I want to understand the Catholic faith so....

[GuessWho]

That was after the 15th century. "It may be a literal interpretation of the Genesis fragment in which God creates humans at his image and a literal interpretation of the concept of Father. If we are an image of God, God might look like a human, not a holy Cow.

Nobody has seen the Father. We have the icon of the Father in Jesus Christ (John 14:9). We are created in the image of Jesus Christ.

If he is a father, he looks like a male human older than Christ. But the official Christian interpretation of the concept of Father is simply a metaphor for the Creator of the universe. And humans as an image of God refers to the essence of humans, not their appearance : God is supposed to have no visual appearance and to be invisible. Furthermore, representing God as an old wrinkly man (an image of weakness) could have been regarded as sinful and a misinterpretation of the Bible: it neglects that the Christian God is immortal and powerful. But choosing to depict God as a healthy delicate man, he would have been confused with Jesus." source

When we say that God is Father we don't refer to a biological father. So, there is no need to represent him as an old man because it makes a lot of people to stumble. I agree with the phrase I put in bold and I underlined.

According to the Christian Church, the first icon of Jesus Christ was not made by human hands. Catholics depict Jesus Christ using their own imagination and in order to "appeal" to the Christians.

Catholic paintings and sculptures are not depicted in order to teach you theology, their main purpose is to please the eye. Technically, they are a work of art but theologically they are very harmful.

 

[KenAllan]

Mary can do nothing for us epostle. Everything we have and everything we will have comes from the Father, not from Mary. Having a statue of Mary is a violation of God's commandments.

What you have done epostle is made Mary your God to Worship and serve.

Exodus 20:4-5
[SUP]4 [/SUP] " You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.
[SUP]5 [/SUP] " You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,

Matthew 4:10
[SUP]10 [/SUP] Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.' "

Matthew 6:24
[SUP]24 [/SUP] "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.


Romans 16:17-18
[SUP]17 [/SUP] Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.
[SUP]18 [/SUP] For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.

We are to avoid the Catholics because they serve their own bellies and not Jesus Christ.

 

[epostle]

WHAT ARE THE ROMAN CATACOMBS?


The catacombs are underground tunnels that were forged out of soft rock. They are long, marrow winding corridors. The dead were buried in the walls on either side. From time to time, going through these corridors, one comes to a wider space like a room. In these rooms the Christians would gather for the sacrifice of the Mass so as to worship free from the pagan’s persecutions.


Burial in the catacombs stopped when the barbarians plundered Rome. The popes removed the relics of the saints and martyrs from the catacombs. The catacombs, once abandoned, were gradually forgotten and not discovered again until the end of the sixteenth century. Most famous of the catacombs is that of St. Callistus, where many of the popes were buried after they were martyred for the faith.

HOWTHE CATACOMBS BEAR WITNESS TO THE TRUE CATHOLIC FAITH TODAY

An authentic Catholic catechism, containing to true Catholic teachings,could be composed from the pictures and inscriptions on the tombs and walls of ancient catacombs of the first three centuries. Pictures,medals, and inscriptions in the catacombs identify the faith of the early Christians with the Catholic faith.

The catacombs prove that the first Christians believed that Jesus Christ is true God and true Man. They also believed in the Real Presence of Jesus in the holy Eucharist, the divine institution of the papacy,the dignity of the mother of God, the intercession of the saints,purgatory, prayers for the deceased.

The emblem of the fish, ichthys, was frequently used in the catacombs. It is a symbol of the Lord Jesus, for the Greek word ichthys means“fish” and its letters are the initials for “Jesus Christ,God’s Son, Savior.” When Christians spoke of “receiving the fish”, they meant to receive Jesus in Holy communion.

Frequently,pictures of our Savior in the catacombs reveal him as the Good Shepherd., carrying the lost sheep on his shoulders. This is theancient biblical form which reveals the same message as our modern devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. A number of people are sitting around a table on which is bread and fish.

Death and resurrection were often in the minds of the early Christians, as indicated by the pictures of Noah and the ark, Jonah and the whale,Daniel in the lions’ den, and the raising of Lazarus. Their faith in resurrection and eternal life gave them courage in facing death under persecution. There is also the famous account of Tarsicius being martyred as he took the holy Eucharist, the bread of life, to Christian prisoners.

The eucharistic sacrifice of the Mass was offered in the catacombs on the altars under which rested the bodies of martyrs. Catholic altars even today have “altar stones” in which the relics of saints and martyrs were placed by bishops when they consecrated the altar stones.

 

[Mec99]

It does not matter about the Eucharist epostle.

What matters the most is your Worship of Mary as your God. As long as the Catholics keep Worshiping Mary as their God they cannot and will not accept any Truth from God. As long as you epostle continue to Worship Mary as your God, your eyes are blinded to the Truth from God by the god of this World.

How can you see the Truth in the Scriptures from God epostle while you continue to Worship Mary as your god? You cannot!

Your eyes have been blinded by the god of this World epostle to accept lies from Catholicism.

2 Corinthians 4:4
[SUP]4 [/SUP] whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

The Light of the Gospel cannot shine on you because the god of this World has blinded you epostle. This is why you cannot see that you are Worshiping Mary as your god.

 

[epostle]

Give it up, Mec. Stupid blind prejudiced people fall for your mantra. I've asked several times for official evidence of mary worship and you haven't provided any. Just prot cult hate propaganda. You win the Iggy Award of the Week.

