Do Catholics Worship Icons? Let's Clear This Up...

Protestants Say This All the Time…

“Y’all Catholics out here bowing to statues and kissing paintings… isn’t that idolatry?!”

They toss this out like it’s a mic drop, like they’ve finally caught the folks in the Church Christ Himself founded breaking the first commandment. But let’s pause. Breathe. And look at Scripture, history, and a little thing called context.

Worship Belongs to God Alone

Let’s set the record straight: Catholics don’t worship statues. Or icons. Or stained glass. Or Grandma’s 70s rosary.

We worship God alone, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:13; Matthew 4:10)

What Protestants are seeing is something different: veneration, a deep respect or honor for what points us to God. Like this:

Action	Who Gets It?	Biblical?
Worship (latria)	God alone	“Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.” (Matt 4:10)
Veneration (dulia)	Saints, sacred images	“Give honor to whom honor is due.” (Romans 13:7)

Catholics aren’t confused about the difference.

📖 “But The Ten Commandments Say No Graven Images!”

Exodus 20:4-5 says:

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image… you shall not bow down to them or serve them.”

But hold up. Context is everything. This commandment forbids making images to worship them as gods. It’s about idolatry, not art. Five chapters later, God Himself commands:

“Make two golden cherubim for the Ark of the Covenant.” (Exodus 25:18)

So… are golden angel statues okay or nah?

And Solomon’s Temple? FULL of carved angels, palm trees, and flowers (1 Kings 6:29). Even the bronze serpent in Numbers 21:8-9 was God’s idea. It pointed to Christ (John 3:14).

God’s issue wasn’t art. It was people worshiping art.

So Why Do Catholics Kneel Before Statues?

Let’s use an analogy Protestants understand: A soldier overseas kisses a photo of his wife. Is he worshiping the photo? No. He’s showing love for the person it represents.

Same with Catholics. Kneeling before a crucifix isn’t about worshiping wood; it’s about loving the One who died on it.

The Second Council of Nicaea (787 A.D.) said:

“The honor paid to the image passes to its prototype; whoever venerates an image venerates the person depicted in it.”

But Isn’t Jesus Enough? Why Use Images?

Of course, Jesus is enough. But God made humans embodied, and we learn through sight, sound, and touch. That’s why He gave Israel physical signs (the ark, altars, oil, and incense).

And when Jesus became human (John 1:14), the invisible God took on a face.

St. Paul wrote:

“He is the image (Greek: eikon) of the invisible God.” (Colossians 1:15)

If God could take on flesh, why can’t we depict Him?

Receipts Protestants Can’t Ignore

✔️ Worship = God alone (Matthew 4:10)

✔️ God commanded sacred art (Exodus 25:18; 1 Kings 6:29)

✔️ Early Christians used icons and sacred images in the catacombs

✔️ The Church clarified this at the Second Council of Nicaea (787 A.D.)

✔️ Sacred images don’t compete with God; they point to Him

Final Word: Icons Aren’t Idols. They’re Windows.

We’re not worshiping stone. We’re lifting our hearts to the Living God, surrounded by the great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1).

So no, Protestants. This isn’t some gotcha moment. Perhaps read a little church history before citing Exodus 20.

Works Cited

CARM.org. “Quotes from the Seventh Ecumenical Council (Second Nicaea).” Accessed July 2025. https://carm.org.

Catholic Stand. “A Biblical Defense of Religious Images.” Accessed July 2025. https://catholicstand.com.

GotQuestions.org. “Is Religious Iconography Considered Idolatry?” Accessed July 2025. https://gotquestions.org.

New Advent. “Second Council of Nicaea.” Accessed July 2025. https://newadvent.org.

Ortlund, Gavin. “Gavin Ortlund on Icons (Rebutted).” Catholic Answers, 2023. https://catholic.com.

Street Evangelization. “Why Protestants Believe Catholics Worship Statues.” Accessed July 2025. https://streetevangelization.com.

Ad Fontes Journal. “Nicaea II: Protestants and Icons.” Accessed July 2025. https://adfontesjournal.com.

Northam Anglican. “Reformation Anglicanism and Nicaea II.” Accessed July 2025. https://northamanglican.com.

Orthodox Christian Theology. “Nicea II: Some Responses to Criticisms.” Accessed July 2025. https://orthodoxchristiantheology.com.

PubMed. “God Imagery in Inpatient Spiritual Program.” Accessed July 2025. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.

PMC. “Attachment to God and Psychological Distress.” Accessed July 2025. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.

Frontiers in Psychology. “The Neurobiology of Spiritual Practices.” Accessed July 2025. https://frontiersin.org.

Wired. “Psychologists Are Learning What Religion Has Known for Years.” Accessed July 2025. https://wired.com.

Verywell Mind. “Transpersonal Psychology.” Accessed July 2025. https://verywellmind.com.

Divine Mercy University. “Spirituality and Psychology: How They Help Each Other.” Accessed July 2025. https://divinemercy.edu.

Fetzer Institute. “Eliciting Images of Spirituality.” Accessed July 2025. https://fetzer.org.