or the people in it? Obviously, the picture has called to mind your grandparents and it is they whom you love. Catholics have a very large family called the Mystical Body of Christ. As part of Christ’s Body, we are joined to all other members from every time and place. Statues are intended to call these exemplary members to mind.

But don’t Catholics then pray to the statue? No, we do, however, pray to the saints they represent. But even then, the prayer is not worship. Worship is reserved solely to God. For more information about this, see the article: Why Do Catholics Pray to the Saints.

Why do Catholic Churches Have So Much Art?
Remember that the Catholic Church has been around for nearly two millennia. For all of its history, many, if not a vast majority, of the faithful have been illiterate. Prior to the invention of the printing press, Bibles (indeed all books) were scarce. The faith was then taught not only by preaching but by creating beautiful artwork depicting the truths of the faith. In this way, vast numbers of simple people could learn the stories of the Bible even though they had no access to the Bible and couldn’t read it if they did. Today, even though we can read the Bible, the paintings and sculptures in churches are most beautiful and inspirational. They turn our minds and hearts TO God; not AWAY from Him.