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Catholic Tapestries

since the God of the ot seemed to like statues of angels and tapestries and lovely ornaments it seems God?

agrees with the catholic church in being a beautiful as we can possibly make it. God's church should stand out among all the false churches around calling them the church of christ, and then they appear flat and emtpy with nothing on the altar but a band and microphone, no tabernackle no cruxifix no picture, how empty how sad.

Many times after reiterating the Ten Commandments, God again warned Israel against any form of idolatry. "You shall not make idols for yourselves; neither a carved image nor a sacred pillar shall you rear up for yourselves; nor shall you set up an engraved stone in your land, to bow down to it; for I am the Lord your God" (Leviticus 26:1). God was continually against every form of idol or image used in worship. However, lest some misunderstand. God does not condemn art or sculpture, but rather the setting up of any picture or image or representation "to bow down to it." In the original command in Exodus 20:4–6, God is not condemning every picture and image, but, as the command continues, "you shall not bow down to them nor serve them." So it is the use of art or sculpture as a form of worship or "aid" to worship that God condemns! The real basis of all idolatry is that self-willed, rebellious mankind refuses to surrender himself to worship the true God in the way that He commands! Not really knowing the true God, then, nor having His Spirit, human beings think they need some "aid" or "representation" to help them worship their humanly devised concept of God. The second commandment is not speaking of the worship of an idol, which is forbidden in the first commandment. The second commandment forbids the use of physical "aids" or "helps" in worshiping the invisible God.

A Truly Converted Person Knows God!
No one who really knows God as Father—no one who is living in daily communion with Him—needs a picture or image to help with prayer. If someone thinks he needs this kind of help, it is simply because he has not come to know God—and undoubtedly is not filled with and led by the Holy Spirit of God. In order to worship God in spirit, you must have the Holy Spirit. "Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His" (Romans 8:9). But God gives His Holy Spirit only after genuine repentance and baptism—and only to those who "obey Him" (Acts 2:38; 5:32). Very few men in this day and age have truly surrendered themselves to obey God, to walk with Him, to let Him rule their every thought and word and action. Therefore, they are not actually acquainted with God. He seems far off—unreal—nebulous. They look instead to a physical "reminder" in front of them to help them realize that He exists and is there to hear their prayers!

Thousands of "professing" (the RCC) Christians employ representations or pictures of a so-called Jesus Christ in their worship—and even display them in their homes. What does your Bible say about such pictures? First of all, the second commandment itself obviously prohibits the use of anything that represents God or could easily become an object of worship. Certainly, since Jesus Christ is God (Hebrews 1:8), this would directly prohibit any picture or likeness of His person! In addition, for those who might wish to "reason" or argue about this point, these so-called pictures of Christ have no similarity whatever to the way Jesus Christ really looked! Jesus—when in human flesh—was a Jew (Hebrews 7:14). The features in most of His supposed pictures are obviously not Jewish! As the Word of God, Christ inspired the Apostle Paul to write: "Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him?" (1 Corinthians 11:14). Yet these pictures invariably show a man with long hair, soft feminine features and a sentimental, sanctimonious look in His eyes. This is not the Christ of your Bible!
Actually, Jesus was undoubtedly very masculine in appearance. As a young man, He was a carpenter—working outdoors. And He continued spending most of His time outdoors even during His ministry. So most crucifixes, pictures and images of Jesus are in total opposition to every description given of Him in the sacred Word of God! They give a false impression of the true Jesus Christ in every respect. Jesus’ face must have had a rugged, sunburned appearance. He was not womanish in appearance, but rather had short hair like a man. He did not have beautiful, aristocratic features, but as He inspired Isaiah to describe His human appearance: "He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him" (Isaiah 53:2). As a human being, Jesus was a normal, healthy, perhaps somewhat rugged looking young Jewish carpenter in His early thirties. With earnestness and conviction, He began preaching the message of God’s soon-coming Kingdom or rule over this earth. However, if we think of Jesus’ appearance at all, we should think, in general terms at least, of the way He looks today. He has described this for us in Revelation 1:14–16: "His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes like a flame of fire… and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength." As very God, Jesus’ face now shines with radiance and with power. As a human being, you would not dare to look directly into it! The RCC will claim they do not worship these pictures or images. Perhaps so. But this false picture and false concept of Christ undoubtedly comes into their minds quite often when they think of Christ or pray. These false pictures and statues actually come between them and Christ. They separate the worshiper from Christ! If you use such images or pictures of Christ, you are breaking the second commandment! And you are greatly limiting your concept of the living Christ—who now sits glorified at the right hand of God in heaven with His face shining like the sun in full strength!