​

 

[pwrnJC]

Blain...
Catholics do NOT stand alone when it comes to witch hunts by other "CHRISTIANS" lol Yes, I am a CHRISTIAN, first and foremost, but there are other 'religions' out there that are not exactly GOD led, anointed, ordained or inspired...Do you need to see a list? Here is my short one:
Scientologists
Seventh Day Adventists
Latter Day saints
Mormonism
New Agers
Bahai
Wiccan
Tolteca
Voodoo
Zorastrians
Deists
Buddists
Zen
Hindu
Atheist
Satanic Priest (honestly...was a pen pal with one!)
Jehovah Witnesses
what Madonna is lol
Catholicism (in and off itself)

I have personally shared and listened to a follower or two of each of the above, most I have had in my home. For the most part...they are all 'nice' people...honestly. Once they clear my door and I shut it...I am either in tears, because of their indifference and brain washings, or, in one case, turned over documented evidences of things to the police I could not keep private.

 

[Mec99]

Mary Worship.

1. The Hail Mary Prayer.
2. The Rosary.
3. Statues of Mary.
4. Official Catholic Prayers to Mary.
5. Pictures of Catholics, especially Pope John Paul II, bowing down to Statues of Mary.
6. Praying to Mary for early release of family members from Purgatory.

So yes epostle Catholics do Worship Mary as their God.

You can ignore God and His Truths all you want epostle, it does not matter. Its you who will regret it after you die. Its you who will spend Eternity in the Lake of Fire, not me.

I find it appaling that Catholics have so corrupted Christianity with their Worship of Mary. Its no secret the Catholic Church has been know for the evil they have done down through the centuries. Look at Pope Francis, he see's nothing wrong with bringing the Cults into the Catholic Church, Cults like Islam.

God clearly says we are to have nothing to do with those who reject Him. In fact God even tells us not to associate with those who claim to be our brothers in Christ who follow Satan. An example is the Catholics. We are not to associate with them in any way. We are to keep our self pure.

1 Corinthians 5:11
[SUP]11 [/SUP] But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner--not even to eat with such a person.

We are not to keep company with any Catholic. Not even to eat with them. Because Catholics Worship Mary and worshiping Mary makes them an Idolater.

 

[epostle]

Nobody has seen the Father. We have the icon of the Father in Jesus Christ (John 14:9). We are created in the image of Jesus Christ.

When we say that God is Father we don't refer to a biological father. So, there is no need to represent him as an old man because it makes a lot of people to stumble. I agree with the phrase I put in bold and I underlined.

It's called anthropomorphism: ascribing human form or attributes to a being or thing not human, especially to a deity. God chose to reveal himself in visible forms, such as a dove or fire.

In several places in the Bible, God is described as having the physical attributes of man. He “sets [his] face” against evil (Leviticus 20:6); the Lord will make “His face” to shine on you (Numbers 6:25); He “stretched out his hand” (Exodus 7:5; Isaiah 23:11), and God scattered enemies with His strong arm (Psalm 89:10). He “stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth” (Psalm 113:6). He “keeps his eye” on the land (Deuteronomy 11:12), the “eyes of the Lord” are on the righteous (Psalm 34:15), and the earth is His “footstool” (Isaiah 66:1). Do all these verses mean that God literally has eyes, a face, hands and feet? Not necessarily. God is spirit, not flesh and blood, but because we are not spirit, these anthropomorphisms help us to understand God’s nature and actions.

Human emotions are also ascribed to God: He was “sorry” (Genesis 6:6), “jealous” (Exodus 20:5), “moved to pity” (Judges 2:18), and “grieved” over making Saul Israel’s first king (1 Samuel 15:35). We read that the Lord “changed His mind” (Exodus 32:14), “relented” (2 Samuel 24:16), and will “remember” when He sees a rainbow in the sky (Genesis 9:16). God is “angry with the wicked every day” (Psalm 7:11), and He “burned with anger” against Job’s friends (Job 32:5). Most precious to us is God’s love, in which He predestines us to salvation (Ephesians 1:4-5) and because of which He gave His only Son in order to save the world (John 3:16).

Anthropomorphisms can be helpful in enabling us to at least partially comprehend the incomprehensible, know the unknowable, and fathom the unfathomable. But God is God, and we are not, and all of our human expressions are intrinsically inadequate in explaining fully and properly the divine. But human words, emotions, features, and knowledge are all that our Creator provided us, so these are all that we can understand in this earthly world at this time.

Yet anthropomorphisms can be dangerous if we see them as sufficient to portray God in limited human traits and terms, which could unintentionally serve to diminish in our minds His incomparable and incomprehensible power, love, and mercy. Christians are advised to read God’s Word with the realization that He offers a small glimpse of His glory through the only means we can absorb. As much as anthropomorphisms help us picture our loving God, He reminds us in Isaiah 55:8-9: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

A painting that depicts God the Father as an old man with a beard should not be disturbing. It is not intended to be a scripturally accurate depiction of the Father, that is impossible. Such paintings (and I don't like them either) invoke the majesty and infinite age of a loving Father. No one can paint the incomprehensible God, so we use anthropomorphisms as tools to express the incomprehensible.

According to the Christian Church, the first icon of Jesus Christ was not made by human hands.

