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    Modern Idolatry

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    Santiago Mogila
    This document discusses modern forms of idolatry. It argues that while ancient idolatry involved worshipping physical idols like animals, modern societies have developed new idols. These include placing one's trust in money for security, believing the state can guarantee justice and truth, and viewing science as the path to resolving all problems and explaining our origins. The document asserts these - money, the state, and science - represent the three main modern idolatries, and that an idolatrous attitude towards them replaces love for God. It also mentions other modern idolatries like racialism, nationalism, social class beliefs, and devotion to gurus and prophets.

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    Modern Idolatry

    Uploaded by

    Santiago Mogila
    102 views1 page
    This document discusses modern forms of idolatry. It argues that while ancient idolatry involved worshipping physical idols like animals, modern societies have developed new idols. These include placing one's trust in money for security, believing the state can guarantee justice and truth, and viewing science as the path to resolving all problems and explaining our origins. The document asserts these - money, the state, and science - represent the three main modern idolatries, and that an idolatrous attitude towards them replaces love for God. It also mentions other modern idolatries like racialism, nationalism, social class beliefs, and devotion to gurus and prophets.

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    This document discusses modern forms of idolatry. It argues that while ancient idolatry involved worshipping physical idols like animals, modern societies have developed new idols. These include placing one's trust in money for security, believing the state can guarantee justice and truth, and viewing science as the path to resolving all problems and explaining our origins. The document asserts these - money, the state, and science - represent the three main modern idolatries, and that an idolatrous attitude towards them replaces love for God. It also mentions other modern idolatries like racialism, nationalism, social class beliefs, and devotion to gurus and prophets.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    102 views1 page

    Modern Idolatry

    Uploaded by

    Santiago Mogila
    This document discusses modern forms of idolatry. It argues that while ancient idolatry involved worshipping physical idols like animals, modern societies have developed new idols. These include placing one's trust in money for security, believing the state can guarantee justice and truth, and viewing science as the path to resolving all problems and explaining our origins. The document asserts these - money, the state, and science - represent the three main modern idolatries, and that an idolatrous attitude towards them replaces love for God. It also mentions other modern idolatries like racialism, nationalism, social class beliefs, and devotion to gurus and prophets.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 1

    l

    I
    ,
    I
    An id.ol in the Bible is always a
    representalion of something
    reallhatpeopJe take for God,
    They may offer it love, wor.hip,
    prayers, offerings; they may
    hope to prayer or
    ... In other word.,
    idolatry i. the tendency in
    humanit}' 10 assign
    or sacred value and power 10
    some th in gnatu rat:
    I t is not V'JlGng to make a
    statue of fl perSOll or an animal.
    any more than itiswrongto
    nave a ]wY' for things, or for
    animals, or for natllre. What is
    evil, the Bible lel1s us, i. to
    cOilfuse Iwo different realities.
    lsaiah us th.t an ico!;s
    only" piece of wood, But for
    the on e who worships iI .n idol
    is nol prized for itself. It i. the
    symbol of ueligious reality, of
    a god
    Poopie today are generally of
    Ihe OpmlOJl tha I these
    ida181ro"j s. pFlgcm C'J Its ),.flve
    SOll8 Lrom our Iiv-es. No longer
    do we \.",()rship animal images.
    and in the Catholic Church they
    draw a careful distinction
    bet",,,en what isof!ered to a
    saini Ihe Virgin and
    WOJship given to God,
    Yet, \A'i th()ut being aware of
    it. our developed world is filled
    wit h ida 1s. They are not the
    same Clsl.r.ose in, African
    reli.gions, W have Ollr(Jwn. A
    le,\ from Ihe Bible rna,' be a
    poinl<r to what the: are. Paul
    [hu. 'CcJ\'eto'Jsll:.$sis
    ido]a1n/, it1 ether 'Nords, Jove of
    the desi:-e to have more
    artd lIloreof it '.rust in rnoner-
    this is idelill)'=--"
    UI1imate securi.ty
    \A.Je ne ed 10 ask f'ome precise
    qL1esi io]'l So:

    AFLAWED HUMANITY I 253
    MODERN IDOLATRY
    Jacques Ellul
    In whom. or in what, do we
    place our trust [our faith)?
    Where do we look for
    security and happiness?
    Whom do we expect to
    guarantee OUf future?
    '. What do we think can
    guard our liberty?
    Viham do we believe on
    the subject of truth?
    How do we explain our
    origi nsF?
    If we are honest we will see
    very quickly that. even if we are
    Christians. even if we pray, in
    reality we are looking to other
    certainties and other truths.
    And this is where our idolatry
    lies.
    We believe that money is
    our best guarantee, It is this
    which gives us confidence for
    our latter years. or allows us to
    be happ: - money together wilh
    insurance.
    We believe tha t the state is
    the agent of our securit\f. From
    i I we -expect justice, good
    organization, even truth, This is
    true of various Iypes of state:
    there is an idolatry of liberal
    democracies as well as of com-
    munist states. But it must be
    said that communism is a whole
    system of idolatry. Many
    studies have shown how com-
    munism is a real religi9n. with
    ils holv books (Marx]; its clergy.
    [lbepartYl; its paradise [the
    promise of world communism
    coming soon}: its crilerla for
    orthodox,,' and heres\' "nd its
    worship, 'Ithe cu)1 of'
    personalily. as of Sial in. Mao,
    THo ... }. We are looking at a
    highi,' effective idolatry-
    although capitalism makes a
    stronf2 rival.
    Again we :llake an idol of
    science. Here is the :-oEld to
    truth, we believe. And we look
    to science to resolve all our
    problems. We expect it to lead
    us to our destiny, to accounl for
    our origins, and to explain
    everything else. And this
    idolatry [the attitude of the
    man-in-the-streel rather than of
    most scientists} !'eplaces love
    for the God of Jesus Christ.
    These are, I believe. the three
    great. modern idolalries'
    money. the stale. science. None
    of them, of course. is evil in
    itself. any more Ihan were the
    bulls and ea.les of earlier
    times. What them idols is
    our idolatrous attitude towards
    them, which renders them
    lotally opposed to Cod,
    radically evil.
    Alongside these three funda-
    menIal idolatries there are
    plenty of others. People idolize
    race (racialism did nol
    disappear wilh the Nazis). We
    have an idolatry of homeland or
    nation, a very fierce one which
    can lei .\oose \"'ars. as well as
    economic confrontation and
    hatred of foreigners, There is
    an idolatry of social class
    (especially,in fhe working class
    under the influence of
    Marxismj.
    . Finallv we must include some
    popular 'modern beliefs; the
    idolatry of the guru, the
    prophet. Ihe modern myth-
    maker, all mushrooming in an
    a.mazing \<\'ay. It has to be
    cle;;."h staled thrll all these
    .without. exception fall under
    God's condenlnation on all
    idolatry and false religion.
    There cannot be room in the
    human heart bolh for the God
    of Jesus Christ and for the love
    of any of these power.

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