What is wrong with idol worship?

[Surya Deva]

I don't understand why people look down on idol-worshippers, isn't it just another kind of worship, just as legitimate as any other?

 

[Storm]

I think it's due to misconception, thinking that you think the idols themselves ARE Gods, as opposed to representations of Gods.

 

[Azakel]

I don't understand why people look down on idol-worshippers, isn't it just another kind of worship, just as legitimate as any other?

I don't believe it's wrong. I do it at times.

I think it's due to misconception, thinking that you think the idols themselves ARE Gods, as opposed to representations of Gods.

I agree with what Storm said, mainly people that have a problem with Idol-Worship are one that really know nothing about it, and that the Idols themselves are more of a representation of the God, and not the God itself.

 

[Riverwolf]

Worshiping and idol carved in the likeness of something is no different than worshiping your pencil or mp3 player.

Idolatry, to me, is NOT simply having some kind of representation of the god or whatever in the shrine or chapel or whatever, but actually worshiping it; actually thinking the man-made object to be the living god. THAT'S idolatry. In my beliefs, having a representation is okay, as long as the god it represents is worshiped and not the representation itself.

I think the reason why Yeh'vah looks down on it is because the gods cannot be represented by what we can observe with our eyes; the gods do not look like human beings at all, nor do they look like other animals or plants or other things in nature; indeed, they cannot be 'looked' at. So that's why Yeh'vah looked down on it: he didn't want his followers to view him in an image but as a force of nature.

 

[tomspug]

If you put your faith in something that, ultimately, will fail you, what is right about it?

Whether its a jar of rocks, the stock market, or a pop icon, and you idolize, you are setting yourself up for failure. People think that idolatry is just accrediting blame/praise to something inanimate or invisible, but it's more than that. Idolatry is ACTUAL RELIANCE, and it's foolish.

 

[Yid613]

I think it's due to misconception, thinking that you think the idols themselves ARE Gods, as opposed to representations of Gods.

I agree with what Storm said, mainly people that have a problem with Idol-Worship are one that really know nothing about it, and that the Idols themselves are more of a representation of the God, and not the God itself.

But over time and over many generations the distinction fades and they become the gods themselves. This is what happened to the generation of the flood.

 

[Storm]

Funny, Hinduism seems to have escaped that fate.

 

[Azakel]

Funny, Hinduism seems to have escaped that fate.

What Storm said. Plus I'll add Shinto, I lot of Trees in Japan have these ropes around them and are considered Holy. The Spirits of these trees are worshiped as powerful Kami. Then also seemed to escaped this fate.
Edit: Though would you call this Idol Worship?

 

[Riverwolf]

What Storm said. Plus I'll add Shinto, I lot of Trees in Japan have these ropes around them and are considered Holy. The Spirits of these trees are worshiped as powerful Kami. Then also seemed to escaped this fate.
Edit: Though would you call this Idol Worship?

Well... on one hand, you could say that "worshiping" other earthly forms of life, such as animals, pop stars or beloved TV shows is a form of idolatry. On the other hand, the trees themselves aren't being worshiped, but the spirits of the trees. And I think in Shintoism, it's not really the same kind of worship that Yeh'vah requires. When I look at Shintoism, it seems like the only one "worshiped" is the Emporer, who according to lore is a direct descendent of Amaterasu, who is the daugther of the two creator gods(whose names escape me at the moment.) (Am I correct?)

I guess it depends on what's being said. I know that in Japan, when people climb up Fujisan, they pray at a shrine at its base for safe passage up. (basically, "Don't erupt while I'm on you, please") Having seen Fujisan firsthand I can definitely say that she has an air of... authority, I guess. But I got a similar feeling when for a few minutes I saw Mt. Shasta.

Something about volcanoes. I don't know.

It is a very good question you've presented, Azakel, and I don't really think I can answer it at the moment. Shintoism on the surface seems to be idolatrous, but at the same time, it's the Kami being worshiped, not the actual things themselves. So...

 

[Charity]

Why waste time with an idol or image when you, yourself, acting as your own agent, can pray to the real God?

 

[Azakel]

Well... on one hand, you could say that "worshiping" other earthly forms of life, such as animals, pop stars or beloved TV shows is a form of idolatry. On the other hand, the trees themselves aren't being worshiped, but the spirits of the trees. And I think in Shintoism, it's not really the same kind of worship that Yeh'vah requires. When I look at Shintoism, it seems like the only one "worshiped" is the Emporer, who according to lore is a direct descendent of Amaterasu, who is the daugther of the two creator gods(whose names escape me at the moment.) (Am I correct?)

I guess it depends on what's being said. I know that in Japan, when people climb up Fujisan, they pray at a shrine at its base for safe passage up. (basically, "Don't erupt while I'm on you, please") Having seen Fujisan firsthand I can definitely say that she has an air of... authority, I guess. But I got a similar feeling when for a few minutes I saw Mt. Shasta.

Something about volcanoes. I don't know.

It is a very good question you've presented, Azakel, and I don't really think I can answer it at the moment. Shintoism on the surface seems to be idolatrous, but at the same time, it's the Kami being worshiped, not the actual things themselves. So...

Yes you're right, though not all of Shinto worship the Empire. It such on open religion really.

Why waste time with an idol or image when you can pray to the real God?

Because not all believe your God is the real one. And who are you tell people they're wasting there time, how rude.

 

[Charity]

I was thinking of a situation as I wrote my post, sometimes you don't go into complete details when you have a thought....I was thinking of someone in my family being seriously hurt, why would I run to the Bible and grab it to pray, it's not going to answer my prayer, but God will....So why shouldn't I just pray to God to start with......That was my point, see it had nothing to do with being rude to anyone else's belief.....Speaking of my own faith.....
I've never been deliberately rude to anyone on this forum and that was not my intention. No one has ever accused me of that, and I resent it. Being rude is against everything I stand for......Everyone expresses their opinion on here, just because they disagree with me does that make them rude? I think not..........