Yes, Col. 1:15 has always been a teaching of the Catholic Church. The only image of God that Catholics worship is Jesus Christ, who is the "image" (Greek "eikon") of the invisible God. Catholics depict Jesus Christ using their own imagination and in order to "appeal" to the Christians. [/QUOTE] We depict Jesus Christ using the imagination that God gave us and there is nothing wrong with it. Would you classify Protestant art in the same light? Are children's bibles wrong because they have pictures in them? Paintings and sculptures express biblical truths, they "appeal" to the illiterate. They assist in ascending the mind to God, not to the object itself. John Calvin believed that by removing them, people would learn to read the Bible. Right motive, wrong method. It didn't work. The iconoclastic heresy has infected a large part of Protestantism ever since.

Catholic paintings and sculptures are not depicted in order to teach you theology, their main purpose is to please the eye. Technically, they are a work of art but theologically they are very harmful.

That's absurd.

To all who are passionately dedicated
to the search for new “epiphanies” of beauty
so that through their creative work as artists
they may offer these as gifts to the world.
“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good” (Gn 1:31)
​

The artist, image of God the Creator
1. None can sense more deeply than you artists, ingenious creators of beauty that you are, something of the pathos with which God at the dawn of creation looked upon the work of his hands. A glimmer of that feeling has shone so often in your eyes when—like the artists of every age—captivated by the hidden power of sounds and words, colours and shapes, you have admired the work of your inspiration, sensing in it some echo of the mystery of creation with which God, the sole creator of all things, has wished in some way to associate you.


That is why it seems to me that there are no better words than the text of Genesis with which to begin my Letter to you, to whom I feel closely linked by experiences reaching far back in time and which have indelibly marked my life. In writing this Letter, I intend to follow the path of the fruitful dialogue between the Church and artists which has gone on unbroken through two thousand years of history, and which still, at the threshold of the Third Millennium, offers rich promise for the future.


In fact, this dialogue is not dictated merely by historical accident or practical need, but is rooted in the very essence of both religious experience and artistic creativity. The opening page of the Bible presents God as a kind of exemplar of everyone who produces a work: the human craftsman mirrors the image of God as Creator. This relationship is particularly clear in the Polish language because of the lexical link between the words stwórca (creator) and twórca (craftsman).


What is the difference between “creator” and “craftsman”? The one who creates bestows being itself, he brings something out of nothing—ex nihilo sui et subiecti, as the Latin puts it—and this, in the strict sense, is a mode of operation which belongs to the Almighty alone. The craftsman, by contrast, uses something that already exists, to which he gives form and meaning. This is the mode of operation peculiar to man as made in the image of God. In fact, after saying that God created man and woman “in his image” (cf. Gn 1:27), the Bible adds that he entrusted to them the task of dominating the earth (cf. Gn 1:28). This was the last day of creation (cf. Gn 1:28-31). On the previous days, marking as it were the rhythm of the birth of the cosmos, Yahweh had created the universe. Finally he created the human being, the noblest fruit of his design, to whom he subjected the visible world as a vast field in which human inventiveness might assert itself.


God therefore called man into existence, committing to him the craftsman's task. Through his “artistic creativity” man appears more than ever “in the image of God”, and he accomplishes this task above all in shaping the wondrous “material” of his own humanity and then exercising creative dominion over the universe which surrounds him. With loving regard, the divine Artist passes on to the human artist a spark of his own surpassing wisdom, calling him to share in his creative power. Obviously, this is a sharing which leaves intact the infinite distance between the Creator and the creature, as Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa made clear: “Creative art, which it is the soul's good fortune to entertain, is not to be identified with that essential art which is God himself, but is only a communication of it and a share in it”.(1)


That is why artists, the more conscious they are of their “gift”, are led all the more to see themselves and the whole of creation with eyes able to contemplate and give thanks, and to raise to God a hymn of praise. This is the only way for them to come to a full understanding of themselves, their vocation and their mission.


The special vocation of the artist


2. Not all are called to be artists in the specific sense of the term. Yet, as Genesis has it, all men and women are entrusted with the task of crafting their own life: in a certain sense, they are to make of it a work of art, a masterpiece.


It is important to recognize the distinction, but also the connection, between these two aspects of human activity. The distinction is clear. It is one thing for human beings to be the authors of their own acts, with responsibility for their moral value; it is another to be an artist, able, that is, to respond to the demands of art and faithfully to accept art's specific dictates.(2) This is what makes the artist capable of producing objects, but it says nothing as yet of his moral character. We are speaking not of moulding oneself, of forming one's own personality, but simply of actualizing one's productive capacities, giving aesthetic form to ideas conceived in the mind.


The distinction between the moral and artistic aspects is fundamental, but no less important is the connection between them. Each conditions the other in a profound way. In producing a work, artists express themselves to the point where their work becomes a unique disclosure of their own being, of what they are and of how they are what they are. And there are endless examples of this in human history. In shaping a masterpiece, the artist not only summons his work into being, but also in some way reveals his own personality by means of it. For him art offers both a new dimension and an exceptional mode of expression for his spiritual growth. Through his works, the artist speaks to others and communicates with them. The history of art, therefore, is not only a story of works produced but also a story of men and women. Works of art speak of their authors; they enable us to know their inner life, and they reveal the original contribution which artists offer to the history of culture...
read more here

 

[epostle]

Nobody has seen the Father. We have the icon of the Father in Jesus Christ (John 14:9). We are created in the image of Jesus Christ.

When we say that God is Father we don't refer to a biological father. So, there is no need to represent him as an old man because it makes a lot of people to stumble. I agree with the phrase I put in bold and I underlined.

It's called anthropomorphism: ascribing human form or attributes to a being or thing not human, especially to a deity. God chose to reveal himself in visible forms, such as a dove or fire.

