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444. In what way does a person exercise his or her proper right to worship God in truth and in freedom? 2104-2109 2137 Every person has the right and the moral duty to seek the truth, especially in what concerns God and his Church. Once the truth is known, each person he has the right and moral duty to embrace it, to guard it faithfully and to render God authentic worship. At the same time, the dignity of the human person requires that in religious matters no one may be forced to act against conscience nor be restrained, within the just limits of public order, from acting in conformity with conscience, privately or publicly, alone or in association with others. 445. What does God prohibit by his command, “You shall not have other gods before me” (Exodus 20:2)? 2110-2128 2138-2140 This commandment forbids: Polytheism and idolatry, which divinizes creatures, power, money, or even demons. Superstition which is a departure from the worship due to the true God and which also expresses itself in various forms of divination, magic, sorcery and spiritism. Irreligion which is evidenced: in tempting God by word or deed; in sacrilege, which profanes sacred persons or sacred things, above all the Eucharist; and in simony, which involves the buying or selling of spiritual things. Atheism which rejects the existence of God, founded often on a false conception of human autonomy. Agnosticism which affirms that nothing can be known about God, and involves indifferentism and practical atheism. 446. Does the commandment of God, “You shall not make for yourself a graven image” (Exodus 20:3), forbid the cult of images? 2129-2132 2141 In the Old Testament this commandment forbade any representation of God who is absolutely transcendent. The Christian veneration of sacred images, however, is justified by the incarnation of the Son of God (as taught by the Second Council of Nicea in 787AD) because such veneration is founded on the mystery of the Son of God made man, in whom the transcendent God is made visible. This does not mean the adoration of an image, but rather the veneration of the one who is represented in it: for example, Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Angels and the Saints.