The Catholic Undertow

Mary Ann Collins, A Former Catholic Nun

Chapter 17

What Is Idolatry?

Throughout the history of Israel, there was a problem of idolatry. Some of the people would worship “foreign gods” (the gods of foreign nations). At times, idolatry was practiced on a large scale. We first see it with the golden calf that Aaron made, while the Israelites were at Mount Sinai. God warned Moses about idolatry. Wide-spread idolatry is described a number of times in the Book of Judges, and it is a recurring theme of the prophets. Following are some examples:

“And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.” (Deuteronomy 31:16)

“And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in...” (Judges 2:17)

“And he [King Manasseh] did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel. For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed: and he reared up altars for Baal, and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel; and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.” (2 Kings 21:2-3; also see verses 4-9)

“And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree: And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger: For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing.” (2 Kings 17:10-12; see verses 1-23)

Most modern westerners don’t overtly worship pagan gods. However, there is more to idolatry than ancient pagan customs. According to Webster’s Dictionary, idolatry also means, “excessive love or veneration for anything.” (Love for God can never be excessive, but love for created things can be.)

Is it idolatry to say that there is no salvation without the Catholic Church? That would mean that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ was not sufficient to save us. Some popes have declared that no person can be saved apart from the Catholic Church. Pope Boniface VIII said that, unless people submit to the Pope, they cannot be saved. Other popes have declared that there is no salvation apart from Mary. Pope Innocent III said that he was the “Foundation of all Christianity.” (You can read these statements online.)[1]

Is it idolatry to sing hymns to the Pope? It is traditional to sing papal hymns. You can buy recordings of them online. One hymn says that the Pope rules over “space and time.” It also says that all the earth, and Heaven, should sing about the glory of the Pope. (You can read it online.)[2]

Is it idolatry to call the Pope “Holy Father”? In the Bible, that term is only used for God. Jesus used it when praying to His heavenly Father. (John 17:11)

Is it idolatry to say that the Pope is “God on earth”? One Pope openly said it. Others implied it. Pope Innocent III said that every Catholic clergyman must obey the Pope, even if the Pope orders him to do something evil, because nobody can judge the Pope. In 1894, Pope Leo XIII said that, as Pope, he held on the earth the place of God Almighty. Pope Pius X ruled from 1903 to 1914. He said that when the Pope speaks, it is Jesus Christ Himself speaking. He also said that the Pope is the one hope for the world. Pope Pius XI reigned from 1922 to 1939. He said that, because he was the Vicar of Christ, he was “God on earth.”[3]

Is it idolatry to venerate Mary and the saints? Catholic Canon Law says that all Catholics should cultivate devotion to Mary, including praying the rosary. (The rosary has ten prayers to Mary for every one prayer to God.) Canon Law also says that church altars are required to have a relic of a saint. (A relic is a part of a saint’s body, or something closely associated with the saint.)[4]

Is it idolatry to venerate “images”? Canon Law says that Catholic churches should have “holy images,” such as statues and pictures, and that Catholics should venerate these images.[5] In contrast, the Bible forbids the veneration of statues or other images. It says:

“Thou shalt not make 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 waters beneath the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them...” (Deuteronomy 5:8-9, emphasis added)

The Infant of Prague is an example of the extent to which veneration of images can be taken. A church in Prague, Czechoslovakia, has a statue of Jesus as an infant. Miracles have been attributed to this statue. Pilgrims come from around the world to venerate it. The statue wears expensive clothing and a gold crown set with jewels. It has 70 different sets of ornate clothing. In 1995, the statue was carried in solemn procession through the streets of Prague. The procession was led by two cardinals. Churches in many countries have replicas of this statue. (You can see pictures online.)[6]

Appendix G has Internet addresses of web pages with many pictures, including devotional practices that honor statues. If you go to these websites, you will see pictures of Pope John Paul II, kneeling before a statue of Mary; a candlelight procession in Fatima, Portugal, where millions of pilgrims follow a statue of Mary; and a ceremony in Cuba, where Pope John Paul II put a gold crown on a statue of Mary and declared that Mary is the Queen of Cuba. You will see pictures of statues that wear expensive clothing and gold crowns. (Sometimes the crowns have real jewels on them.) You will see pictures of statues of Mary that are so large that they dominate the church or chapel in which they are placed. In some cases, the crucifix on the altar is underneath the feet of the statue of Mary.

Is it idolatry to worship consecrated bread? The Catholic Church says that, during Mass, the bread and wine literally turn into the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ. Catholics are taught to bow before the bread and to worship it. According to Catholic Canon Law, Catholics are supposed to worship the Eucharist (consecrated bread and wine) with “supreme adoration.”[7]

I have discussed a number of Catholic doctrines and devotional practices in this chapter. Do some of them involve forms of idolatry? Please ask God to give you His perspective about it.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

When I practiced Mary worship, I didn’t realize that it was worship. I had no idea that it was a form of idolatry. Religious practices can be so familiar that we don’t realize what they really are. Therefore, we need to ask God to show us. We can invite Him to make us aware of any idolatry in our lives, and ask Him to help us deal with it.

Some religious practices--such as novenas, rosaries, chaplets, and litanies--involve the repetition of special verbal formulas. The Bible calls this vain repetition. Jesus told us not to do it. He said: “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.” (Matthew 6:7)

Some religious practices involve objects that are supposed to bring blessings, protection, or a way to get to Heaven. These include holy water, holy oil, blessed salt, relics, statues, pictures, crucifixes, rosaries, chaplets, medals, scapulars, pictures, and other things. These are all ways of trusting in material things instead of trusting Jesus Christ. It is similar to the pagan use of charms and amulets and talismans. We need to get rid of such things.

It is also good to ask God to show us if any such things are hiding. For example, many years after I stopped practicing Mary worship, I discovered that I had some art books with pictures glorifying Mary as the Queen of Heaven. So I got rid of the books.

As Catholics, we trusted in rituals (the sacraments). We trusted “confession” (the “sacrament of reconciliation”) to make us right with God, instead of trusting God’s love for us, and our personal relationship with Him. We trusted the Mass to have Jesus dwell in us (by taking communion) instead of realizing that the presence of Jesus depends on personal relationship, rather than rituals. In addition to sacraments, there were other rituals, such as novenas, litanies, rosaries, and special devotional practices.