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What you're missing is that the pagans BELIEVED the works of their hands were their gods. Catholics BELIEVE that there is only one God, and that Second Person of that God, Jesus Christ, true God and true Man, has a physical body.

No one's missing this, least of all God in heaven. He has told us not to bow down to anything other than Him, regardless of what it is we're bowing to.

So we are not to venerate, worship, adore, sacrifice to, pray to or expect absolution for our sins from anyone other than the Triune God.

This always seemed to me to be one of the easy rules to understand in Christianity, and thus it is so amazing the RCC gets it so very wrong.

Please read the following from Acts 17 and recognize the similar error propagated by the RCC...

"Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him (Paul). And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.
And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is?
For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean.
(For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.) [I love that line]
Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.
For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.
God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead." -- Acts 17:18-31

The Athenians thought their god was worthy of worship, but as Paul instructed them, unless they NAMED the object of their devotion as JESUS CHRIST, their worship was worthless.

Actually, less than worthless, since their prayers was truly offensive to God who no longer winks at this error, but demands repentance from it.

This is why Protestants cringe at statues of silver and gold, and Mary as co-redeemer, and men who kneel to the stock of a tree, regardless of protests that its made of the finest-quality maple or oak.

Thank you so much for sharing your insights and that beautiful Scripture!

This is why Protestants cringe at statues of silver and gold, and Mary as co-redeemer, and men who kneel to the stock of a tree, regardless of protests that its made of the finest-quality maple or oak.

And angels:

Behold, I come quickly: blessed [is] he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

And I John saw these things, and heard [them]. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See [thou do it] not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.

He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. – Revelation 22:7-11

Moreover, any thing or any one - including a spouse or a child - that we love more than God is an "idol.":

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.

And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. – Matt 22:37-40

Love God surpassingly above all else! That is the Great Commandment.

If we don't get that right, nothing else will matter.

Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.

Nevertheless I have [somewhat] against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. – Revelation 2:1-5

To God be the glory!