# Idolatry



## SmokingFlax (Jul 11, 2005)

This post was inspired by some comments on Houseparents' "wishy-washy spirituality" post.

I was recently watching the news when a report came on about a grotesque example of Romish superstition and idolatry. 
It seems that an "image of the virgin" appeared in the window pane of a particular family. And, true to form, in short order there were throngs of idolators burning candles and leaving trinkets and other like items (so as to be blessed I guess). I believe this happened right down here in Texas in a Latino community.

I have to say that I was GREATLY grieved and even provoked within myself -at once tearful then very angry. The whole scene was very similar to what I witnessed in the squalor of Guatemala City at a public market some 10 years ago.

I was recently thinking about this scene and wondered what I should do if such a thing did indeed happen in my neighborhood (?) especially considering how close to home this last incident was.

I have to say that I would find it very difficult not to smash (this window) with a stone if I were confronted with it...especially knowing the penalties that God lays down against such nonsense. What is America coming to with this kind of rank idolatry becoming more and more prevalent? It seems we are being cursed.

I guess my question is:
Would I be wrong to smash this public idol? Or would it be cowardly to act as if there is no consequence for allowing it to stand?...in the name of that all-purpose virtue ...tolerance of course.

[Edited on 7-11-2005 by SmokingFlax]


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## Contra_Mundum (Jul 11, 2005)

Surely if you "happened upon" such an image, you would certainly not recognize it as such? You need to be predisposed to look for such to find it, I think. But what if there was a throng, and they compelled you to a place of observation? Well, in that case I would mock their gullibility. Sunday's "get fuzzy" cartoon was a secular version of that kind of fit mockery. But what if they "forced you" to adore it. Well then, I guess you'd have to face the firey furnace unblinking. But then I think I would try to make it worth it all the more by smashing the idol, if I could. That is the extreme


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## crhoades (Jul 11, 2005)

Like Calvin said, Our hearts are idol-factories. People will always create and then bow to idols. The idol smashing we are to be involved in is everything that exalts itself against God. We are called to engage the idolator at the level of their heart and mind with God's Word. Calvin wrote tracts against the superstitiousness of Rome's relics. He convinced people that they were dumb idols and not a means to the true God. 

What we have in our day is just as insipid if not moreso. Ask the average American how much TV they watch in a given week. 30 hours? Then follow that up with how much time the spend in prayer, Bible-reading, attending church, reading worthy books etc. My bet is that TV wins hands down in the majority of the cases.

I posted this book in the other thread. I would encourage everyone to take up and read: Idols for Destruction - Herbert Schollberg

Herbert Schlossberg does an incredible job in analyzing modern idols. He understands how the world works. All of life is governed by one's religion. When the God of the Bible is rejected, idols are erected in His place. These idols include history, humanity, mammon, nature, and religion. You will learn more reading this book than you have learned in a lifetime. (Paperback 344 pages)


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Jul 11, 2005)

Westminster Larger Catechism:



> Q108: What are the duties required in the second commandment?
> 
> ...as also the disapproving, detesting, opposing, all false worship;[10] and, *according to each one's place and calling, removing it, and all monuments of idolatry.[11]*
> 
> ...



I'd like to emphasize the "according to each one's place and calling" (re: duties of civil magistrates) phrase. 

If you want to read about the iconoclasm of the Reformation, a good book on the subject is _War Against the Idols_ by Carlos Eire.


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## BobVigneault (Jul 11, 2005)

"It was in Hessia, however, that Boniface found the going most difficult. Many converts had disappeared during his absence, returning to the swamps there to practice pagan rites. An ancient oak, he learned, sacred to the name of Thor, the god of thunder, proved the greatest obstacle to the mission aries. In spite of every appeal, the "˜people continued to´ hold the god-inhabited tree in awe, and to gather about it, so the bishop decided to settle the matter once for all. Only sheer nerve and the power of grace could have held him up in such a crisis. Would he be downed, "˜would he give up? Not "˜while he was alive. He journeyed through the underbrush and made his way into the primeval forest, determined to show the pagans how utterly powerless was their vaunted one. And when he reached the unholy place, axe in hand, Boniface led his monks, jostling the crowd. To the amazement of all he started to cut down the sacred oak. The Teutons waited, tense, expectant, thoroughly frightened, for they expected to see the fearless blasphemer annihilated on the spot. To tell the truth, it was beyond their bounds of belief that such an act could go unpunished by Thor. But nothing happened, except that they saw for themselves a man who had no fear of their great god, and who never knew when he was beaten. One can see how the path of gospel preaching was easy after that. Out of the hewn timber of Thor´s oak Boniface constructed a chapel..... "


