Why do Syrian Orthodox churches use only paintings and not sculptures, unlike Catholic churches?

Question

I am an Orthodox Christian, and in our church we don't have sculptures unlike Catholic churches in my area. We only have paintings and pictures.

I don't know if this is because of the bull sculpture demolition story of Moses or some other belief. Is it mentioned anywhere in the bible that we can or cannot pray in front of sculptures?

I Googled based on the comments and found that it is stated that we should not use idols. Is what the Catholic church does wrong or against the Bible? How do they justify the use of sculptures.

I am actually trying to find the difference between the praying in front of the idol in Hinduism and Christianity.

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Related: What is the difference between icons and idols in churches that permit icons? — curiousdannii, Nov 26 '15 at 05:02
@zod some orthodoxes use wooden statues, and stones, not to worship but to esteem the of saint people who build, or in which honor the statues were built. — Малъ Скрылевъ, Nov 27 '15 at 10:15

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Nov 26 '15 at 04:32

I am, in fact a Catholic. I was intrigued by your question and so I decided to do some religious research with my Catechism books. So according to the books: The first commandment forbids the making or the use of statures and pictures only when they promote false worship. An example of this would be using a medal, not to remind us of a saint (Such as St. Maximilian Kolbe) but simply as a good luck charm. It is right to show respect to the statues and pictures of saints, just as we would show respect of those whom we honor or love on Earth. Just as long as we don't give them the honor that belongs to God alone.

Just in case you're interested in that book it's called The New Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism

Welcome! Thanks for contributing. This is helpful information, though it would be even better if you were able to explain why the Syrian Orthodox don't use sculptures. If you haven't already done so, I hope you'll take a minute to take the [tour] and learn how this site is different from others. — Nathaniel is protesting, Nov 26 '15 at 04:53

Why do Syrian Orthodox churches use only paintings and not sculptures, unlike Catholic churches?

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