[CynicalBear]

>> If the image is meant to show the true God it is not idolatry.<<

Call it what you want but God still condemns it.

Romans 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

[smvoice]

lastchance, is the monstrance that contains the "consecrated host" that "becomes" the actual body of Christ not an "image of God"? The priest parades it through town, people worshipping it.

"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them..." Exodus 19:4,5.

"If the image is meant to show the true God is not idolatry."

Since we have not physically seen the true God yet, then anything man makes to represent His likeness, or Mary's likeness, is idolatry. "Meant to" is not a loophole in God's Word.