Question: Why Catholics do ignored the second Commandment about making graven images, bowing down to them and serving them but also rearrange the Biblical order of the Ten Commandments?
Answer: Catholic Church never ignored the second Commandment; it was just simplified just for better understanding and better representation. In fact what was written in the bible was never change, on the 1st place the verses should also have change if the intent where to remove/change the content completely. So the next questions maybe, why need simplification? Actually the simplification was already done by Jews as well, if you read the Commandments of the Jews, the contents is the same except for the arrangements. Why did they simply as well? This is because after all God wasn’t forbidding all images, only just the worshiping of images. If He was forbidding all images, then He breaks His own commandment in Exodus 25:18-20 when He commands the Israelites to “make two cherubim of gold.” There’s also 1 Chronicles 28:18–19 which requires a “golden chariot of the cherubim.” Also on Numbers 21:8-9, where Moses had commanded make a statue of a serpent, so that everyone who looked at the statue would live.
Some might further object; if Catholics do not worship Images or statues then why some of them we see often bowing to them?
Note that bowing is not always worshiping; Bowing is just a gesture of respect. Though bowing can be used as a posture in worship, not all bowing is worship. In Japan, people show respect by bowing in greeting. A person can kneel before a king without worshiping him as a god. In the same way, a Catholic who may kneel in front of a statue while praying isn’t worshiping the statue or even praying to it. If bowing in the front of something is worshiping then any more than person who kneels with a Bible in his hands when praying is worshiping the Bible or praying to it. If bowing in front of something then Joshua already had commented a grave in (Joshua 7:6-7) when he fell flat on the ground before the ark of the covenant when two Cherubim statues on top.
Looking back to Israel time, they were forbidden to make any depictions of God because he had not revealed himself in a visible form. Given the pagan culture surrounding them, the Israelites might have been tempted to worship God in the form of an animal or some natural object. But then later God did reveal himself under visible forms, such as in Daniel 7:9: “As I looked, thrones were placed and one that was Ancient of Days took his seat; his raiment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, its wheels were burning fire.”.
Even the Holy Spirit revealed himself in two visible forms; that of a dove, at the baptism of Jesus (Matt. 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32), and as tongues of fire, on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4). Some uses these images when drawing or painting these biblical episodes and when they wear Holy Spirit lapel pins or place dove emblems on their cars, was this thing the same with what Catholics do?
Then came the Incarnation of Christ his Son; God showed mankind an icon of himself. “He is the image “ikon” of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” Christ is the tangible, divine “icon” of the unseen, infinite God.
The reason why many catholic abandoned the Catholic Church is that they define the word idol by themselves and did not refer to a dictionary. The word IDOL is different from the word ICON “Ikon”.
An IDOL is something worshipped as divine under the mistaken belief that it contains something divine or is itself God. An ICON is an image that reminds us of good people and events, sometimes viewed during prayer. Some particular images have sentimental value within a culture, and a rich history. An ICON is a visual representation, while an IDOL is an object worshipped as god. ICONS are expressions of LOVE, we made them to glorify God, to Honor GOD, while an IDOLS are expression of STUPIDITY. Destroying an ICON/statue is an expression of HATRED to GOD. Destroying an idol is an expression of LOVE on GOD.
Going back to the bible on verse (Matt. 2:11), we read that when the magi were “going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh” Though God did not reveal a form for himself on Mount Horeb, he did reveal one in the house in Bethlehem. When God made the New Covenant with us, he did reveal himself under a visible form in Jesus Christ. For that reason, we can make representations of God in Christ. Christ is even symbolically represented through the Icthus or “fish emblem” some anti-Catholics even see them stick on wind shield of their cars.
Bottom line is that GOD knows all of us, what is inside our heads and hearts. Common sense tells us that, since God has revealed himself in various images, most especially in the incarnate Jesus Christ, it’s not wrong for us to use images of these forms to deepen our knowledge and love of God. That’s why God revealed himself in these visible forms, and that’s why statues and pictures are made of them.
If Making of images are forbidden by GOD then why SOLOMON did made a Temple full of Images and Statues? In fact by this Temple created GOD was pleased and even blessed it. 1 Kings 6; 2 Chronicles 3
IDOLATRY is not all about Worshiping Statues and Images; lets read it straight from Catechism, the Doctrine of the Church.
2112 The first commandment condemns polytheism. It requires man neither to believe in, nor to venerate, other divinities than the one true God. Scripture constantly recalls this rejection of “idols, [of] silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see.” These empty idols make their worshippers empty: “Those who make them are like them; so are all who trust in them.”42 God, however, is the “living God”43 who gives life and intervenes in history.
2113 Idolatry not only refers to false pagan worship. It remains a constant temptation to faith. Idolatry consists in divinizing what is not God. Man commits idolatry whenever he honors and reveres a creature in place of God, whether this be gods or demons (for example, satanism), power, pleasure, race, ancestors, the state, money, etc. Jesus says, “You cannot serve God and mammon.”44 Many martyrs died for not adoring “the Beast”45 refusing even to simulate such worship. Idolatry rejects the unique Lordship of God; it is therefore incompatible with communion with God.46
2114 Human life finds its unity in the adoration of the one God. The commandment to worship the Lord alone integrates man and saves him from an endless disintegration. Idolatry is a perversion of man’s innate religious sense. An idolater is someone who “transfers his indestructible notion of God to anything other than God.”47