Are statues false gods? Are not images graven?
As far back as the 700s, people have challenged the Catholic devotion of statues and holy images (=icons) used during prayer. Opposition to the use of statues and holy images is called iconoclasm. The Church took an official stance on this issue in 787 A.D. at the Council of Nicaea when it declared that the use of statues and holy images WAS NOT a form of idolatry (=idol-worshipping). It is a Catholic practice to honor and venerate holy images and statues. We do not, however, hold these images in the same esteem as the things they represent, neither do we give them the adoration and worship that belongs to the one and only God. This practice does not violate the First Commandment, as some would like to suggest. If you look at various passages within the Old Testament scriptures, you will find that there were instances where God drew people to Himself by using images and statues to heal and to instruct. Take a look at Numbers 21:8; Exodus 25:18-19; or 1 Kings 6 and 7. In other passages
