Do Catholics worship idols / practice idolatry?

Answer: Sadly, our Catholic friends and family members have been indoctrinated to believe that the use of statues, relics, and other articles is acceptable and even necessary for worship. They have been taught by the Roman Catholic Church that the images and icons used in the church are not actually “worshiped” but are simply “visual aids” to worship.

The Catholic Church long ago began making allowances for the idolatrous use of images by the way they reference the Ten Commandments. In the Catholic catechism and in most official Catholic documents, the first and second commandments are combined and then summarized with “I am the Lord your God. You shall not have other gods beside Me.” Suspiciously absent is what comprises the second commandment in the Protestant numbering of the Ten Commandments: “You shall not make any graven images.”
While it is understandable for “you shall not make any graven images” to be considered an aspect of “you shall not have other gods beside me,” based on the history of idolatry involving graven images throughout biblical and extra-biblical history, it seems unwise to not include “you shall not make any graven images” in every listing of the Ten Commandments. The omission seems especially suspicious in light of the fact that the Roman Catholic Church has long been accused of the idolatrous use of graven images.
There are good reasons for not using images in worship. First of all, the use of physical images to “aid” worship violates the command to worship God “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24). Also, no one knows what God looks like, and John 1:18 is clear concerning this truth: “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.” And, because God is Spirit (John 4:24a), it is irreverent to delineate Him as an iconic representation. No one alive knows what Jesus Christ looked like in the flesh, and, since there were no cameras when He walked the earth, the only description of His appearance is found in Isaiah 53:2-3, which says that He had “no stately form or majesty.”
The lack of a physical description of Christ has not stopped the Catholic Church from depicting Him. Throughout Catholic churches, institutions, convents, monasteries, and every other Catholic-affiliated building and shrine, there are paintings of God the Father, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Mary, Joseph, and a myriad of canonized saints. There are statues in abundance; there are relics, such as bone fragments, said to have belonged to certain saints. Some shrines even contain pieces of wood purported to be part of Jesus’ cross. All of these things are held to be sacred objects worthy of high regard. The idolatry is rampant and fairly obvious to non-Catholics, yet Catholics do not believe they are committing idolatry. They have been cleverly taught to believe that they do not worship these idols; they simply “venerate” them. The problem is that “veneration” still gives honor and reverence to something and/or someone other than God; therefore, veneration is idolatry.
Yes, Catholics do practice a form of idolatry, in violation of God’s command. The best way to reach our Catholic friends with the gospel of grace is to pray that the Holy Spirit will draw them and that they will respond to the Spirit’s leading. Their eyes and hearts are blinded by the false teaching they are continually hearing, and, until they begin to seek the truth, we must leave it in God’s capable hands. As we pray, we must keep loving them and trust that God will prepare the soil of their hearts (Luke 8:11-15). Never give up hope; the Holy Spirit does miracles every day.
https://www.gotquestions.org/Catholic-idolatry.html

How to Survive a Norwegian Airlines Flight.

By Ashley Hubbard

When I made the decision to come back home early, I started looking at flights.  If I had known my return date, I would have booked a round trip flight.  Obviously, I did not though so I had to book another one way flight which proved to not be the cheapest option.  Until I ran across a Norwegian Airlines flight in the searches.  It was half the cost, but would basically double my travel time.  A 13 hour flight to Norway, then a 10 hour flight to Ft Lauderdale where I would then switch airlines to get to Chicago.

I was willing to sacrific my sanity though to save 400 bucks.  I had never heard anything about Norwegian Airlines but I love everything about Norway so just assumed I’d love it too.  Until, I started reading reviews AFTER I booked the flight.  Because I read these reviews, I prepared myself.

Others may not realize all the little idiosyncracies of this airlines though and so I thought I’d write this handy-dandy guide.

ONLY HERE FOR ONE THING?

1. BRING SOME VERSION OF A BLANKET.

I’ve never been on an international flight that didn’t provide blankets and pillows.  Of course, they aren’t the best blankets and pillows.  But, they are there.  Not on Norwegian Airlines though. You can BUY a blanket and a crap one at that.  And, trust me when I say that they keep the flight FREEZING COLD so you would give up your right arm for a blanket.

So, to save yourself from buying one, bring layers first of all. Then a scarf, a sarong, gloves, a hat…okay maybe that’s a bit crazy. But, I will say I had a lightweight jacket, a scarf, and a sarong and I was pretty cold still but I’m always cold.

2. BUY SNACKS AND DRINKS BEFORE BOARDING.

This is the only time I would actually say that airport food is cheaper.  You do NOT get a meal OR snack OR even water with Norwegian Airlines.  Not for free at least.  You can either pre-pay when you get your tickets and get a hot meal.  If you don’t pre-pay, a hot meal isn’t even an option once on board.

You then can only get snacks and drinks but ONLY during a small window of time – like 30 minutes a few different times during the flight.

In addition, my neighbor did get one of these snack items which had chicken in it.  After purchasing it through the menu on your in-seat screen, they then came by and said they don’t have that item.  That she can have something similar with beef in it.

So, my advice would be to buy whatever it is you actually want to eat in the airport to take on the flight.  I did this before the first flight (Bangkok – Norway) then ate a meal in the Norway airport and then bought snacks for the 2nd flight (Norway – Florida).  Others would maybe just rather pay for each item in flight but I’d rather not when the food isn’t even what I want anyway.

3. BRING YOUR OWN HEADPHONES.

Not much to expand on here but bring your own. You’ll have to purchase them otherwise. In-flight entertainment is free. Thank goodness.

4. THE EVER-IMPORTANT TOPIC OF BAGGAGE.

There are no checked bags for free on Norwegian Airlines.  Not really a shock these days though with international flights.

You can carry on one bag (not to exceed 10kg) and one personal item.  I had read in advance that they are SUPER strict about this.  My bag was within the measurement restriction but most definitely not within the weight restriction.  I just crossed my fingers and panicked inside until I made it on board without having my bag weighed.  I would not count on this though based on all the things I read.

If you carry a backpack (mine was 35L) and carry it like it weighs nothing, you’ll most likely be okay.  I would, however, have the funds available to check your bag if they make you.

Reminder: Wear as many of your clothing items as you can.  Carry your camera (you can hand-carry it and it will not count as part of your weight limit).  Wear your heaviest shoes.

IT’S NOT ALL BAD.

Each seat has it’s own USB charging port.

Bigger windows with dimmers instead of shades.

Increased humidity on flight which apparently means less jetlag.

Overall pleasant flight crew.

In all seriousness, Norwegian Airlines wasn’t a bad airline.  It’s just one to be prepared for or you could be really surprised about all the expenses you COULD incur on what you thought was a cheap flight.

Overall, the flight was well worth it for the price difference.  Given that I did my research beforehand, I didn’t even mind the above things.  If I had not known though, I would have definitely been miserable for 13 hours – freezing, hungry, expensive bags and no entertainment unless dishing out a lot of money would have been terrible.

If you’re always looking for a good deal just like me, definitely check out this awesome budget flier tips & essentials guide that Practical Wanderlust put together!

https://wild-hearted.com/survive-norwegian-airlines-flight-weekendwanderlust/