In several places in the Bible, God is described as having the physical attributes of man. He “sets [his] face” against evil (Leviticus 20:6); the Lord will make “His face” to shine on you (Numbers 6:25); He “stretched out his hand” (Exodus 7:5; Isaiah 23:11), and God scattered enemies with His strong arm (Psalm 89:10). He “stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth” (Psalm 113:6). He “keeps his eye” on the land (Deuteronomy 11:12), the “eyes of the Lord” are on the righteous (Psalm 34:15), and the earth is His “footstool” (Isaiah 66:1). Do all these verses mean that God literally has eyes, a face, hands and feet? Not necessarily. God is spirit, not flesh and blood, but because we are not spirit, these anthropomorphisms help us to understand God’s nature and actions.

Human emotions are also ascribed to God: He was “sorry” (Genesis 6:6), “jealous” (Exodus 20:5), “moved to pity” (Judges 2:18), and “grieved” over making Saul Israel’s first king (1 Samuel 15:35). We read that the Lord “changed His mind” (Exodus 32:14), “relented” (2 Samuel 24:16), and will “remember” when He sees a rainbow in the sky (Genesis 9:16). God is “angry with the wicked every day” (Psalm 7:11), and He “burned with anger” against Job’s friends (Job 32:5). Most precious to us is God’s love, in which He predestines us to salvation (Ephesians 1:4-5) and because of which He gave His only Son in order to save the world (John 3:16).

Anthropomorphisms can be helpful in enabling us to at least partially comprehend the incomprehensible, know the unknowable, and fathom the unfathomable. But God is God, and we are not, and all of our human expressions are intrinsically inadequate in explaining fully and properly the divine. But human words, art, emotions, features, and knowledge are all that our Creator provided us, so these are all that we can understand in this earthly world at this time.

A painting that depicts God the Father as an old man with a beard should not be disturbing. It is not intended to be a scripturally accurate depiction of the Father, that is impossible. Such paintings (and I don't like them either) invoke the majesty and infinite age of a loving Father. No one can paint the incomprehensible God, so we use anthropomorphisms as tools to express the incomprehensible. Besides, its style long past.

According to the Christian Church, the first icon of Jesus Christ was not made by human hands.

Yes, Col. 1:15 has always been a teaching of the Catholic Church. The only image of God that Catholics worship is Jesus Christ, who is the "image" (Greek "eikon") of the invisible God.

Catholics depict Jesus Christ using their own imagination and in order to "appeal" to the Christians.

We depict Jesus Christ using the imagination that God gave us and there is nothing wrong with it. Would you classify Protestant art in the same light? Are children's bibles wrong because they have pictures in them? Paintings and sculptures express biblical truths, they "appeal" to the illiterate. They assist in ascending the mind to God, not to the object itself. John Calvin believed that by removing alleged distractions, illiterates would learn to read the Bible. Right motive, wrong method. It didn't work. Iconoclasm (destruction or disdain for art) has infected a large part of Protestantism ever since.

Catholic paintings and sculptures are not depicted in order to teach you theology, their main purpose is to please the eye. Technically, they are a work of art but theologically they are very harmful.

Then children should not be given paint or crayons in Sunday school.

To all who are passionately dedicated
to the search for new “epiphanies” of beauty
so that through their creative work as artists
they may offer these as gifts to the world.
“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good” (Gn 1:31)
​

The artist, image of God the Creator
1. None can sense more deeply than you artists, ingenious creators of beauty that you are, something of the pathos with which God at the dawn of creation looked upon the work of his hands. A glimmer of that feeling has shone so often in your eyes when—like the artists of every age—captivated by the hidden power of sounds and words, colours and shapes, you have admired the work of your inspiration, sensing in it some echo of the mystery of creation with which God, the sole creator of all things, has wished in some way to associate you.

That is why it seems to me that there are no better words than the text of Genesis with which to begin my Letter to you, to whom I feel closely linked by experiences reaching far back in time and which have indelibly marked my life. In writing this Letter, I intend to follow the path of the fruitful dialogue between the Church and artists which has gone on unbroken through two thousand years of history, and which still, at the threshold of the Third Millennium, offers rich promise for the future.

In fact, this dialogue is not dictated merely by historical accident or practical need, but is rooted in the very essence of both religious experience and artistic creativity. The opening page of the Bible presents God as a kind of exemplar of everyone who produces a work: the human craftsman mirrors the image of God as Creator. This relationship is particularly clear in the Polish language because of the lexical link between the words stwórca (creator) and twórca (craftsman).

What is the difference between “creator” and “craftsman”? The one who creates bestows being itself, he brings something out of nothing—ex nihilo sui et subiecti, as the Latin puts it—and this, in the strict sense, is a mode of operation which belongs to the Almighty alone. The craftsman, by contrast, uses something that already exists, to which he gives form and meaning. This is the mode of operation peculiar to man as made in the image of God. In fact, after saying that God created man and woman “in his image” (cf. Gn 1:27), the Bible adds that he entrusted to them the task of dominating the earth (cf. Gn 1:28). This was the last day of creation (cf. Gn 1:28-31). On the previous days, marking as it were the rhythm of the birth of the cosmos, Yahweh had created the universe. Finally he created the human being, the noblest fruit of his design, to whom he subjected the visible world as a vast field in which human inventiveness might assert itself.

