Idolatry

[Jeff_Ricks]

This morning I looked up the word ‘idolatry’ in Wikipedia and found an interesting perspective on the subject. It states that, “In Christianity it is defined as worship of an image, idea or object, as opposed to the worship of a supreme being.” The statement is generally what I thought as a Mormon but nowadays I see a problem with the statement. Take a good at it. See any contradictions? Isn’t the worship of a supreme being the worship of an object; a thing somewhere in the universe? Isn’t it also the worship of an idea or concept? Isn’t it usually embodied in some kind of image, like a cross, a person, a statue? Isn't theism essentially idoloatry?

Just some thoughts to pass along. I’m interested in y’all’s perspective. (I went to the Bible belt on my mission where people say y’all, so y’all better get used to me using it once in awhile.) :D

Jeff

[helemon]

Just some thoughts to pass along. I’m interested in y’all’s perspective. (I went to the Bible belt on my mission where people say y’all, so y’all better get used to me using it once in awhile.) :D

I think it probably developed as a way to contrast the unseen Hebrew, and later Muslim god vs the other regional religions that created statues to represent their gods. But I wonder, did these other religions really think that statue was the God or was it more of a way to connect with that god. Christians erect giant crosses to remind them of christ, I suspect this was the main function of the statues of the gods. It gave the mind something to focus on when contemplating the nature of the god the statue represented.

If we argue that all religion is merely the worship of a particular idea or set of ideas then all religion is idolatry. Even science can take on a form of idolatry if the concept or theory is held to be unassailable or unquestionable. I think that is when idolatry sets in. That is when the mind gets stuck and progress ceases. Concept, theories, models, and gods are all useful in helping us contemplate and describe our world but it is when they become unable to change that they become idolatry.

[Born Free]

This morning I looked up the word ‘idolatry’ in Wikipedia and found an interesting perspective on the subject. It states that, “In Christianity it is defined as worship of an image, idea or object, as opposed to the worship of a supreme being.” The statement is generally what I thought as a Mormon but nowadays I see a problem with the statement. Take a good at it. See any contradictions? Isn’t the worship of a supreme being the worship of an object; a thing somewhere in the universe? Isn’t it also the worship of an idea or concept? Isn’t it usually embodied in some kind of image, like a cross, a person, a statue? Isn't theism essentially idoloatry?

Just some thoughts to pass along. I’m interested in y’all’s perspective. (I went to the Bible belt on my mission where people say y’all, so y’all better get used to me using it once in awhile.) :D

Jeff
I first became aware many years ago when first I started looking at philosophy that this was one of the big differences between the Northern Asian/European religions and the Semitic ones.

The first is very visual: take Russian Orthodox as an example.

The latter is very oral/verbal.

Of course Spong would make the point that both are rather idolatrous in that they make God in man's image whether in word or image. It is quite narrow to get fixated on the other man's form of idolatry and overlook one's own.

Daryl