Praying In Front Of Statues

[the lumberjack]

[quote name='qfnol31' date='Jun 24 2004, 01:57 AM'] I just like the Eastern view that they're a window to Heaven.... [/quote]
I'll get to your analogy dUSt...but its posts like these that concern me.

a statue being a window to heaven???

[dUSt]

[quote name='the lumberjack' date='Jun 24 2004, 03:10 AM'] a statue being a window to heaven??? [/quote]
Some would say that the Bible is a window to heaven, but we all know it's not the actual physical Bible, but how that Bible brings us to God. Same concept.

I wear a cross around my neck as a constant reminder of my goal of doing His will. It helps me. The physical helps the spiritual.

God created a physical world. He gave us senses. Why not use [b]all[/b] of our senses for His glory? We see, so we make images that glorify Him. We hear, so we make music that glorifies Him. We taste, so we consume His Body and Blood in remembrance of Him. We smell, so we burn incense as a symbol of our prayers raising up to glorify Him.

God created us as physical beings. If He only wanted us to worship Him mentally, then why give us all these senses? Let's use them all for His glory.

[qfnol31]

[quote name='the lumberjack' date='Jun 24 2004, 03:10 AM'] I'll get to your analogy dUSt...but its posts like these that concern me.

a statue being a window to heaven??? [/quote]
LoL, I say that because obviously we can't see Heaven. In fact, since in Heaven most things are incorporeal, then really we won't be able to "see" it with our eyes until the resurrection of the body. Anyways, I digress. Seeing an image of Jesus crucified, or standing there with His arms outstretched gives me hope that He died for me, and teaches me that He is there, looking over us with a great love guiding us and always with us. It's the closest I believe I can come to seeing His face on Earth, and in that way, it is kind of like a "window." There's a sort of barrier by Heaven being seperated from Earth, almost like a wall, but icons especially offer a way to see both there, and also into the past.

Side note on icon paintings, the original artists, who saw Jesus, painted them and taught all their students the same who in turn taught their students, etc..., so the images really stay about the same throughout history. That's what a true icon is.

[P3chrmd]

[quote]Some would say that the Bible is a window to heaven, but we all know it's not the actual physical Bible, but how that Bible brings us to God. Same concept.

I wear a cross around my neck as a constant reminder of my goal of doing His will. It helps me. The physical helps the spiritual.

God created a physical world. He gave us senses. Why not use all of our senses for His glory? We see, so we make images that glorify Him. We hear, so we make music that glorifies Him. We taste, so we consume His Body and Blood in remembrance of Him. We smell, so we burn incense as a symbol of our prayers raising up to glorify Him.

God created us as physical beings. If He only wanted us to worship Him mentally, then why give us all these senses? Let's use them all for His glory. [/quote]

SO GOOD dUST! AWSOME!!!!!

[crusader1234]

I hope this clears things up a bit:

[quote][b]worship[/b]
\Wor"ship\, v. i. To perform acts of homage or adoration; esp., to perform religious service.

Our fathers worshiped in this mountain; and ye say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. --John iv. 20.

Was it for this I have loved . . . and worshiped in silence? --Longfellow.


Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
[/quote]

[quote][b]venerate[/b]

\Ven"er*ate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Venerated; p. pr. & vb. n. Venerating.] [L. veneratus, p. p. of venerari to venerate; akin to Venus Venus, Skr. van to like, to wish, and E. winsome. See Winsome.] To regard with reverential respect; to honor with mingled respect and awe; to reverence; to revere; as, we venerate parents and elders.

And seemed to venerate the sacred shade. --Dryden.

I do not know a man more to be venerated for uprightness of heart and loftiness of genius. --Sir W. Scott.

Syn: To reverence; revere; adore; respect.


Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
[/quote]

We do not worship the cross, we do not worship the Saints, we do not worship the relics... As Catholics we venerate as a sign of respect due to the symbolism involved with the items we are venerating.