To limit the meaning of the word "idolatry" to the most
obvious cases of this practice is to miss the reason for why
idolatry is regarded as a grievous sin. The following
materials give examples of the many forms that idolatry can
take, and veneration of statues or images is only one form out
of many. Indeed, I had thought that this kind of
understanding, that idolatry is something that takes
innumerable forms, was commonplace --even universal-- but
it now seems that it is not.
Maybe the best place to start is with a Baptist definition,
since this is most uncompromising. But let me say at the
outset that there are other definitions , including Catholic,
Eastern Orthodox, and Buddhist, which also deserve to be
considered.
Clearly, then, idolatry consists of false attribution to
things other than God / the Holy, etc.
--your choice of terminology-- of things that belong to
God. This is a "salvation first" outlook.
In other words, an act of formal worship to a religious
image, or to any other object, is
not necessary for idolatry to exist. Idolatry exists when
something other than one's faith
comes first in life --because salvation is the most
important thing in life. Indeed, there is
no comparison possible in terms of what should be most
important.
Hence the many Protestant sermons I have heard over the
years to the effect that worship
of money is a form of idolatry, or worship of social
status, or worship of prized possessions,
or many other things, all are forms of idolatry. Obviously
this means metaphorical worship,
not actually bowing down to a stack of greenbacks, for
example, or saying prayers to a
box filled with currency. Quite simply it means putting
money first, Christ second
( or even further down the line ). The exact same principle
applies to status worship,
as when someone puts getting that promotion at work above
everything else. It also applies
when someone cherishes an art collection, or a prize race
horse, or one's house, anything,
above faith --faith in Christ, as Baptists would say.
Images may be central to idolatry but sometimes images are
beside the point. Still, it is
worth pointing out that for several centuries Buddhists
avoided all representation of
Gautama in visual form --because it was all too easy for
many people to venerate
a statue and in the process lose sight of the essential
message of Buddhism, which
is all about seeking enlightenment, being compassionate,
respecting life, finding
a livelihood ( vocation ) that is right for you, and so
forth.
So, for many years all that was permissible in Buddhist art
was to show a space
in a painting where Buddha would have been, or just his
footprints. Eventually this
practice was dropped, allowing for images, but only on the
strict understanding
that visual forms were NEVER to be venerated and must
always be regarded simply
as the work of artists seeking to show respect to the
memory of Gautama, something
to help in remembering his life and teachings, but nothing
else.
This is pretty much the Catholic view, but in a Christian
context.
Here are a number of sources on the subject that may be
useful .
Idolatry is a pejorative
term for the worship of an idol, a physical object such as a
cult image,
as a god,[or
practices believed to verge on worship, such as giving undue
honour and regard to created forms other than God. In all
the Abrahamic
religions idolatry is strongly forbidden, although
views as to what constitutes idolatry may differ within and
between them. In other religions the use of cult images is
accepted, although the term "idolatry" is unlikely to be
used within the religion, being inherently disapproving.
Which images, ideas, and objects constitute idolatry is
often a matter of considerable contention, and within all
the Abrahamic religions the term may be used in a very wide
sense, with no implication that the behaviour objected to
actually consists of the religious worship of a physical
object....
The avoidance of the use of images for religious reasons is
called aniconism,
which has been an aspect of all major religions at times,
some much more consistently than others. The destruction of
religious images within a culture is called iconoclasm,
of which there have been many major episodes in history.
Idolatry in many
forms [ Wikinoah ]
...Many religions hold that the purpose of worship is to
bring one into connection with divinity.
Any set of beliefs or practices which significantly
interferes with this may, at some point, be termed idolatry.
Examples might include:
- A very strong belief in the inerrancy of a holy book,
this would equate the book with God...
- A very strong attachment to one's country that a
religion considers inappropriate. In this case nationalism
could be considered a form of idolatry.
- A very strong desire to gain sex and wealth that a
religion considers inappropriate. In this case greed
could be considered a form of idolatry.
- A very strong desire to gain fame or recognition that a
religion considers inappropriate. In this case egocentrism
could be considered a form of idolatry.
- Worshipping one of God's creations (The Sun,
moon, water, a cow, sheep, or king) instead of the One God
who created them.
- An obsessive desire to earn money
could be classified as idolatry.
Christian
theology requires proselytizing,
the spreading of the faith by gaining converts by use of
trained missionaries.
This often caused hostile relationships with pagan
religions and other Christian groups who used images in some
manner as part of religious practice.
Fundamentalist Protestants often accuse Catholic and
Orthodox Christians of Traditionalism,
Idolatry, Paganism
and Iconolatry
since they do not "cleanse their faith" of the use of
images.
Catholic
and Orthodox
Christians use religious objects such as Icons,
incense,
the Gospel,
Bible,
candles
and religious vestments.
