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If we back up our opinions with a quote from a holy book then this must be a form of idolatry, right?
because we are idolising the words as if they were fact.
It's just a small semantic shuffle to change the concept of God from bearded old man in the sky, to esoteric force and then to another thought process known as language.
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Some accuse others of making God into their own image and thus creating an 'idol' but tell me, who DOESN'T do that? To some extent the Bible writers moulded God too. Doesn't disqualify Him as a reality, just be aware that it's someone's idea and has been shaped by his perceptions.
I have always maintained that those who believe the bible is the infallible word of God, have in fact created a fourth arm of the Godhead. We know that only God can be perfect, so if the bible is also perfect it must be also be a God. Add that to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and you no longer have a trinity but a quadrinity.
Of course those who claim the infallibility of the bible overlook the fact Jesus said he was the word made flesh - he was the word, not the text we have in our bibles.
What an interesting concept! Yes, of course it is a form of idolatry. It is okay to quote some great writing, such as, say, Shakespeare or a Sutra, but not with the idea that these are words that must be taken as from God, but only that they are the words of a great and wise man.
Still, on the other hand, what is wrong with idolatry? The idea comes from the Hebrew concept of a jealous God. What a silly idea to have about God -- that He is jealous? I figure that if the culture calls for me to bow before the statue of the Buddha, both me and those who are with me know that this is not really worship -- that we all know the Buddha is long dead and that what we see is just craftsmanship. Such behavior may have its roots in ideas of worship, but what you have now are only ceremonial ways of being respectful.
I have always maintained that those who believe the bible is the infallible word of God, have in fact created a fourth arm of the Godhead.
I've heard it referred to as "Bibliolatry" ;-) I think regarding it as an object of idolatry is more accurate than asserting it as an object of worship. I speak as a former fundamentalist who was taught from childhood that the "verbal, plenary inspiration of the Bible" was an absolute bedrock doctrine.
We would admonish each other not to "make an idol out of" things, by which we meant, basically, to have moderation in all things ... the idea being that entertainments, hobbies, relationships, etc., could crowd god out of your life. What we didn't realize was that our reverence for our holy book was so extreme that it was doing exactly that. You could be a complete a__hole but if you studied your bible enough that you could spout long passages from memory, you were regarded with respect and envy.
What an interesting concept! Yes, of course it is a form of idolatry. It is okay to quote some great writing, such as, say, Shakespeare or a Sutra, but not with the idea that these are words that must be taken as from God, but only that they are the words of a great and wise man.
Still, on the other hand, what is wrong with idolatry? The idea comes from the Hebrew concept of a jealous God. What a silly idea to have about God -- that He is jealous? I figure that if the culture calls for me to bow before the statue of the Buddha, both me and those who are with me know that this is not really worship -- that we all know the Buddha is long dead and that what we see is just craftsmanship. Such behavior may have its roots in ideas of worship, but what you have now are only ceremonial ways of being respectful.
Moderator cut: Orphaned
So few seem to understand that worship is about us . . . NOT God. God requires nothing from us . . . but we require God. It is our state of mind that is the goal of worship because God is concerned with our state of mind, period. Since there IS only one God . . . there can be no worship of false Gods. But there can be false or wrong states of mind. Spirituality is all about one's state of mind.
Last edited by june 7th; 12-16-2012 at 04:57 AM..
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