Budge, I Have A Question For You?

[Thy Geekdom Come]

Budge, you consistently claim that our actions speak louder than our words. Then you show us images of people kneeling in front of statues. I don't worship my fiancee, but I knelt before her to propose. Was I worshipping her? Clearly not...if you'd heard what I was saying to her as I knelt, and if you knew what my intention was, you wouldn't dream of accusing me of worshipping her. So why, when someone kneels in front of a statue, do you assume that they are offering adoration and intending to worship, when clearly that action does not denote worship apart from words and intentions? You can only say that our actions contradict our words if you have proof that they do. You have no reason to believe that Pope John Paul II, kneeling in front of a statue of Mary, was adoring or intending to adore. The only thing you have is him in front of a statue, making a physical gesture with a wide range of meaning.

Oh, and concerning David and the Ark:

"And David was afraid of the LORD that day, and said, 'How shall the ark of the LORD come to me?'" -2 Samuel 6:9

David did not say, "how shall the Lord come to me?" He said, "how shall the ark of the Lord come to me?" What did he mean by that? Did he want the ark in his house or the Lord? He wanted the ark in his house because he knew that the Lord comes with the ark. In the same way, we seek out signs of God's love in physical form, memorials and statues, because we know that through contemplating over what we see represented, we come to a deeper understanding of God.

[KnightofChrist]

[quote name='Budge' post='1230979' date='Apr 5 2007, 07:26 AM']He was dancing before God.

not before lifeless golden angels that Im sure he just thought of as decoration.[/quote]


Exactly Budge. Exactly. Forgive my tactics, you've played right into my hand. David danced around the ark, but truly danced "before" the Lord. David used the ark in worship, you've explained the catholic understanding perfectly. But as I pointed out if an pope had done the same and you had a picture, you'd be like King Saul’s daughter Michal. It was her resentment and jealousy which lead her to see Davids dancing as in vain. And it is your resentment and jealousy of catholics that leads you to see vain worship of statues, where there is none. Catholics simply worship as David worshiped. We do not worship lifeless statues, just as David with the ark, we believe they are "decoration." To be used in worship but not worshiped.

[Guest T-Bone]