Quote:
Originally posted by sclitheroe@Oct 24 2005, 11:59 PM
Just for the record, Catholics do not worship icons or other religious symbolism such as statues, although admitedly, to non-Catholic Christians and others, the veneration heaped upon them can often look like it on the outside. Consider them tools for helping people express and visualize their faith in a tangible way.
-Scott
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Wellllll... fair enough I suppose, but, really, I don't think 'idolotry' and what Catholics do is that different. 'Pagans' worship idols not because the idol itself has power, but because the idol is a physical representation of their spiritual beliefs. Heck, a priest will bring a cross and holy water with him to an exorcism, so clearly the actual, physical religious symbol must have some 'real' powers (according to those who believe in exorcisms).
I'm not really sure what makes Catholic 'symbolism' not 'icons' or 'idols'. People even pray to the Virgin Mary and Jesus, specifically.
There are some who even pose the idea that Christianity leans heavily towards polytheism, given the Holy Trinity, multitudes of 'prayable' saints, each with their own special areas of interest and power. It's pretty interesting how our 'monotheism' shares a lot in common w/ 'paganism'.