Idolatry, Why The Big Fuss? A few months ago before a test I saw a classmate holding the cross that hung around his neck and was praying in preparation for the test. Later I e-mailed him asking if he was a Christian and if it was OK with him to add his e-mail to my “Christian forwards/messages†list. He replied to my e-mail saying that he was not a Christian: he simply had the cross for “good luckâ€.
“And God spoke all these words: ‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. ‘You shall have no other gods before me. ‘You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments.†Exodus 20:1-6
“They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless.†2 Kings 17:15
Why All the Fuss about Idols? The strange practice that led to a kingdom’s fall.
YOU CANNOT READ VERY FAR in the Old Testament without encountering idols, for idolatry ranks as perhaps the most common topic in the Bible. A nagging question haunts these pages: Why did the Israelites keep deserting the God who had delivered them from Egypt for the sake of carved tree trunks and bronze statues? What was the big attraction?
Idolatry seems especially strange to us in modern times. Today, idols may show up as exotic props in a movie, but does anyone truly believe in them anymore? Why do they merit so much attention in the Old Testament?
Response to Idols Today
Actually, idols still thrive in such places as Africa and Asia, and their effect on the people there sheds light on Old Testament idolatry. In India, for example, each city and village has its own favorite god-over 1,000 different gods are worshiped. Portable idols stand on street corners of the major cities. For devout Hindus, idolatry adds a dimension of magic to life. Hindus believe the gods control all events, including such disasters as monsoons, floods, diseases, and traffic accidents. These powerful gods must be kept happy at all costs.
But what pleases a god depends on the god’s character, and gods can be fearsome and violent. Some Indians worship idols in the form of a snake; others worship the smallpox goddess. The largest city in India, Calcutta, has adopted the murderous goddess Kali, who wears a garland of gruesome heads around her waist. Devotion to such gods can easily lead to a paralyzing fear. If Kali isn’t kept happy, her followers believe, she will cruelly punish them.
Other Hindus, less devout, take a different approach. They treat their gods almost as good-luck charms. A taxi driver mounts a tiny statue of a monkey god on the dashboard of his car, occasionally draping it with flowers for decoration. If you ask, he’ll say he prays to the god for safety—but you know about the traffic in India, he adds with a laugh.
On the Front Seat by by Ashish T
A Good-Luck Charm or an Evil Cult
Idolatry had similar effects on the ancient Israelites. Some Israelites took the same spirit as the Indian taxi driver: Maybe an idol will help you out, maybe not, but why not play along? They drifted carelessly from god to god, adopting the religion of whatever group seemed to be having the most success with its agriculture or armies. No attitude could be further from that demanded by the true God. He had chosen the Israelites as a kingdom of priests, a treasured possession set apart for him. As Lord of the universe, he wanted not a casual faith, but total allegiance. He was not a good-luck charm.
Far too often, however, idols in Israel took on a more sinister form, resembling the evil goddess of Calcutta. Legends about Baal, for example, celebrated his drunkenness and debauchery. Followers worshiped him by having sex in the temple with prostitutes or ever sacrificing human babies. Worshiping Baal meant a complete rejection of God’s special relationship with the Israelites—a crime very much like adultery, as the prophets often pointed out. Baal worship could not possibly coexist with the worship of God.
What Was the Appeal?
Why did Baal and the other idols prove so appealing to the Israelites? Like peasants gawking at big-city life, the Israelites moved from 40 years of wilderness wanderings into a land of cities and more advanced technology. They had been landless nomads and shepherds. When they settled down to a new occupation of farming, they looked to a Canaanite god, Baal, as a possible means of guaranteeing good crops. In other words, they sought shortcut through magic. Similarly, when a mighty army threatened their borders, they smuggled in a few of that army’s favorite idols, hedging their bets in case their own religion did not bring them military success. Idols became a phantom source of power, an alternative place to invest faith and hope.
Idolatry made such inroads into Israel and Judah that God had to tear apart both kingdoms in order to root it out. Second Kings clearly blames idolatry as the chief sin leading to both nations’ collapse. History records that the punishment ultimately worked. After the Assyrian and Babylonian invasions, never again did the Israelites dabble in idolatry.
Life Questions: Idolatry need not involve images of wood or stone; it’s possible to worship such things as money, another person, or fame. What are some “idols†you might be tempted to worship.
4 thoughts on “Idolatry, Why The Big Fuss?”
Was reading the article.
I have a doubt?
If Christ & Bible & Christianity can be accepted, why not Idolatory?
Like you decide on what you wear, what food you eat, you decide on whom you pray to.
Like clothes, religion is also man made.
So it is incorrect & not compassionate to point out that one way is right or the other wrong.
If there is God, definitiely he/she/it would be large hearted to forgive the sin of not recognizing the correct form and praying in case the idolist is right (?) or vice versa.
If there is no God, there is no difference, one way or the other.
Thanks for your questions jaksam2011, GREAT question. First let me say it is good to have doubts, because our doubts can ultimately lead us to the TRUTH, let me also say you are right if there is no God, then all of this does not make a difference in the world, we can, live and die and that’s it….No Problems, but if you check with most people in the world, Christian or non-Christian, we all believe that a God, a Creator of the Universe exist. Now since we believe that there is a God, because we can see his miraculous Creation all around us and we have a mind to think and rationalize, search the universe, observe the animals, fishes in the sea, our amazing body and mind, then we have no excuse as to the fact the HE EXIST.
