Do Buddhists believe Buddha to be God? Do Buddhists practice idolatry? I have seen Buddhists worship Gautam Buddha, a great personality, a great philosopher, a great social reformer and spiritual master, with incense and candles. They would offer flower to his idol made of up of  rock, marble, metal, wood, etc and also offer bowls of water and eatables in front of him, like the Hindus.
Old fashion hindu, brahma, was begun before buddhism, so people in buddha time usually worshiped to  their god, before they change to be the buddha-follower.

Buddha just change them from god-believer/random-result/suffering-still-remain
 to cause&amp;effect-professor/best-advantage/suffering-perfectly-vanishing.

So, if they normally worship god with incense, candles, flower, etc, buddha just change them to worship the cause&amp;effect-professor, buddha&amp;dhamma&amp;saṅgha, instead. 

Because idol and statue are what the follower try to imitate to do and to be the same. If they were still paying the worship to god, they will be god-believer, but if they change their habit to pay their worship to buddha/dhamma/saṅgha, they will be cause&amp;effect-professor instead.

Example, can you change the homeless habit immediately? If you can't, how can you use their daily habit to change themselves?

This is the reason why the buddha is the best teacher, anuttaro purisadhammasārathi&amp;bhagavā, because he can change the illogical homeless/illogical king/illogical people to be the perfect cause&amp;effect-professors.

Another, Worshiping, offering, giving gift, donating, making statue, naming the road as the people name, and investing are just an exchange. We are acting like that because we expecting some effects.

So, the buddha just let them do the right exchange by leting them change their common action, god-worshiping, to the new right habit, cause&amp;effect-worshiping, such as in Sutta. Ma. U. mahācattārīsakasutta, that the buddha taught the listener to worship to right reason, right relation of causes&amp;effects, instead of god:


  sāsavā puññabhāgiyā upadhivepakkā[saṅkhāra, kamma-bhava] right view depending on kilesa-vaṭṭa-paṭiccasamuppāda [kāma-āsava (kāma-upādāna), diṭṭhi-āsava (diṭṭhi-upādāna, sīlabata-upādāna), bhava-āsava (attavāda-upādāna), avijjā-āsava], right view that is kammavaṭṭa-paṭiccasamuppāda, right view that give vipākavaṭṭa-paṭiccasamuppāda.atthi dinnaṃ [sukata­dukka­ṭā­naṃ kammānaṃ phalaṃ vipāko],There is given-gift-action['s fruit and result of good and bad given-gift-actions].atthi yiṭṭhaṃ [sukata­dukka­ṭā­naṃ kammānaṃ phalaṃ vipāko] , There is worshiped-action['s fruit and result of good and bad worshiped-actions].atthi hutaṃ [sukata­dukka­ṭā­naṃ kammānaṃ phalaṃ vipāko], There is given-oblation-action['s fruit and result of good and bad given-oblation-actions].atthi sukata­dukka­ṭā­naṃ kammānaṃ phalaṃ vipāko, There is fruit and result of good and bad actions.atthi ayaṃ loko [sukata­dukka­ṭaṃ kammaṃ], There is this-aggregate (=cause) [loka sutta].atthi paro loko [phalaṃ vipāko], There is another-aggregate (=effect).atthi mātā [imā lokā sukata­dukka­ṭā kammāikā], There are benefactor mother (=cause).atthi pitā [imā lokā sukata­dukka­ṭā kammāikā], There are benefactor father (=cause).atthi [imā lokā sukata­dukka­ṭā] sattā opapātikā,There are benefactor deva (such as died mother, died father).atthi loke samaṇabrāhmaṇā sammaggatā sammāpaṭipannā ye imañca lokaṃ parañca lokaṃ sayaṃ abhiññā sacchikatvā pavedenti.There are teachers who have done right path then have clearly viewed this-aggregate (=cause) and another-aggregate (=effect) by themselves.