 

[blackout]

Ultra is my I-doll.

She is the fullness of Goddess within me.
While I do not "worship" her...
I do love, adore & treasure her beyond measure.

She is the ultimate fullfillment of me,
as loving Goddess(Ultra) and dynamic Woman(Violet)
live, move, become & REALize as one.

She is MY latex love doll,
and the pinacle of my altar/alter.

I love both the I-doll itself,
and she who it represents,
especially now,
in the purple twilight of my maturity.

As I find, love & welcome Ultra deep within my self,
I become... well... more Ultra.

 

[Jeremiah]

I don't understand why people look down on idol-worshippers, isn't it just another kind of worship, just as legitimate as any other?

In my opinion worshiping an idol is not much different that worshiping a concept (like God). It's still worship of a thing just one of them can't be poked with a stick.

But my guess is that mainly it was a political power play.

 

[Azakel]

I was thinking of a situation as I wrote my post, sometimes you don't go into complete details when you have a thought....I was thinking of someone in my family being seriously hurt, why would I run to the Bible and grab it to pray, it's not going to answer my prayer, but God will....So why shouldn't I just pray to God to start with......That was my point, see it had nothing to do with being rude to anyone else's belief.....Speaking of my own faith.....
I've never been deliberately rude to anyone on this forum and that was not my intention. No one has ever accused me of that, and I resent it. Being rude is against everything I stand for......Everyone expresses their opinion on here, just because they disagree with me does that make them rude? I think not..........

Okay, I understand. I didn't mean anything mean by it ether, it was late and I tired.

 

[Surya Deva]

In my opinion worshiping an idol is not much different that worshiping a concept (like God).

I agree with you.

I do not think the anti-idol worship argument carries water. Here is why: the argument is that worshipping an idol as a physical object is false because that physical object is not god. Instead, one should worship god directly. I ask the anti-idol worshippers then to show me where god is? If they can so confidently assert that they can worship god directly, then they should be able to declare to the whole world where god is, as clearly they have met him to directly worship him.

But they haven't really, at least the vast majority of them. They assume that a prayer or thought is them worshipping god, but praying to or euologising an external object is not. Arguing that it is just an object and the object is not the same as god. In that case the idol-worshipper can turn that argument on them too, they are worshipping objects too - mental objects - concepts of god.

The idol worshipper is worshipping an external object as a representation of god; the non idol-worshipper is worshipping a mental object as a representation of god. Is one better than the other? No, but one is more practical than the other. As god is an abstract entity, it is difficult for people to relate to an abstract entity and accurately represent it, but when an image is given to that entity one can relate to it. They can form relationships with that object.

This is the philosophy underlying Hindu idol and temple worship. When the onlooker sees the Hindu worship many gods, they do not realise that actually that Hindu is worshipping the same entity god, but relating to certain aspects of that god directly. If the Hindu worships Surya, he faces and prays to the sun, but he is not worshipping the sun, he is worshipping that aspect of god which is luminous, which sustains life and upholds the solar system. When he worships Mother Earth, he stands and prays to nature, but he is not worshipping nature, he is worshipping that aspect of god which is nuturing, loving and parental.

The fundamental philosophy of Hinduism is all of this manifest creation is god itself. It does not look for god in some abstract world, but rather considers his manifestations as being his expressions and the highest expression is love. I recall a story I was told by my mother which bears this point out. The story went that once there a man was a great devotee of god, he would always be worshipping god and telling everyone to worship god. There was another man that did not worship god at all, instead he worshipped humankind and gave everything away in charity, he constantly lived for humankind and nobody else. The man who did not worship god, but worshipped man was one day graced with the experience of god. The other man who worshipped god could not understand why god would appear to him, and not himself, after all he was the true devotee of god!

The moral of this story is that god loves those who love his own. The greatest way to worship god is to worship him in this world. He as manifest as your Mother Earth, worship that Mother Earth, ensure that she is safe and healthy and god will love you; he as manifest as your enlightened men and women, worship those enlightened men and women and god will love you; he is manifest as your parents, worship your parents and god will love you. He is manifest as those men, women and children who are suffering, worship the suffering and god will love you.

I thus think idol-worship is actually very beautiful and human. It gives that abstract entity a human dimension, and aims to see the reflection of that entity in the world itself so we can adore him and realise him in our own world. Indeed, if you ever go to these huge idol worship celebrations in Hindu temples, the grandeur, the joy, the celebration and devotion to god will uplift your soul.

 

[ChristineES]

The 2nd commandment says that "You shall not worship any gods before me". I take that to mean that it is perfectly acceptable to enjoy others things that are important to you just as long as it isn't more important to you than God. But I think that would be a whole other debate.

 

[Surya Deva]

ChristineES, the idol-worshipper does not consider the idol to be more important to god, they considere the idol as a representation of god. So technically they are not putting any other thing before god

 

[Kcnorwood]

The 2nd commandment says that "You shall not worship any gods before me". I take that to mean that it is perfectly acceptable to enjoy others things that are important to you just as long as it isn't more important to you than God. But I think that would be a whole other debate.

The problem with that is those are mans laws not Gods. Man wrote the bible not God.

 

[zikr]

To me, idolatry entails the highest form of creation (mankind who has been created in the image of God) worshipping the lowest (mineral kingdom). That is, if the person in question is worshipping the actual image itself as an object rather than worshipping what the object or "idol" could represent or stand for.