Someone, somewhere fed you a pack of nonsense about all that. It took me years to realize the "idol myth" was just a cute little trick someone devised to drive a wedge in the "one holy, catholic and apostolic" church.
Great resource here: The Catholic Encyclopedia: Idolatry
I am sorry but I think the Catholic Encyclopedia might have a conflict of interest. Kinda like when Muslim clerics claim Islam is a religion of peace. Every rational, unbiased argument I have heard point to catholicism as idolatry.