God therefore called man into existence, committing to him the craftsman's task. Through his “artistic creativity” man appears more than ever “in the image of God”, and he accomplishes this task above all in shaping the wondrous “material” of his own humanity and then exercising creative dominion over the universe which surrounds him. With loving regard, the divine Artist passes on to the human artist a spark of his own surpassing wisdom, calling him to share in his creative power. Obviously, this is a sharing which leaves intact the infinite distance between the Creator and the creature, as Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa made clear: “Creative art, which it is the soul's good fortune to entertain, is not to be identified with that essential art which is God himself, but is only a communication of it and a share in it”.(1)

That is why artists, the more conscious they are of their “gift”, are led all the more to see themselves and the whole of creation with eyes able to contemplate and give thanks, and to raise to God a hymn of praise. This is the only way for them to come to a full understanding of themselves, their vocation and their mission.

The special vocation of the artist

2. Not all are called to be artists in the specific sense of the term. Yet, as Genesis has it, all men and women are entrusted with the task of crafting their own life: in a certain sense, they are to make of it a work of art, a masterpiece.

It is important to recognize the distinction, but also the connection, between these two aspects of human activity. The distinction is clear. It is one thing for human beings to be the authors of their own acts, with responsibility for their moral value; it is another to be an artist, able, that is, to respond to the demands of art and faithfully to accept art's specific dictates.(2) This is what makes the artist capable of producing objects, but it says nothing as yet of his moral character. We are speaking not of moulding oneself, of forming one's own personality, but simply of actualizing one's productive capacities, giving aesthetic form to ideas conceived in the mind.

The distinction between the moral and artistic aspects is fundamental, but no less important is the connection between them. Each conditions the other in a profound way. In producing a work, artists express themselves to the point where their work becomes a unique disclosure of their own being, of what they are and of how they are what they are. And there are endless examples of this in human history. In shaping a masterpiece, the artist not only summons his work into being, but also in some way reveals his own personality by means of it. For him art offers both a new dimension and an exceptional mode of expression for his spiritual growth. Through his works, the artist speaks to others and communicates with them. The history of art, therefore, is not only a story of works produced but also a story of men and women. Works of art speak of their authors; they enable us to know their inner life, and they reveal the original contribution which artists offer to the history of culture...
read more here

 

[Mec99]

Who said that the pictures of Jesus and Mary in the Catholic Church is what Jesus and Mary looked like?

Both Jesus and Mary were Jewish people, not White people. If anything they would have had brown or olive skin colors, not white.

I have no need of any pictures of anyone or anything to Worship God because I worship God in Spirit and Truth.

In my church there are no pictures of Jesus. We do not need any.

The Son of God is the same image as God the Father.

Exodus 20:4
[SUP]4 [/SUP] "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;

We are not to have any Pictures, or statues, or anything to be used in our Worship of God. Unfortunately the Catholics reject the Scriptures from God to justify everything they do.

The second part the Catholics hate totally.

Exodus 20:5
[SUP]5 [/SUP] you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.

Many a Catholic i have personally seen seen bowing down to statues and pictures of Mary. This is a sin that will keep Catholics from Inheriting the Kingdom of God.

Like it or not epostle, Catholics do bow down to these pictures and to the statues, which is a Mortal sin.

 

[Magenta]

It's called anthropomorphism: ascribing human form or attributes to a being or thing not human, especially to a deity. God chose to reveal himself in visible forms, such as a dove or fire.

In several places in the Bible, God is described as having the physical attributes of man. He “sets [his] face” against evil (Leviticus 20:6); the Lord will make “His face” to shine on you (Numbers 6:25); He “stretched out his hand” (Exodus 7:5; Isaiah 23:11), and God scattered enemies with His strong arm (Psalm 89:10). He “stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth” (Psalm 113:6). He “keeps his eye” on the land (Deuteronomy 11:12), the “eyes of the Lord” are on the righteous (Psalm 34:15), and the earth is His “footstool” (Isaiah 66:1). Do all these verses mean that God literally has eyes, a face, hands and feet? Not necessarily. God is spirit, not flesh and blood, but because we are not spirit, these anthropomorphisms help us to understand God’s nature and actions.

Human emotions are also ascribed to God: He was “sorry” (Genesis 6:6), “jealous” (Exodus 20:5), “moved to pity” (Judges 2:18), and “grieved” over making Saul Israel’s first king (1 Samuel 15:35). We read that the Lord “changed His mind” (Exodus 32:14), “relented” (2 Samuel 24:16), and will “remember” when He sees a rainbow in the sky (Genesis 9:16). God is “angry with the wicked every day” (Psalm 7:11), and He “burned with anger” against Job’s friends (Job 32:5). Most precious to us is God’s love, in which He predestines us to salvation (Ephesians 1:4-5) and because of which He gave His only Son in order to save the world (John 3:16).

Anthropomorphisms can be helpful in enabling us to at least partially comprehend the incomprehensible, know the unknowable, and fathom the unfathomable. But God is God, and we are not, and all of our human expressions are intrinsically inadequate in explaining fully and properly the divine. But human words, art, emotions, features, and knowledge are all that our Creator provided us, so these are all that we can understand in this earthly world at this time.

A painting that depicts God the Father as an old man with a beard should not be disturbing. It is not intended to be a scripturally accurate depiction of the Father, that is impossible. Such paintings (and I don't like them either) invoke the majesty and infinite age of a loving Father. No one can paint the incomprehensible God, so we use anthropomorphisms as tools to express the incomprehensible. Besides, its style long past.

