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Christians who kneel and bow before representations of Mary and the saints whom God created for His glory <ref>[http://biblehub.com/isaiah/43-7.htm Isaiah 43:7]</ref> and glorified <ref>Romans 8:30</ref> maintain that these representations are no more than representations, worthy of respect for what and who they represent and symbolize, and dedicated to God. According to what they have been taught, all honor and reverence shown to the representations and symbols of the saints of the Lord detracts in no way from the worship and honor of God who has honored them for their honor of Him, and is referred by the unseen intention of the heart to the person of the saint who honors God and is in heaven praying and worshiping with the adoration of ''latria'' before Him. They say that they are not [[Superstition|superstitiously]] worshiping the images themselves for their own sake as sacred objects ([[Idolatry|idols]]) to be stupidly and unthinkingly worshiped with the adoration of ''latria'', icons and mosaics and frescoes and paintings and glass windows and statues and "holy cards". The [[crucifix]] was shown to the Galatians by Paul to stimulate their reverence for Christ.<ref>See [http://biblehub.com/galatians/3-1.htm multiple versions of Galatians 3:1]</ref> And they have been taught to show devout reverence to the bodily remains of great saints who died for their testimony to Jesus.<ref>Revelation 6:9; 12:11.</ref> "''Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the L<small>ORD</small> looketh upon the heart''"<ref>From 1 Samuel 16:7.</ref> They offer the [[analogy]] of a man or woman or child looking at a picture of their loved one. They do not love the piece of card stock on which it is printed for itself alone, they do not love the electronic device displaying the image as if it is alive, they love the person represented by these things. Yet they also treat with respect the picture they have because of their affection for what it represents, and are saddened if the picture is destroyed, damaged or lost. There are people who go to a cemetery and sit or kneel next to the memorial marker and talk to their departed loved one as if they were able to hear them, even if only as symbolic act of love, and yet are not guilty of committing idolatry with the memorial marker. And some Catholic apologists go so far as to point out as an illustration the fact that if Protestants kneel down in their bedrooms to pray to God, they are not praying toward the object that happens to be in front of them as they pray, even if it is a Bible held in the hands, a cross on the wall, a picture of Jesus, and they would strongly object if someone accused them of committing idolatry by the very act of kneeling down to pray with bowed head in front of anything at all, bedpost, chair, table, desk, telephone, including the carpet on the floor, the window, the ceiling or the wall of the room. (See [[Mockery]].)

Christians who kneel and bow before representations of Mary and the saints whom God created for His glory <ref>[http://biblehub.com/isaiah/43-7.htm Isaiah 43:7]</ref> and glorified <ref>Romans 8:30</ref> maintain that these representations are no more than representations, worthy of respect for what and who they represent and symbolize, and dedicated to God. According to what they have been taught, all honor and reverence shown to the representations and symbols of the saints of the Lord detracts in no way from the worship and honor of God who has honored them for their honor of Him, and is referred by the unseen intention of the heart to the person of the saint who honors God and is in heaven praying and worshiping with the adoration of ''latria'' before Him. They say that they are not [[Superstition|superstitiously]] worshiping the images themselves for their own sake as sacred objects ([[Idolatry|idols]]) to be stupidly and unthinkingly worshiped with the adoration of ''latria'', icons and mosaics and frescoes and paintings and glass windows and statues and "holy cards". The [[crucifix]] was shown to the Galatians by Paul to stimulate their reverence for Christ.<ref>See [http://biblehub.com/galatians/3-1.htm multiple versions of Galatians 3:1]</ref> And they have been taught to show devout reverence to the bodily remains of great saints who died for their testimony to Jesus.<ref>Revelation 6:9; 12:11.</ref> "''Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the L<small>ORD</small> looketh upon the heart''"<ref>From 1 Samuel 16:7.</ref> They offer the [[analogy]] of a man or woman or child looking at a picture of their loved one. They do not love the piece of card stock on which it is printed for itself alone, they do not love the electronic device displaying the image as if it is alive, they love the person represented by these things. Yet they also treat with respect the picture they have because of their affection for what it represents, and are saddened if the picture is destroyed, damaged or lost. There are people who go to a cemetery and sit or kneel next to the memorial marker and talk to their departed loved one as if they were able to hear them, even if only as symbolic act of love, and yet are not guilty of committing idolatry with the memorial marker. And some Catholic apologists go so far as to point out as an illustration the fact that if Protestants kneel down in their bedrooms to pray to God, they are not praying toward the object that happens to be in front of them as they pray, even if it is a Bible held in the hands, a cross on the wall, a picture of Jesus, and they would strongly object if someone accused them of committing idolatry by the very act of kneeling down to pray with bowed head in front of anything at all, bedpost, chair, table, desk, telephone, including the carpet on the floor, the window, the ceiling or the wall of the room. (See [[Mockery]].)

