The nature of idolatry can be a conundrum, because both everything and nothing can be idolatrous given the intent of a person. The nature of intention is at the heart of spirituality. If the edification is for the sheer joy of all, or for yourself at all costs, the nature of idolatry can go in many different facets. Idolatry, and the focus of worship (attention), is Satan’s greatest tool, as he uses aspects of spirituality to make people think they are following a path of light, when it’s merely a replacement idol.
The most common things that become idols are:
Physical Objects– This is the most common form recognized as an idol, whether it be a statue, a building, or something else. It could be your house, your car, your genitals, money; anything physical that motivates you to act and controls your actions can be an idol. This is most commonly recognized in the deadly sin of greed. You are not sophisticated if you spend $5,000 on a Louis Vuitton purse, you’re a greedy glutton whose been spell cast to waste tons of money on a purse that could have fed tons of people with plenty to spare for an equal quality substitute purse for $20 or less.
Pleasures/Emotions– Along the same lines as physical objects, pleasure and emotions are the next most common idols. Whether it be food, sex, or joy, humans tend to seek whatever provides the most pleasant experiences constantly. Many times, getting the next fix (sex, drugs, etc.) becomes the goal of life for many. This is most common in all the deadly sins, lust, pride, envy, sloth, etc.
Ideas/Concepts– While not recognized commonly in the current era, idea and concepts are also idols. How many people define their life’s value in their jobs, education, political party, ethnicity, etc. If we truly lived as Martin Luther King desired, these things would be of minimal value to us over the character of the person, but that tends to be more rare than a correctly cooked filet mignon. Many people worship the ideas of BLM, woke culture, fantasy and role play, political parties, COVID vaccine status, etc., most people don’t realize the dialectics are essentially meaningless or contradictory to the goals they stand for. If all I ever know is the study of physics and seek to find the next prize winning theory that manages to explain some random facet of observability, I’ve worshipped physics and it’s my idol.
Nodes on the Kabbalah Tree/Academic Specialization– Ironically, according to Kabbalistic teachings, if you master one of the nodes of the Kabbalah tree, you should be able to transfer and master another until you are a master of the ten (understanding, knowledge, victory, strength, beauty, mercy, wisdom, splendor, foundation, kingdom, crown). It’s actually illogical and leads to someone making one facet of knowledge (much like college education) an idol. The focus of one’s life (including their reach and understanding) is actually maxed out in one specialized field. Not only is it idolatry, it’s extremely dangerous because you become reliant on the skills and specialties of those around you in order to survive.
God Within/Self– Quite possible the most common idol, but never the one identified, is you. Whether it be your looks, your self-esteem, your self-worth, and whether you regard yourself in so much esteem that you believe you have God within you and can manifest reality, or that you are Christ consciousness (rather than indwelt with the Holy Spirit), you are your own idol. Many fall victim to this issue, which is why depression, suicide, narcissism, and psychopathy have been rising so much in the technological world. When your only reason for living is likes on Facebook or looking good for people to whom you have no intention of procreating, you have become your own idol.
The key differentiation on the chain of idolatry is intention and control. Let’s use alcoholism for an example, the form of idol worship could be the alcohol itself. It could also be the pleasure (which turns to distress) or emotive state that is worshipped. It could be the concept of detachment or lack of inhibition that is worshipped. It could also be rooted in self worship, or a combination of the above. Needless to say, it is a very common form of idol worship where intention and control are easily established by the question: do you control the drinking or does the drinking control you? I’m the first to admit, whenever I drink alcohol, I never see the point of just consuming one, which when coupled with depression took me for a snag.
I completely understand how people get trapped into the cycle of idolatry, it merely requires moving enjoyment into obsession. Obsession is merely the compulsory notion that you have to consume something regardless of anything that happens. It could be watching all 160 Indians (now Guardians…dumb name change) games, it could be making sure you have no less than 3 hours of game time per night, it could be figuring out the solution to nuclear fission or fusion, it’s truly anything that becomes the driving factor for your life other than simply loving God and the others around you.
Remember, that complete abstinence from everything is also an obsession that becomes idolatrous. How many of us went to churches where people stated that everything was evil and in essence became an idol of themselves. God never intended us to be pious or arrogant in faith, Paul never suggested that in any of the passages where he speaks of holiness and purity. He merely said be like Christ, which was never about showing off how righteous he was, it was about healing broken people and teaching wisdom to all (nothing in secret, nothing cult-like). Somehow in the nature of traditions, we began to worship an ideal human conception, when it moved away from the commandment of righteousness (love God, love others).
To be spiritual in nature, is merely to be humble and honest. If you feel you have an obsession with something, that was the intention of fasting. Fasting merely cures the habit and obsession of ritualistic behavior, it’s ingrained in our DNA. No human will ever be free from the sin of idolatry, but we can strive to live like Christ to the best of our ability by loving others, and keeping fellowship where we can enhance our understanding of real truth (how to sustain life rather than purge it). Now that I have delved into the nature of consciousness, perception, and spirituality, now we can examine the God system versus the Luciferian counterfeit (which will help clarify the next section which will go into the consistency of the Biblical narrative).
