Read it carefully. To the right is the first and longest commandment that God gives to Moses on Mount Sinai, and it seems very clear. Don't worship anyone or anything else in any form of existence, not by bowing down or by venerating in any form. Doing so will incur strict punishment.

Isn't it clear, then, that the Catholic Church blatantly and repeatedly violates this rule? As an institution, it seems to actually seek out new idols to worship: saints, angels, popes, and the Virgin Mary.

Of course, Catholic theologians will say that dulia -- the veneration for saints -- is hardly the same as the love one reserves only for God, latria. But then the Virgin Mary is due hyperlatria, which implies that love is even greater than the latria they must have for God? Can that be correct?

Visiting Catholic churches always makes my Protestant sensibilities prickle; altars to the physical embodiments of people the Church has declared Saints make me extraordinarily uncomfortable. And these altars are on the side, so worshippers are turning away from God to bow to an idol.

Yet the Catholic Church vehemently condemns idolatry. How is what they do better than a Hindu relationship to God, where one might worship many embodiments of Him but still sees one God behind them all?

There is the criticism (mostly from Islam and Judaism) of all Christianity as idolatry because of the Trinity: how can we say that the worship of God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost is monotheism?

This, though, seems to be a different discussion that focuses more on aspects of God and how He may be incarnated. Instead, the Catholic Church seems to clearly be encouraging worship of humans who it does not claim to be incarnations of God.

I understand the latria versus dulia discussion, but shouldn't the utmost love (which, in this terminology, would be hyperlatria) be reserved for the Most High God, not the woman he impregnated?

I'm sure this is all extremely offensive to Catholics, so can someone explain to me how the Second Council of Nicaea could at once denounce all forms of idolatry while still declaring that the images of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and all saints should be entirely sacred? That council decreed:

"Therefore, it is proper to accord to [those images] a fervent and reverent adoration, not, however, the veritable worship which, according to our faith, belongs to the Divine Being alone — for the honor accorded to the image passes over to its prototype, and whoever adores the image adores in it the reality of what is there represented."

Different from the Hindu idea of God and his incarnation as 330 million gods, each representing a different aspect of Him? Not as far as I can understand.

There is an argument for saints here at the Vatican website, if you're interested.