Yes, Col. 1:15 has always been a teaching of the Catholic Church. The only image of God that Catholics worship is Jesus Christ, who is the "image" (Greek "eikon") of the invisible God. We depict Jesus Christ using the imagination that God gave us and there is nothing wrong with it. Would you classify Protestant art in the same light? Are children's bibles wrong because they have pictures in them? Paintings and sculptures express biblical truths, they "appeal" to the illiterate. They assist in ascending the mind to God, not to the object itself. John Calvin believed that by removing alleged distractions, illiterates would learn to read the Bible. Right motive, wrong method. It didn't work. Iconoclasm (destruction or disdain for art) has infected a large part of Protestantism ever since.

Then children should not be given paint or crayons in Sunday school.

View attachment 138942


To all who are passionately dedicated
to the search for new “epiphanies” of beauty
so that through their creative work as artists
they may offer these as gifts to the world.
“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good” (Gn 1:31)
​

The artist, image of God the Creator
1. None can sense more deeply than you artists, ingenious creators of beauty that you are, something of the pathos with which God at the dawn of creation looked upon the work of his hands. A glimmer of that feeling has shone so often in your eyes when—like the artists of every age—captivated by the hidden power of sounds and words, colours and shapes, you have admired the work of your inspiration, sensing in it some echo of the mystery of creation with which God, the sole creator of all things, has wished in some way to associate you.

That is why it seems to me that there are no better words than the text of Genesis with which to begin my Letter to you, to whom I feel closely linked by experiences reaching far back in time and which have indelibly marked my life. In writing this Letter, I intend to follow the path of the fruitful dialogue between the Church and artists which has gone on unbroken through two thousand years of history, and which still, at the threshold of the Third Millennium, offers rich promise for the future.

In fact, this dialogue is not dictated merely by historical accident or practical need, but is rooted in the very essence of both religious experience and artistic creativity. The opening page of the Bible presents God as a kind of exemplar of everyone who produces a work: the human craftsman mirrors the image of God as Creator. This relationship is particularly clear in the Polish language because of the lexical link between the words stwórca (creator) and twórca (craftsman).

What is the difference between “creator” and “craftsman”? The one who creates bestows being itself, he brings something out of nothing—ex nihilo sui et subiecti, as the Latin puts it—and this, in the strict sense, is a mode of operation which belongs to the Almighty alone. The craftsman, by contrast, uses something that already exists, to which he gives form and meaning. This is the mode of operation peculiar to man as made in the image of God. In fact, after saying that God created man and woman “in his image” (cf. Gn 1:27), the Bible adds that he entrusted to them the task of dominating the earth (cf. Gn 1:28). This was the last day of creation (cf. Gn 1:28-31). On the previous days, marking as it were the rhythm of the birth of the cosmos, Yahweh had created the universe. Finally he created the human being, the noblest fruit of his design, to whom he subjected the visible world as a vast field in which human inventiveness might assert itself.

God therefore called man into existence, committing to him the craftsman's task. Through his “artistic creativity” man appears more than ever “in the image of God”, and he accomplishes this task above all in shaping the wondrous “material” of his own humanity and then exercising creative dominion over the universe which surrounds him. With loving regard, the divine Artist passes on to the human artist a spark of his own surpassing wisdom, calling him to share in his creative power. Obviously, this is a sharing which leaves intact the infinite distance between the Creator and the creature, as Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa made clear: “Creative art, which it is the soul's good fortune to entertain, is not to be identified with that essential art which is God himself, but is only a communication of it and a share in it”.(1)

That is why artists, the more conscious they are of their “gift”, are led all the more to see themselves and the whole of creation with eyes able to contemplate and give thanks, and to raise to God a hymn of praise. This is the only way for them to come to a full understanding of themselves, their vocation and their mission.

The special vocation of the artist

2. Not all are called to be artists in the specific sense of the term. Yet, as Genesis has it, all men and women are entrusted with the task of crafting their own life: in a certain sense, they are to make of it a work of art, a masterpiece.

It is important to recognize the distinction, but also the connection, between these two aspects of human activity. The distinction is clear. It is one thing for human beings to be the authors of their own acts, with responsibility for their moral value; it is another to be an artist, able, that is, to respond to the demands of art and faithfully to accept art's specific dictates.(2) This is what makes the artist capable of producing objects, but it says nothing as yet of his moral character. We are speaking not of moulding oneself, of forming one's own personality, but simply of actualizing one's productive capacities, giving aesthetic form to ideas conceived in the mind.

The distinction between the moral and artistic aspects is fundamental, but no less important is the connection between them. Each conditions the other in a profound way. In producing a work, artists express themselves to the point where their work becomes a unique disclosure of their own being, of what they are and of how they are what they are. And there are endless examples of this in human history. In shaping a masterpiece, the artist not only summons his work into being, but also in some way reveals his own personality by means of it. For him art offers both a new dimension and an exceptional mode of expression for his spiritual growth. Through his works, the artist speaks to others and communicates with them. The history of art, therefore, is not only a story of works produced but also a story of men and women. Works of art speak of their authors; they enable us to know their inner life, and they reveal the original contribution which artists offer to the history of culture...
read more here

Still with your great walls of text... or not so great...

 

[Magenta]

It's called anthropomorphism: ascribing human form or attributes to a being or thing not human, especially to a deity. God chose to reveal himself in visible forms, such as a dove or fire.

In several places in the Bible, God is described as having the physical attributes of man. He “sets [his] face” against evil (Leviticus 20:6); the Lord will make “His face” to shine on you (Numbers 6:25); He “stretched out his hand” (Exodus 7:5; Isaiah 23:11), and God scattered enemies with His strong arm (Psalm 89:10). He “stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth” (Psalm 113:6). He “keeps his eye” on the land (Deuteronomy 11:12), the “eyes of the Lord” are on the righteous (Psalm 34:15), and the earth is His “footstool” (Isaiah 66:1). Do all these verses mean that God literally has eyes, a face, hands and feet? Not necessarily. God is spirit, not flesh and blood, but because we are not spirit, these anthropomorphisms help us to understand God’s nature and actions.