If you believe that HE Exist then, the questions we have to ask ourselves is
1. Does absolute/universal truth exist? (The One Revealed Truth of God)
To make the statement that there is no absolute truth is illogical. Yet, today, many people are embracing a cultural relativism that denies any type of absolute truth. A good question to ask people who say, “There is no absolute truth†is this: “Are you absolutely sure of that?†If they say “yes,†they have made an absolute statement—which itself implies the existence of absolutes. They are saying that the very fact there is no absolute truth is the one and only absolute truth. Another problem with the denial of absolute truth/universal truth is that it fails to live up to what we know to be true in our own consciences, our own experiences, and what we see in the real world. If there is no such thing as absolute truth, then there is nothing ultimately right or wrong about anything. What might be “right†for you does not mean it is “right†for me.
Is there any evidence for the existence of absolute truth? Yes. First, there is the human conscience, that certain “something†within us that tells us the world should be a certain way, that some things are right and some are wrong. Our conscience convinces us there is something wrong with suffering, starvation, rape, pain, and evil, and it makes us aware that love, generosity, compassion, and peace are positive things for which we should strive.
The second evidence for the existence of absolute truth is science. Science is simply the pursuit of knowledge, the study of what we know and the quest to know more. Therefore, all scientific study must by necessity be founded upon the belief that there are objective realities existing in the world and these realities can be discovered and proven. Without absolutes, what would there be to study? How could one know that the findings of science are real? In fact, the very laws of science are founded on the existence of absolute truth.
The third evidence for the existence of absolute truth/universal truth is religion. All the religions of the world attempt to give meaning and definition to life. They are born out of mankind’s desire for something more than simple existence. Through religion, humans seek God, hope for the future, forgiveness of sins, peace in the midst of struggle, and answers to our deepest questions. Religion is really evidence that mankind is more than just a highly evolved animal. It is evidence of a higher purpose and of the existence of a personal and purposeful Creator who implanted in man the desire to know Him. And if there is indeed a Creator, then He becomes the standard for absolute truth, and it is His authority that establishes that truth.
Fortunately, there is such a Creator, and He has revealed His truth to us through His Word, the Bible. Knowing absolute truth/universal truth is only possible through a personal relationship with the One who claims to be the Truth—Jesus Christ. Jesus claimed to be the only way, the only truth, the only life and the only path to God (John 14:6). The fact that absolute truth does exist points us to the truth that there is a sovereign God who created the heavens and the earth and who has revealed Himself to us in order that we might know Him personally through His Son Jesus Christ. That is the absolute truth.
2. Second Quetion, Why can’t we worship Idols?
The Bible tells us not to Worship Idols, because Idols are a counterfeit and are not the True God, basically we are worshipping the Creation and not the Creator. which would you rather a counterfeit dollar or a real dollar?
3. Does all Religion Lead to God?
Romans 1:19-21 contains the biblical explanation for why there are so many religions. The truth of God is seen and known by every human being because God has made it so. Instead of accepting the truth about God and submitting to it, most human beings reject it and seek their own way to understand God. But this leads not to enlightenment regarding God, but to futility of thinking. Here is where we find the basis of the “many religions.â€
Many people do not want to believe in a God who demands righteousness and morality, so they invent a God who makes no such requirements. Many people do not want to believe in a God who declares it impossible for people to earn their own way to heaven. So they invent a God who accepts people into heaven if they have completed certain steps, followed certain rules, and/or obeyed certain laws, at least to the best of their ability. Many people do not want a relationship with a God who is sovereign and omnipotent. So they imagine God as being more of a mystical force than a personal and sovereign ruler.
Do all religions lead to God? Actually they do. All but one leads to His judgment. Only one—Christianity—leads to His forgiveness and eternal life. No matter what religion one embraces, everyone will meet God after death (Hebrews 9:27). All religions lead to God, but only one religion (absolutely) will result in God’s acceptance, because only through His salvation through faith in Jesus Christ can anyone approach Him with confidence. The decision to embrace the truth about God is important for a simple reason: eternity is an awfully long time to be wrong. This is why right thinking about God is so critical.
We can’t compare choosing a shirt to cover our bodies or the decision of what shoes to wear to the decision of what God to serve, this is way too important, you see there is an absolute God of the universe and he made the rules and He says that the only thing that can set us free from our Sins is the Blood of Christ and our acceptance of that fact. That is the only thing he requires of us, to believe on His Son Jesus Christ and we will be saved, not a belief in Buddha or Mohamed, not a stone carved god or even a wooden cross, just Jesus, the sinless lamb of God.
I hope this helps.
Resource-gotquestions.org
Idolatry has been a confusing issue for me. I have hobbies and enjoy the idea of close relationships, but I just don’t know where that line is supposed to be. Some say you can tell because you would choose God over that person or thing if the situation arose. Others say shutting that person or thing out of your life completely is the answer. It’s just confusing to me.
One of the things we have to keep in mind is the things we prioritize. Having an hobby or an healthy social life is not considered idolatry. Idolatry basically means extreme admiration, love, or reverence for something or someone or the common meaning, worship of idols. With this in mind, once we put God on the back burner of our lives – we are basically idolizing the thing we are putting before God. All of us are guilty of that in some manner or another.
Prioritizing God in everything we do seem to be the logical answer. Turning our backs on friends may not be the right move.
I spoke to a guy once that did not believe in God but instead idolized Bob Marley on the highest level because He thought Bob Marley did so many good things for people. Yet, when I asked him to name a few things that Bob Marley did, he had no answer. This same guy preferred to go fishing on Sundays instead of spending a few hours in church with his wife (that church goes all day though, so, I felt it for him, since he is not a believer). He called me later to ask about something in the Bible – a question that would have already been answered if he was studying the bible and going to church.
Idolatry leads us, even Christians, down a bad round away from God. We are all guilty of such behavior, but we sometimes dismiss it as something else.