One of the most common forms of modern idolatry is making an idol out of one’s church or society. For many people, this world’s society—its dictates, customs and traditions—becomes a literal god. Many people are desperately afraid of doing anything that might be regarded as different or "odd." They feel they must conform to this world and its ways. But God commands: "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Romans 12:2). This command must seem very hard to obey for people who get to thinking that other people must be right in what they think and say and practice. The Bible shows that many people in Jesus’ day failed in their worship, for "they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God" (John 12:43).
If you blindly obey the customs and traditions of your family, your church or society instead of the commands of the word of God, you are guilty of idolatry. That group or institution becomes an idol to you in place of the true God! Even ritual in a church service may become dangerous, for however refined the ritual of some institutions may be, it begins and ends in the physical senses of human man—and is not a valid substitute for the true worship of God "in spirit." The Bible directly describes people of our day as "having a form of godliness, but denying its power" (2 Timothy 3:5).
The true God is the invisible, Eternal Creator and Ruler of the universe. How should you worship Him? He answers: "But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word" (Isaiah 66:2). You must worship God directly—and with a humble and willing heart. You must study God’s Word, willingly be corrected by it, and tremble before its authority over your life! With a heart proven to be submissive through repentance and obedience, you must pray to God in heaven many times each week on your knees and in silent prayer as you go about your daily tasks. You must come to know Him and love Him as your Father. "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3). So you will genuinely love and honor your Creator by living an obedient life based on following the way of the Ten Commandments—just as Jesus did.
As Enoch and Noah and Abraham did, you must learn to "walk with God"—and be in constant and increasing communion and yieldedness to Him throughout every day of your life. Then—guided by His Spirit—you will never even begin to consider using an image or idol or picture as an "aid" to prayer and worship of the great sovereign Ruler of this universe, and your personal Father in heaven!

	Who Will Adore Him? List Price: $21.49 Sale Price: $16.10

	Sarong or Wall Hanging - Guadalupe Sale Price: $20.95
	The Virgin of Guadalupe sarong, batiked with a hand painting technique. Batik is the ancient art of applying hot wax to block an image on fabric, which is then dyed. The wax is removed and only the design remains...

	The Miraculous Draught of Fishes Tapestry after a cartoon by RAPHAEL. A Jigsaw Puzzle. 551 pieces
	The Vatican Collections. The Papacy and Art. 551 pieces measures 18 inches by 24 inches. The Vatican collections. The Papacy and art.

	Heavenly Participation: The Weaving of a Sacramental Tapestry List Price: $20.00 Sale Price: $12.28 Used From: $12.12
	Surveying the barriers that contemporary thinking has erected between the natural and the supernatural, between earth and heaven, Hans Boersma issues a wake-up call for Western Christianity. Both Catholics and evangelicals, he says, have moved too far away from a sacramental mindset, focusing more on the “here-and-now” than on the “then-and-there...

	Unto Us a Child: Abuse and Deception in the Catholic Church List Price: $24.95 Used From: $35.60
	DESCRIPTION: The Alberts, a Kansas family beset by hard times and too many challenges lost seven of their nine children to the state in the late 1940's; the other two died as toddlers. The Catholic Church convinced the family and the state that the best place for the children was in the local orphanage run by the church...

Catholic Christianity $17.95 For the first time in 400 years the Catholic Church has authorized an official universal catechism which instantly became an international best-seller, the Catechism of the Catholic Church . Using this official Catechism, the highly-regarded author and professor Peter Kreeft presents a complete compendium of all the major beliefs of Catholicism written in his readable and concise style. Since the Catechism of the Catholic Church was written for the express purpose of grounding and fostering catechisms based on it for local needs and ordinary readers, Kreeft does just that, offering a thorough summary of Catholic doctrine, morality, and worship in a popular format with less technical language. He presents a systematic, organic synthesis of the essential and fundamental Catholic teachings in the light of the Second Vatican Council and the whole of the Church's Tradition. This book is the most thorough, complete and popular catechetical summary of Catholic belief in print that is based on the universal Catechism. "In Catholic Christianity , Peter Kreeft has taken the core of the Catechism's teaching and has represented it in his pithy and winning style. The result is the best entree to the Catechism yet-and therefore the best entree to the Catholic faith." "Karl Keating Author, What Catholics Really Believe "Peter Kreeft's work is: 1) unfailingly brilliant 2) intellectually agile 3) astonishingly perspicacious 4) gloriously orthodox 5) Chestertonian-ly aphoristic. Buy and read this book, and be instructed and delighted." "Thomas Howard Author, On Being Catholic "As an apologist who speaks at many seminars and conferences across the country I am often asked what book I would recommend for an adult catechetics class. I always find myself recommending three our four books rather than one. No longer. This is the ONE book I've been looking for! Dr. Kreeft gives a summation of our Catholic Faith based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church that is filled with bite-sized morsels of truth and producing a veritable feast of faith!" "Tim Staples Radio Host and Apologist Peter Kreeft, Ph.D., a Professor of Philosophy at Boston College, is a regular contributor to several Catholic publications, and is the best-selling author of over 25 books including Prayer for Beginners, Back to Virtue, A Refutation of Moral Relativism, Heaven the Heart's Deepest Longing, and Fundamentals of the Faith . '