Human emotions are also ascribed to God: He was “sorry” (Genesis 6:6), “jealous” (Exodus 20:5), “moved to pity” (Judges 2:18), and “grieved” over making Saul Israel’s first king (1 Samuel 15:35). We read that the Lord “changed His mind” (Exodus 32:14), “relented” (2 Samuel 24:16), and will “remember” when He sees a rainbow in the sky (Genesis 9:16). God is “angry with the wicked every day” (Psalm 7:11), and He “burned with anger” against Job’s friends (Job 32:5). Most precious to us is God’s love, in which He predestines us to salvation (Ephesians 1:4-5) and because of which He gave His only Son in order to save the world (John 3:16).

Anthropomorphisms can be helpful in enabling us to at least partially comprehend the incomprehensible, know the unknowable, and fathom the unfathomable. But God is God, and we are not, and all of our human expressions are intrinsically inadequate in explaining fully and properly the divine. But human words, emotions, features, and knowledge are all that our Creator provided us, so these are all that we can understand in this earthly world at this time.

Yet anthropomorphisms can be dangerous if we see them as sufficient to portray God in limited human traits and terms, which could unintentionally serve to diminish in our minds His incomparable and incomprehensible power, love, and mercy. Christians are advised to read God’s Word with the realization that He offers a small glimpse of His glory through the only means we can absorb. As much as anthropomorphisms help us picture our loving God, He reminds us in Isaiah 55:8-9: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

A painting that depicts God the Father as an old man with a beard should not be disturbing. It is not intended to be a scripturally accurate depiction of the Father, that is impossible. Such paintings (and I don't like them either) invoke the majesty and infinite age of a loving Father. No one can paint the incomprehensible God, so we use anthropomorphisms as tools to express the incomprehensible.

Yes, Col. 1:15 has always been a teaching of the Catholic Church. The only image of God that Catholics worship is Jesus Christ, who is the "image" (Greek "eikon") of the invisible God. Catholics depict Jesus Christ using their own imagination and in order to "appeal" to the Christians. We depict Jesus Christ using the imagination that God gave us and there is nothing wrong with it. Would you classify Protestant art in the same light? Are children's bibles wrong because they have pictures in them? Paintings and sculptures express biblical truths, they "appeal" to the illiterate. They assist in ascending the mind to God, not to the object itself. John Calvin believed that by removing them, people would learn to read the Bible. Right motive, wrong method. It didn't work. The iconoclastic heresy has infected a large part of Protestantism ever since.

That's absurd.

To all who are passionately dedicated
to the search for new “epiphanies” of beauty
so that through their creative work as artists
they may offer these as gifts to the world.
“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good” (Gn 1:31)
​

The artist, image of God the Creator
1. None can sense more deeply than you artists, ingenious creators of beauty that you are, something of the pathos with which God at the dawn of creation looked upon the work of his hands. A glimmer of that feeling has shone so often in your eyes when—like the artists of every age—captivated by the hidden power of sounds and words, colours and shapes, you have admired the work of your inspiration, sensing in it some echo of the mystery of creation with which God, the sole creator of all things, has wished in some way to associate you.


That is why it seems to me that there are no better words than the text of Genesis with which to begin my Letter to you, to whom I feel closely linked by experiences reaching far back in time and which have indelibly marked my life. In writing this Letter, I intend to follow the path of the fruitful dialogue between the Church and artists which has gone on unbroken through two thousand years of history, and which still, at the threshold of the Third Millennium, offers rich promise for the future.


In fact, this dialogue is not dictated merely by historical accident or practical need, but is rooted in the very essence of both religious experience and artistic creativity. The opening page of the Bible presents God as a kind of exemplar of everyone who produces a work: the human craftsman mirrors the image of God as Creator. This relationship is particularly clear in the Polish language because of the lexical link between the words stwórca (creator) and twórca (craftsman).


What is the difference between “creator” and “craftsman”? The one who creates bestows being itself, he brings something out of nothing—ex nihilo sui et subiecti, as the Latin puts it—and this, in the strict sense, is a mode of operation which belongs to the Almighty alone. The craftsman, by contrast, uses something that already exists, to which he gives form and meaning. This is the mode of operation peculiar to man as made in the image of God. In fact, after saying that God created man and woman “in his image” (cf. Gn 1:27), the Bible adds that he entrusted to them the task of dominating the earth (cf. Gn 1:28). This was the last day of creation (cf. Gn 1:28-31). On the previous days, marking as it were the rhythm of the birth of the cosmos, Yahweh had created the universe. Finally he created the human being, the noblest fruit of his design, to whom he subjected the visible world as a vast field in which human inventiveness might assert itself.


God therefore called man into existence, committing to him the craftsman's task. Through his “artistic creativity” man appears more than ever “in the image of God”, and he accomplishes this task above all in shaping the wondrous “material” of his own humanity and then exercising creative dominion over the universe which surrounds him. With loving regard, the divine Artist passes on to the human artist a spark of his own surpassing wisdom, calling him to share in his creative power. Obviously, this is a sharing which leaves intact the infinite distance between the Creator and the creature, as Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa made clear: “Creative art, which it is the soul's good fortune to entertain, is not to be identified with that essential art which is God himself, but is only a communication of it and a share in it”.(1)


That is why artists, the more conscious they are of their “gift”, are led all the more to see themselves and the whole of creation with eyes able to contemplate and give thanks, and to raise to God a hymn of praise. This is the only way for them to come to a full understanding of themselves, their vocation and their mission.


