On praying before images

According to some Christian churches, having images of Jesus, Mother Mary, saints and angels and using them as a prayer tool goes against the commandment of God (part of the Ten Commandments):

'You shall have no other gods to rival me. You shall not make yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything in heaven above or on earth beneath or in the waters under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them...” Exodus 20:3-5

God’s explanation:

1. These verses are about paganism and idolatry.

   Paganism is "a religion that has many gods or goddesses, considers the earth holy, and does not have a central authority"¹⁰.

   Idolatry is “the worship of a physical object as a God”¹¹. During that time when the ten commandments were given, the Israelites (except for the Levites) worshipped a golden calf.

   Christian churches who use images for praying do not consider nor teach that the image/ statue is God or whoever is depicted (Mother Mary or a saint). Even when an image is said to be miraculous, that image is never considered as “God” Himself or whoever is portrayed.

2. God also pointed out that Moses, to whom the Ten Commandments were given to, was the same person whom He asked to construct the Arc of the Covenant and the menorah (lamp of God).

   “Worship of graven images is harshly condemned throughout the Torah. Jews do not venerate any holy relics or man-made symbols. But in the history of the Jewish people, there was one exception to this rule. One man- made object was considered intrinsically holy - the Ark of the Covenant.

1. Spiritually, the Ark was the manifestation of God's physical presence on earth."¹²”

   So, if the current interpretation of some Christian Churches of this commandment is correct, then God Himself violated His commandment when He asked Moses to construct the Arc of the Covenant.

Question: What is your stand on the veneration of images, especially those that are believed to be miraculous? When I speak of veneration, I mean actions like wiping of handkerchiefs, holding feast of certain images, etc.

God’s answer:

Meaning: God clarifies my question and points that what I am referring to are those that go to the extreme, and calls them “devotees” to particular images and statues. This kind of activity is fanaticism.

God’s statement:

Question: The Catholic Church removed “You shall not make yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything in heaven above or on earth beneath or in the waters under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them...” as part of the Ten Commandments. I guess they did this because the Catholic church do make images of you, Mother Mary, saints and angels. What is your stand/opinion on this?

God’s answer: