Because I trust people to tell the truth especially those of a religious persuasion.
So if mosaic priests saw peeps bowing down to idols and the people said they were not really bowing down to the idol then they would be let off? Is there anything in scripture that shows that this consideration would be taken into account?
I've already told you that we don't bow to the statues. But the main point is they worshiped the calf, we don't worship our statues or Crucifixes. The images are there to turn the mind to God and the holy things of faith not to act as an intermediary through which God is worshiped which is what the calf was used for.
IDOLATRY.