I'll probably get blasted for this, but oh well. Won't be something new for me here.

As I read this post, all I could think of is how beautiful it is when we are allowed to express our worship using the talents that God has given us. Art being a talent, I don't see a problem with using symbols and pictures to represent spiritual truths because if we don't allow people to paint a picture than what are we doing? We allow people to sing in church. We allow people to preach. We allow people to read poetry. How come painting a picture or making a sculpture is such a horrid thing?

I do disagree with praying to those statues and paintings. But a lot of good can come from admiring how someone expressed their spiritual life. Looking at a statue of, for example, St. Francis may remind us that we need to love all and share Christ unashamedly. Or looking at a statue of Mary may remind us that Jesus was pure, born of a virgin. Or looking at a painting depicting a crucifixion may remind us that Jesus actually did go through pain on the cross and that he wasn't just given a spanking and hung on a couple boards and put in a hole.

My point is, maybe we Protestants could learn something from the Catholics besides what not to do. What if the Catholics are right on this matter and Protestants came up with their interpretation of the second commandment as a way to not be Catholic?

So my thought is, maybe we shouldn't be so harsh on using artwork to help us to meditate on Spiritual truths and instead embrace (with moderation) a way to help guide us into meditation that has been long lost in many Protestant circles.