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## ReformedWretch (Jul 11, 2005)

Maybe I'm dense here, but should he smash it, or not?


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## Contra_Mundum (Jul 11, 2005)

Is it worth going to jail over?


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## Abd_Yesua_alMasih (Jul 11, 2005)

I believe VirginiaHuguenot has made a good point in quoting "according to each one's place and calling".

I do not believe the Bible in any place demands that every believer goes out and with violent force destroy idols. To say such a thing would then demand limits, boundaries etc... which are simply not in scripture. I do not think it is a _duty_ as such but when it does happen it is seen as a good act.

You could imagine the havoc which would take place if every individual had it as their duty to destroy idols. We must remember first and foremost that violence should be a last resort! What if a lowly individual decides it is his right to smash an Idol when (unknown to him) behind the scenes the local minister is pleading with the pagans to remove it and is almost at a breakthrough. To say it is the duty of everyone makes the matter very dangerous and could do more damage than good. Imagine also the abuse and terror created by untrained individuals who go 'too far' in some way or start stretching the limits of what is correct.

With this said there does seem to be some form of duty in scripture towards the 'civil magistrate' (a term I only heard last year for the first time). I think there is a difference between individual action and action carried out by a more organized power of some for or another.

In conclusion I do not think it would be sinning to smash an idol although to rush into such a measure would be imprudent and every available option should be given time. As Contra_Mundum said - "Is it worth going to jail over?" It might be a righteous act but is it going to make a difference so great it is worth spending who-knows-how-long in jail for? This especially applies to people with a family as any time in jail is away from your kids and/or spouse. You may do more harm in the end.


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## satz (Jul 11, 2005)

Acts 17:16-17
Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. 
SO he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.

When Paul's spirit was provoked by the idolatory in athens, his reaction was to preach against them, not whip out a hammer and go wild...


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## turmeric (Jul 11, 2005)

Couldn't ya just wash the window?


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## Abd_Yesua_alMasih (Jul 11, 2005)

Or talk to the owner? ... or get shaving cream and draw facial hair on the virgin Mary 

[Edited on 12-7-2005 by Abd_Yesua_alMasih]


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## SmokingFlax (Jul 12, 2005)

Quote:

Is it worth going to jail over?

Well...I've thought about this as well and ...not to be a wise guy, but I can see how it might be worth it...if such an offense is even punishable with a stay in jail (???).

Abd...
not bad points concerning inciting fanatics, etc. This is perhaps my biggest concern here.

Satz...
True, Paul didn't "whip out a hammer and go wild..." but he was entering into their domain -ruled by the old pagan order from the highest civil authorities down to the common slave. The event that I'm talking about is happening down here in the "Bible belt" where we are (ostensibly) Bible believers...it seems to me like an encroachment against what was once a common prohibition among the Protestant dominated southern culture. 
Granted, the seek and destroy option is pretty harsh...but where do we draw the line on public idolatry? I believe it was Calvin who considered such a thing as "a plague" that had the capacity to corrupt entire cities, etc. I would hate to have to answer to not doing anything as this "plague" gains more stature in my community.

What exactly IS the most effective way to counteract this??? I believe that we are going to see much more of this the days to come.


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## Robin (Jul 12, 2005)

> _Originally posted by houseparent_
> Maybe I'm dense here, but should he smash it, or not?



Not...Adam. Hey, Paul didn't boycott the naked statues in Ephesus...rather, he engaged the idolaters with the Gospel (Acts 17.)

Robin


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