• voracitude@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    That’s Catholics specifically, and if you think it’s hypocritical to pray to graven idols then man your mind is gonna blow when you hear what they do to children…

      • voracitude@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Oh, good old whataboutism. All I did was point out that next to rampant and systemic child molestation in the Catholic Church, worshipping the wrong-shaped chunk of whatever seems like small potatoes.

        • HubertManne@kbin.social
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          1 year ago

          not really whataboutism. more like it sounded to me like you where saying it was only catholics and its rampant in all sorts of clergy and youth ministers and such. along with burying and such to.

          • voracitude@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            I was responding to a post that read

            Aren’t Christians the biggest idolaters? They always pray at statues of Mary and other saints. If I remember correctly Mary and all the saints aren’t deities.

            I was correcting the guy that it’s Catholics specifically who worship graven idols, not that it’s only Catholic clergy doing the molesting.

            • HubertManne@kbin.social
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              1 year ago

              sorry. I did see who you responded to but it literally sounded like someone christian who was adding on about catholics so had to put in my sarcastic two cents.

    • AlfredEinstein@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I love all the statues, paintings, and knickknacks. They’re not necessary for prayer, but they can be nice when they’re well done.

      I saw El Greco’s Assumption of the Virgin in Chicago a few weeks ago. It was really stunning.

      • voracitude@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Sure, the art can be beautiful, but I’m not sure of the relevance here? Doesn’t change that people pray to them all the time, in direct contravention of one of the Commandments of their religion, not does it unmolest a single child.

        My personal take is that Jesus was a cool dude with some good ideas, but the majority of people who claim to follow his teachings don’t, and that’s why we are where we’re at.

        • AlfredEinstein@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          The relevance is that conflating idolatry with the majority of Western art over the last two millennia is a little hyperbolic.

          There is a lot of beautiful Catholic art. I understand the Muslim argument against portraying the human form, and they have some beautiful art and architecture.

          But I like Christian art too.

          • voracitude@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            conflating idolatry with the majority of Western art over the last two millennia is a little hyperbolic

            Good thing I didn’t do that, then. I’m referring to the literal prayers to Mary, uttered before literal statues of Mary.

            • AlfredEinstein@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              The statues or paintings (or reproductions) aren’t necessary to the prayers any more than the rosary beads are. I doubt you’ll find many Catholics who would claim the objects held much importance other than being something to look at or hold. The same goes for the candles, incense, and vestments. They’re fun props, but most people understand they’re only that.

              Some people don’t like them, and that’s okay too. I don’t understand the appeal of Southern Baptist services or church buildings.

              • voracitude@lemmy.world
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                1 year ago

                My reading of the text forbids praying to gods other than the One True God or to graven idols, rules which the practices of Catholicism break on the regular. That’s my opinion, based on the text as written, and it’s not changing unless the text does.

                As to the practice itself, I couldn’t give a shit beyond the fact that it makes Catholics who pray to saints hypocrites. If you want to defend it, defend it to your god, but I’m pretty sure he’d prefer the rampant child abuse to be taken care of first.