Icons are mainly in two and rarely in three dimensional
form. These are in dogmatic theory venerated
as objects filled with God's grace
and power -- (therefore Eastern Orthodoxy declares they are
not "hollow forms" {see idol}
and hence, not idols). Evidence for the use of these, they
claim, is found in the Old
Testament and in Early Christian
worship.....
In Orthodox apologetics for icons, a similarity is asserted
between icons and the manufacture by Moses (under God's
commandment) of The
Bronze Snake, which was, Orthodoxy says, given the
grace and power of God to heal those bitten by real snakes.
"And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a
pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten
any person, when he beheld the serpent of brass, they
lived"(Numbers 21:9). Another similarity is declared
with the Ark
of the Covenant described as the ritual object above
which Yahweh was present (Numbers 10:33-36); or the burning
bush which , according to Exodus, allowed God to speak
to Moses; or the Ten Commandments which were the Word of God
"Dabar
Elohim"
in tablet form. These inanimate
objects became a medium
by which God worked to teach, speak to, encourage and heal
the Hebrew
faithful.
Wikipedia
[ Ancient Jews ]
There is no one section [ in the Old Testament ] that
clearly defines idolatry; rather there are a number of
commandments on this subject spread through the books of the
Hebrew Bible, some of which were written in different
historical eras, in response to different issues. Taking
these verses together, idolatry in the Hebrew Bible is
defined as either:
- the worship of idols (or images)
- the worship of polytheistic gods by use of idols (or
images)
- the worship of animals or people
- the use of idols in the worship of God.
In a number of places, the Hebrew
Bible makes clear that God
has no shape or form, and is utterly incomparable; thus no
idol, image, idea, or anything comparable to creation could
ever capture God's essence. For example, when the Israelites
are visited by God in Deut. 4:15, they see no shape or form.
Many verses in the Bible use anthropomorphisms to describe
God, (e.g. God's mighty hand, God's finger, etc.) but these
verses have always been understood as poetic images rather
than literal descriptions. This is reflected in Hosea 12:10
which says, “And I have spoken unto the prophets,
and I have multiplied visions, and by the hand of the
prophets I use similes.”
=======================================
Bibliolatry (from the Greek
biblion "book" + latreia "worship") is the
worship of a particular book.
In the case of Christianity,
the term bibliolatry is used in a derogatory sense toward
those who either have an extreme devotion to the Bible
itself, or hold to a high view of biblical
inerrancy.[3].
Those who esteem Biblical inerrancy point to passages such
as 2 Timothy 3:16-17, stating that the Scriptures,
as received, are a perfect (and in some views, complete)
source of what must be known about God. Critics of this view
call the view a kind of idolatry, and point to verses such
as John 5:39-40 to point out that Jesus was asking humanity
to relate to God, not just seek God's rules and spurn a
relationship with the God who created them.[4]
Historic Christianity has never endorsed worship of the
Bible itself, as worship is explicitly reserved only for God. That is
to say, Christians consider the Bible as a kind of signpost
which points to God, rather than considering the Bible, as a
book, itself as valuable as God himself. Some Christians
believe that biblical authority is derived from God as the
inspiration behind the text, not the text itself [5].
So the term is not a reference to an actual belief, but is
often used as a pejorative
term to negatively label perceived practices of theological
opponents. The groups to whom the term is most often applied
are Protestants
of a fundamentalist
and evangelical
background who hold to Biblical
inerrancy and Scripture
as the only divine authority.
Disputes exist as to whether the King
James Only movement is or is not a form of
bibliolatry.
[ Clearly the Koran is, for believing Muslims, an object to
worship, based on the view that the book in a "real", sense
IS God on Earth. "Bibliolatry" would be a misleading term in
this case and there are less semantic problems simply to
characterize this as idolatry, viz, veneration of the Koran
as if it was not only "sacred" in a religious sense, but embodying
Allah. Muslim views of the Koran, which derive directly from
the Koran itself, are no different in essence that ascribing
living divinity to a statue, which is exactly what basic
idolatry consists of. BR Comment ]
============================================
from an essay with this title :
American Idolatry - Is it a practice involving the
majority?
What is Idolatry?
Idolatry is most commonly thought of as a practice of
worship whereby someone ascribes to an image or some kind of
statue qualities of godhood. Often times worship, ceremony
of some nature, and/or reverence is directed toward this
object. The Bible speaks warningly against practicing
idolatry of this type.
Another form of idolatry is also mentioned in the Bible.
This form of idolatry does not include specific objects
openly. This form includes certain practices and loyalties
which consume the time and energies of the practicing
adherents. The more recent generation has entered into a
practice of idolatry, which I would like to call the American
Idolatry. This form of idolatry is described in
Colossians 3:5-6 which says,
Col 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the
earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection,
evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
Col 3:6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on
the children of disobedience:
Col 3:7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye
lived in them.
[ We can focus ]...on the issue of covetousness, although
the other forms are equally as prevalent in our current
society.
