How can I explain that praying before a statue of Mary doesn't
constitute idolatry?
Full Question
I took my Evangelical friend to Mass with me last weekend, and
after Mass she noticed a woman praying before a statue of Mary. She took the
woman's action as proof that Catholics worship idols. I've given her all the
arguments in your tract "Do Catholics Worship Statues?," but she
still doesn't buy it. How else can I respond?
Answer
Perhaps a little logic will help open some doors. Ask for her
reaction to this comment from a Catholic: "While I was attending a
Protestant service the other day I noticed a woman praying to the Bible!"
What would she say about that characterization? Would she say the Catholic
misconstrued what was going on, that the woman was not praying to the Bible
which she held in her hands with her eyes closed and the Bible pressed to her
heart as she prayed, but to the God who inspired the Bible?
No one would jump to the unwarranted conclusion that this woman
is treating her Bible as an idol. So why would she jump to the unwarranted
conclusion that the woman she saw treated the statue of Mary as an idol? The
same goes for having a picture of a deceased relative on the mantelpiece of her
home. Would any reasonable person accuse her of ancestor worship? Of course
not, so encourage her to use the same logic when she watches Catholics pray.
You might want to read Patrick Madrid’s book, Search and Rescue:
How to Bring Your Family and Friends Into, or Back Into, the Catholic Church.
-Catholic Answer-
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