The Courage to Be Catholic $15.95 Bestselling author George Weigel (Witness to Hope: A Biography of John Paul II) argues that the path to genuine Catholic reform does not lie in accommodating the truth to the spirit of the age, but in a renewed commitment to living the fullness of the Catholic faith. Weigel situates the current crisis of sexual abuse and episcopal malfeasance in the context of recent Catholic history. With unflinching honesty, he analyzes the Church's failure to embrace the great spiritual promise of Vatican II, resulting in the steady surrender to liberal culture. Weigel exposes the patterns of dissent entrenched in seminaries, among priests, and the bishops who failed their flocks. He then gives a solid agenda for true reform and holiness.

Christian Spirituality in the Catholic Tradition $19.95 A complete overview and history of Catholic spirituality from the Apostles to the present day. Aumann's excellent and interesting survey of the many spiritual traditions in the Catholic Church shows the wonderful variety of saints and spiritualities that are part of our rich Catholic heritage. '

On Being Catholic $14.95 In his first full-length book since converting to Roman Catholicism over ten years ago, Thomas Howard presents his wonderful, refreshing insights on the "glad tidings" of the deeper meaning of Catholic piety, dogma, spirituality, vision and practice, rendered in his unique style of prose for which he is well-known. The book's chapters take the form of lay meditations on Catholic teaching and practice, opening up in practical and simple terms the richness at work in virtually every detail of Catholic prayer, piety, liturgy and experience. "Tom Howard has done it again. With gentle and compelling wisdom, he shows the Catholic faith for what it is, the grandeur of the biblical gospel and a reflection of the immensity of God's wisdom and grace. On Being Catholic is an apologetic and literary gem." "Scott Hahn, Ph.D. "Would it be brash to say that Thomas Howard is an American counterpart of C.S. Lewis? I think not. Thomas Howard's intelligent, literate and erudite approach to the experience of faith and all of the challenges that faith brings will be enlightening to anyone who takes the Gospel seriously." "Fr. Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R. "Written with the realistic intelligence of a living faith, this book is a refreshing and renewing document. A beautiful book of great relevance and lasting value . . . so truly Catholic it makes one rejoice greatly." " Most Rev. Christoph Sch...nborn "I heartily recommend this inspiring and insightful presentation on being Catholic, particularly as it centers on the Mass. Howard not only captures the substance of each stage in the Eucharistic liturgy, but ties it effectively to heavenly worship with words that sing of beauty in worship. The whole presentation of Catholic belief is set in a striking and inspiring contrast with the bleakness of contemporary culture." " Rev. Michael Scanlan, T.O.R. Thomas Howard , a Professor of English at St. John's Seminary in Brighton, Mass., is the author of numerous books on various Christian themes including Chance or the Dance? and Hallowed Be This House . '

The Joy of Being a Catholic Child $1.5 Explains for children the blessed and unique gifts of their Catholic Faith. Illustrated in full color.

	Unto Us a Child: Abuse and Deception in the Catholic Church List Price: $24.95 Used From: $35.60
	DESCRIPTION: The Alberts, a Kansas family beset by hard times and too many challenges lost seven of their nine children to the state in the late 1940's; the other two died as toddlers. The Catholic Church convinced the family and the state that the best place for the children was in the local orphanage run by the church...

	Heavenly Participation: The Weaving of a Sacramental Tapestry List Price: $20.00 Sale Price: $12.28 Used From: $12.12
	Surveying the barriers that contemporary thinking has erected between the natural and the supernatural, between earth and heaven, Hans Boersma issues a wake-up call for Western Christianity. Both Catholics and evangelicals, he says, have moved too far away from a sacramental mindset, focusing more on the “here-and-now” than on the “then-and-there...