Idolatry is further described in the context of rebellion
and stubbornness. In this passage rebellion and stubbornness
are equated by the conjunction "and." It is suggested that
stubbornness comes first and that rebellion is the
consequence of a stubborn characteristic. It is a matter of
degree. Yet stubbornness is compared to iniquity and
idolatry. Note 1 Samuel 15:23.
1Sa 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and
stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou
hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected
thee from being king.
======================================================
a Traditional Protestant view...
from the site : revelife
Idolatry is the sin of glorifying and aligning ourselves
with gods other than the Triune God of the Bible who is
revealed in Jesus Christ. The first commandment given to
Israel at Mount Sinai was to "have no other gods before"
YHWH (Exodus 20:3). We know that idolatry does not demand we
bow down to idols made of wood, gold, or stone but that it
can occur within our hearts and that our gods/masters can be
anything [ including ]... the numbers in our bank accounts.
Anything that we allow to reign in our hearts so that is has
authority over us and ends up leading us, taking our heart
and mind captive, that is a false god whom we worship.
A popular form of idolatry is nationalistic idolatry. It
often comes to power under the guise of patriotism. What
happens is that Christians mix up the priority of their
kingdom-of-God-citizenship identity with their
earthly-national-citizenship identity, allowing the two to
mix together in a way that allows their
earthly-national-citizenship to become more important to
them, and thus more ruling in their lives, than their
identity which is found in Christ Jesus. In shorter words,
nationalistic idolatry is putting country before/above
Christ or even confusing the two. ...
=============================================.
selections from :
Idolatry and Christianity
Wikipedia
The New Testament also uses the term "idolatry" to refer to
worship like passion for things such as wealth. One can see
evidence of this in Colossians 3:5, "Put to death,
therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual
immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed which is
idolatry." Some Christian theologians see the absolutization
of an idea as idolatrous.[3]
Therefore, undue focus on particular features of
Christianity to the exclusion of others would constitute
idolatry.
Martin
Luther did not object to the use of religious images
per se, but he did object to various beliefs that were
associated with them. In particular, he objected to the
practice of invoking the saints that was often associated
with images of the saints. He was also concerned that those
who erect beautiful and costly images would presume to think
they had done a good work that would earn them merit with
God. Yet these concerns did not prevent him from allowing
new Lutheran altarpieces, often of the Last
Supper, in many of which leading reformers were
portrayed as the apostles. John
Calvin was always extremely hostile to all
publicly-displayed images, which were systematically
destroyed by Calvinists, as in the Beeldenstorm
in the Netherlands. Towards the end of the 16th century
there were disputes between Lutherans and Calvinists, with
the former put under pressure to destroy images. Though both
groupings did not object to book illustrations or prints of
biblical events, or portraits of reformers, production of
large-scale religious art virtually ceased in Protestant
regions after about 1540, and artists shifted to secular
subjects, ironically often including revived classical
mythology.
Many Protestants,
especially evangelicals
or fundamentalists,
believe that attributing holiness or power to human relics,
fosters disbelief in God's omnipotence,
and his independent and sovereign will, and suggests to
fallible humans that God can be manipulated. To them, this is the essence of
sinful idolatry. However, other Protestants disagree with
this assessment.
In reference to holy places, it is argued that God is no
less accessible here and now than he is in a distant holy
place. To support this notion reference is made to John
4:21-24, "Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall
neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the
Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we
worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh,
and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the
Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such
to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him
must worship him in spirit and in truth." According to John
4:23, Jesus spoke these words to a Samaritan
woman who asked whether men should worship God on Mount
Gerizim, the Samaritan place of worship, or at the
Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. Many Protestants read Jesus'
response as dismissing the importance of such divisions.
They interpret this passage to mean that true worship is a
matter of the spirit, the mind and the heart — in other
words, it is highly abstract. Sacred places, shrines, and
ritual tools and forms are, at the very least, not of the
essence of worship.
Many Protestants hold that veneration and worship are for
all practical purposes identical. Protestants who hold this
position also believe that sacrificial
worship (which Catholics and the Orthodox call latria)
no longer holds a place in Christian worship. Christ's
sacrifice on the Cross is unique, unrepeatable, and complete
for all time, so that no human act can add or subtract from
its power, or lay claim to its saving efficacy. On the other
hand, Catholics and Orthodox hold to the above statement
also, and believe Protestants unwittingly make false
dichotomies.
Most typically, modern Protestants are no longer offended
by religious art, or pictorial representations of Jesus, as
was certainly the case in the 16th century. However, some
consider it necessary to avoid religious use of these
objects, especially as the focus of communal worship. In
order to avoid praying before them, lighting candles to
them, and other acts that make it appear as if the image
itself is holy or an object of devotion, many Protestants
avoid locating any representational art in front of the
congregation, although exceptions may be made for the Christian
cross and, sometimes, an image of the Face of Christ
or the Good Shepherd. In most cases, it is the devotional
use, especially, that is avoided.