===The appearance of evil in worship: Iconoclasm===

===Avoiding the appearance of evil in worship: Iconoclasm===

Protestants have been taught to "avoid every appearance of evil" <ref>1 Thessalonians 5:22</ref>. This includes the appearance of idolatry. They respond that whether idolatry is intended in the heart or not, idolatry is in fact being committed. The very '''''act''''' of bowing and kneeling before images and representations of God, of any one of the Persons of the Holy [[Trinity]], of Jesus, Mary and the saints—and what many people regard as the "ghoulish" and "loathsome" veneration of bits and pieces and parts (relics) of the dead bodies (corpses) of the saints as sacred remnants of the temple of the Holy Spirit and parts of the body of Christ <ref>[http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/6-19.htm 1 Corinthians 6:19] and [[http://biblhub.com/1_corinthians/12-27.htm 12:27]</ref> —is ''[[ipso facto]]'' of itself, by the very fact of the action itself, seen by them as [[proof]] of an undeniably clear cut '''''act''''' of idolatry and a superstitious worship of the dead,<ref>The Bible condemns the worship of the dead. Deuteronomy 18:9-13; 2 Kings 21:6; 23:24; 1 Chronicles 10:13-14; Isaiah 8:19; 29:4; Luke 16:31. <br>Protestant [[polemic]] against Catholicism represents Catholic and Orthodox devotion to the saints as evidence of the [[Syncretism|syncretistic]] cultivation of pagan idolatry. See the article [https://www.bible-knowledge.com/praying-to-dead-saints/ Praying to Dead Saints (bibleknowledge.com)]. See also [[Great Apostasy]].</ref> which God condemns and abhors as an [[abomination]], whether or not they admit it. This has been the motivation for all the various, recurring campaigns of [[iconoclasm]] throughout history, which was condemned as [[Heresy|heretical]] by the [[Ecumenical council|Seventh Ecumenical Council]]. Catholics respond to the charge of idolatry with the words of Jesus in the Gospel: "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment" John 7:24 (KJV). They say that since they do not intend to commit idolatry, therefore they don't. They claim they have been wrongly judged.<ref>See Revelation 22:11; 1 Peter 2:11-17; Romans 14:1–15:13</ref> See the following articles:

Protestants have been taught to "avoid every appearance of evil" <ref>1 Thessalonians 5:22</ref>. This includes the appearance of idolatry. They respond that whether idolatry is intended in the heart or not, idolatry is in fact being committed. The very '''''act''''' of bowing and kneeling before images and representations of God, of any one of the Persons of the Holy [[Trinity]], of Jesus, Mary and the saints—and what many people regard as the "ghoulish" and "loathsome" veneration of bits and pieces and parts (relics) of the dead bodies (corpses) of the saints as sacred remnants of the temple of the Holy Spirit and parts of the body of Christ <ref>[http://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/6-19.htm 1 Corinthians 6:19] and [[http://biblhub.com/1_corinthians/12-27.htm 12:27]</ref> —is ''[[ipso facto]]'' of itself, by the very fact of the action itself, seen by them as [[proof]] of an undeniably clear cut '''''act''''' of idolatry and a superstitious worship of the dead,<ref>The Bible condemns the worship of the dead. Deuteronomy 18:9-13; 2 Kings 21:6; 23:24; 1 Chronicles 10:13-14; Isaiah 8:19; 29:4; Luke 16:31. <br>Protestant [[polemic]] against Catholicism represents Catholic and Orthodox devotion to the saints as evidence of the [[Syncretism|syncretistic]] cultivation of pagan idolatry. See the article [https://www.bible-knowledge.com/praying-to-dead-saints/ Praying to Dead Saints (bibleknowledge.com)]. See also [[Great Apostasy]].</ref> which God condemns and abhors as an [[abomination]], whether or not they admit it. This has been the motivation for all the various, recurring campaigns of [[iconoclasm]] throughout history, which was condemned as [[Heresy|heretical]] by the [[Ecumenical council|Seventh Ecumenical Council]]. Catholics respond to the charge of idolatry with the words of Jesus in the Gospel: "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment" John 7:24 (KJV). They say that since they do not intend to commit idolatry, therefore they don't. They claim they have been wrongly judged.<ref>See Revelation 22:11; 1 Peter 2:11-17; Romans 14:1–15:13</ref> <ref>See the following articles:

*[https://www.papalencyclicals.net/councils/ecum07.htm Second Council of Nicaea, 787 A.D. (papalencyclicals.net)]

*[https://www.papalencyclicals.net/councils/ecum07.htm Second Council of Nicaea, 787 A.D. (papalencyclicals.net)]

*[https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/the-bible-supports-praying-to-the-saints The Bible supports praying to the saints, Fr. Mitch Pacwa (catholic.com)] ''A point-by-point discussion of and response to Protestant objections''.

*[https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/the-bible-supports-praying-to-the-saints The Bible supports praying to the saints, Fr. Mitch Pacwa (catholic.com)] ''A point-by-point discussion of and response to Protestant objections''.

*[https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Iconoclasm Iconoclasm - New World Encyclopedia (newworldencyclopedia.org)]

*[https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Iconoclasm Iconoclasm - New World Encyclopedia (newworldencyclopedia.org)]

*[https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/relics Relics - Encyclopedia (catholic.com)]

*[https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/relics Relics - Encyclopedia (catholic.com)]

*[https://www.motherteresa.org/09_relics/RELICS.htm Relics - Mother Teresa of Calcutta Center (motherteresa.org)]

*[https://www.motherteresa.org/09_relics/RELICS.htm Relics - Mother Teresa of Calcutta Center (motherteresa.org)]</ref>

==See also==

==See also==