I can see you do not know what you're talking about. Mary was never deified. Nothing in the New Covenant condemns the religious artwork you speak of, and if you are going to use scriptures from the Old Testament , you'll have to explain why God commanded the Israelites to make a bronze Serpent , and they had to turn to it in order to be healed.
P-A-D, if you know the Bible, then you will know the answers to all the questions you posed here....if you don't know the answers then maybe you are listening to the wrong people.
The command by God to make the copper serpent was done according to God's will, not man's. As punishment for their complaining spirit, God sent serpents into the camps of the unfaithful Israelites. After some showed repentance, he instructed Moses to make the copper serpent and raise it up on a pole so that those who gazed on the serpent would live. (Num 21:4-9; 1Co 10:9)
The Israelites kept that copper serpent but they began to worship it as an idol. King Hezekiah made sweeping reforms in Israel and in 2 Kings 18:4 it describes how he destroyed it because of what the people were doing.
Idolatry is abhorrent to God, which is why it features in the Ten Commandments. Israel were instructed not to "MAKE" images of "anything", let alone worship them. (Ex 20:4,5)
Then you have to explain where you got your authority to decide which Old Testament commands were for Christians ,and which were only for Israel , and why you only follow part of the law not the whole law.
Jesus said he did not come to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it. In introducing the laws under which Christians were to live, he said...
Matt 22:35-40:
"And one of them, versed in the Law, tested him by asking: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 He said to him: “‘You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 The second, like it, is this: ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments the whole Law hangs, and the Prophets."
What do you see there? The "law of love" does not allow for the disciples of Christ to break the commandments of God. What was no longer required of Christian believers was observance of the ceremonial laws, dietary laws an prescribed sacrifices, because all of these things were fulfilled in Jesus. The law of love would still preclude murder, adultery, theft, etc. so the principles of the law still apply. Gentiles were under no obligation to keep the Mosiac Law.
Then you have to find the scriptures that say that the Bible is to be the sole rule of theological truth and that anything not contained in scripture is false.
When Jesus was teaching he often said
"It is written" when referring to the word of God. What was "scripture" to those in the first century, was the OT because this is the only scripture they had up until that time. The teachings of Jesus and the apostles were used for Christian instruction and later became part of
"All scripture" that is "
inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" (2 Tim 3:16, 17 RSVCE)
Since it is God who chooses what is contained in his word, anything outside of that is the word of men. There is nothing from outside the scriptures that is to 'teach us, reprove us, correct us, and to train us'. If there is, please show me where I will find such instruction....or the appointment of men who claim to be on a par with Christ and his apostles, who didn't put themselves in that position. Their words are not God's words.
Jesus said we would know who his real disciples were by their conduct. History is certainly not kind regarding the conduct of the Catholic Church.
Matt 7:15-20:
“Be on the watch for the false prophets who come to you in sheep’s covering, but inside they are ravenous wolves. 16 By their fruits you will recognize them. Never do people gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles, do they? 17 Likewise, every good tree produces fine fruit, but every rotten tree produces worthless fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear worthless fruit, nor can a rotten tree produce fine fruit. 19 Every tree not producing fine fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Really, then, by their fruits you will recognize those men."
Regarding Purgatory, scripture says nothing unclean shall enter Heaven. The Catholic Church's teaching that Souls must be purified before entering Heaven is not a teaching that the Bible States is untrue. Common sense would state otherwise if you truly believe that there is no sin in heaven.
Do you know what the Bible's teaching is on the "soul"? If you did, then you would not even have to wonder about such a thing as purgatory. There is no teaching of an immaterial part of man that leaves the body at death. This is a pagan idea adopted when Greek culture was influential. The Bible's teaching is that the soul is mortal. It dies along with the body. (Ezek 18:4; Eccl 9:5, 10) There is no immortal, immaterial part of man to enter a place like purgatory in the first place.
I know that this is hard to wrap your head around when you have been taught all your life to believe that we don't really die....but that is exactly what God told Adam....NOT that he would go to a place of eternal punishment, but that he would return to where he was before God created him. (Gen 3:19)
Can I ask you where you were before your parents conceived you? Why is it so unthinkable to consider that you might return to that same state of non existence? Why is "sleeping in death" such a bad thing?
Eccl 9:10:
"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going."
"Sheol" is the Hebrew equivalent of the Greek "hades". So there is no activity in hades...no thought, knowledge or wisdom in the place to which we all go....the common grave.
Hades or "hell" as a place of conscious eternal torment is not a Bible teaching.
Yet Jesus promised his disciples everlasting life...how? By a resurrection, which means a return to life from the sleep of death. (John 5:28, 29) If you understand what the resurrection is, you will see what a ridiculous teaching an 'immortal soul' is. Jesus resurrected Lazarus...so where did Jesus say Lazarus was? Read John 11:11-14.
Since your premise in condemning the church is unbiblical, your credibility is destroyed.
I believe that my premise is completely Biblical. It is what makes the whole story of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, logical. Humans were designed to live on earth, not heaven. God already had a huge spiritual family in heaven...millions of them. He designed man to live on earth forever. But along with free will came a few 'bugs' that needed to be ironed out, so God allowed ample time for all things to be tried and tested. What God purposed in the beginning, he will carry out. (Isa 55:11)
By taking a chosen "few" to heaven to rule with Christ in his Kingdom, God ensures that we have the best rulers possible.....those who know what it is like to be human. Even as Jesus was. (Heb 4:15)
I am sorry if you find my posts challenging but please don't close your mind...the truth lurks in unlikely places sometimes. Don't forget who rules this world.....nothing is as it first appears. (1 John 5:19)