The special vocation of the artist


2. Not all are called to be artists in the specific sense of the term. Yet, as Genesis has it, all men and women are entrusted with the task of crafting their own life: in a certain sense, they are to make of it a work of art, a masterpiece.


It is important to recognize the distinction, but also the connection, between these two aspects of human activity. The distinction is clear. It is one thing for human beings to be the authors of their own acts, with responsibility for their moral value; it is another to be an artist, able, that is, to respond to the demands of art and faithfully to accept art's specific dictates.(2) This is what makes the artist capable of producing objects, but it says nothing as yet of his moral character. We are speaking not of moulding oneself, of forming one's own personality, but simply of actualizing one's productive capacities, giving aesthetic form to ideas conceived in the mind.


The distinction between the moral and artistic aspects is fundamental, but no less important is the connection between them. Each conditions the other in a profound way. In producing a work, artists express themselves to the point where their work becomes a unique disclosure of their own being, of what they are and of how they are what they are. And there are endless examples of this in human history. In shaping a masterpiece, the artist not only summons his work into being, but also in some way reveals his own personality by means of it. For him art offers both a new dimension and an exceptional mode of expression for his spiritual growth. Through his works, the artist speaks to others and communicates with them. The history of art, therefore, is not only a story of works produced but also a story of men and women. Works of art speak of their authors; they enable us to know their inner life, and they reveal the original contribution which artists offer to the history of culture...
read more here

How many walls of text will you post on one page?

 

[Mec99]

From his many many words, he still does not know Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.

 

[notuptome]

1Co 1:27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

For the cause of Christ
Roger

 

[epostle]

How many walls of text will you post on one page?

The double post was a mistake. I will try to keep the walls of text down. But it's hard to put complex issues with a development of 2000 years onto a bumper sticker. 5 minutes isn't enough time to edit something. Posting links keeps the volume down, but I know few people read them.

 

[Mec99]

Romans 8:1-2
[SUP]1 [/SUP] There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
[SUP]2 [/SUP] For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
Jesus Christ has set me free from sin and death.

Romans 8:10
[SUP]10 [/SUP] And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

Romans 8:14
[SUP]14 [/SUP] For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

Romans 8:16
[SUP]16 [/SUP] The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God

Romans 8:26
[SUP]26 [/SUP] Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Romans 8:29-30
[SUP]29 [/SUP] For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
[SUP]30 [/SUP] Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

I have been called by God. I have been predestined by God to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I have been predestined by God to enter into Heaven.

Romans 8:31
[SUP]31 [/SUP] What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Romans 8:38-39
[SUP]38 [/SUP] For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,
[SUP]39 [/SUP] nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

NOTHING can separate me from God! Not even the Catholic Church! Not even Satan! No one and nothing can ever stop me from entering into Heaven!

I know for a fact I am entering into Heaven. We Christians do not stop off at Purgatory like the Catholics do. We have an expressway to Heaven that bypasses Purgatory!

 

[KenAllan]

God intercedes for us True Christians. We have no need or use for Mary because we have God who IS greater than Mary who we a sinner.

Romans 8:26-27
[SUP]26 [/SUP] Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
[SUP]27 [/SUP] Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Romans 8:34-36
[SUP]34 [/SUP] Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
[SUP]35 [/SUP] Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
[SUP]36 [/SUP] As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter."

Hebrews 7:25
[SUP]25 [/SUP] Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

 

[Utah]

What KenAllan says:

God intercedes for us True Christians. We have no need or use for Mary because we have God who IS greater than Mary who we a sinner.

Romans 8:26-27
[SUP]26 [/SUP]Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
[SUP]27 [/SUP]Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makesintercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Romans 8:34-36
[SUP]34 [/SUP]Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
[SUP]35 [/SUP]Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
[SUP]36 [/SUP]As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter."

Hebrews 7:25
[SUP]25 [/SUP]Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.


What our Catholic friends read:

Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah . . .

 

[MikeHenderson]

Romans 8:29-30
[SUP]29 [/SUP] For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
[SUP]30 [/SUP] Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

Ephesians 1:3-6
[SUP]3 [/SUP] Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
[SUP]4 [/SUP] just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
[SUP]5 [/SUP] having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
[SUP]6 [/SUP] to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved.

Ephesians 1:11
[SUP]11 [/SUP] In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,

We epostle HAVE been chosen by God. Predestined by God!

 

[Kiss73]

It does not matter about the Eucharist epostle.

What matters the most is your Worship of Mary as your God. As long as the Catholics keep Worshiping Mary as their God they cannot and will not accept any Truth from God. As long as you epostle continue to Worship Mary as your God, your eyes are blinded to the Truth from God by the god of this World.

How can you see the Truth in the Scriptures from God epostle while you continue to Worship Mary as your god? You cannot!

Your eyes have been blinded by the god of this World epostle to accept lies from Catholicism.

2 Corinthians 4:4
[SUP]4 [/SUP] whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

The Light of the Gospel cannot shine on you because the god of this World has blinded you epostle. This is why you cannot see that you are Worshiping Mary as your god.

Please provide any proof that the Catholic church sanctions worship of Mary. You're opinion is not good enough since I sincerely doubt you are a Christian