Idols

You know. Those wooden or metal things that those weird people back in the day used to worship as if they were living, powerful beings.

The Israelites turned to them over and over throughout their history. One often wonders, when reading or hearing about it, how they could do this when they've visibly seen the supernatural power of God at work many times.

But let us examine the modern situation. Few people will ever bow before or pray to object anymore, but if you ask many Christians today, especially (in my experience) Protestants, they will tell you that the old idols have been traded in for new ones: money, power, sex, fitness, or whatever other things a person might pursue to excess.

That may be true, but let's think about what this implies. Why do people chase after these things (things which they also chased when wooden idols were still prevalent)? The answer is simple: it makes them feel good. It makes them feel complete. So is their god pleasure? Is their god completeness? What is it that they are seeking to worship? To me, this response says more about the Christians making the statement than anything else. If one believes that the world is turning to idols for comfort, completeness, or what-have-you, then Christians are turning to God for the same thing.

That's what an idol is. A substitute, or reminder, of God, and a thing that one relies upon to commune with God, turning to it first, instead of imploring the Lord and His teachings, first and foremost.

Idols can begin as very good things. I know I often write about the importance of silence as a means to escape noise and to begin the process of prayer. I, and others I know, love to escape civilisation to places of beautiful scenery (I shall forgo a plug for the Texas Hill Country here) in order to, perhaps among other things, be with the Lord. But once we begin to see these things as the only means by which we can communicate with the Lord, then they have become idols. Church becomes an idol. Silence becomes an idol. Nature becomes an idol. The Mysteries, Communion in particular, can become idols. Icons can become idols. Even faith itself can become an idol.

To expound upon the last statement, let me ask the reader to consider how many times (s)he has heard the phrase "My faith got me through the tough times" in some form or another. Though it is true that it is impossible to please God without faith, it is also impossible for faith to sustain anyone without God involved.

The trappings of this world are not idols, unless God's purpose is to provide comfort and protection to mankind. They are merely rudimentary elements of the veil of maya.