So, as we have seen/read previously, God was only guiding & protecting the Israelites against corrupting themselves and avoiding the temptation of worshipping images, hence we read: “Hence, be very careful what you do. Since you saw no shape that day at Horeb when Yahweh spoke to you from the heart of fire, see that you do not corrupt yourselves by making an image in the shape of anything whatever: be it statue of man or woman, or animal on the earth, or of any bird that flies in the heavens, or of any reptile that crawls on the ground, or of any fish in the waters under the earth. When you raise your eyes to heaven, when you see the sun, the moon, the stars – the entire array of heaven – do not be tempted to worship them and serve them. Yahweh your God has allotted these to all the other peoples under heaven”. –Deut. 4:15-19.

Much more than the literal issue of making graven image, we should concern ourselves about the true nature of idolatry because idolatry by all standards is the worship of anything other than GOD.

Anything that occupies us other than God, be it money, wealth, work, family, football, music etc., we are creating idols for ourselves to worship. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states “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 honours and reveres a creature or anything in place of God, whether this be gods or demons (for example; Satanism, power, pleasure, race, ancestors, state, money and so on.) – CCC 2113.

Jesus says “You cannot serve God and mammon”. Many Martyrs died for not adoring or worshipping “The beast” refusing even to stimulate such worship. Idolatry rejects the unique Lordship of God. It is therefore incompatible with communion with God. So, how can anyone accuse the Catholic Church of worship or communion with idols?