IDOLS ? – – – TODAY ?

First, a few selections from history:

+ PAGAN IDOLS—earth, animals, trees, rocks, weather
When I taught fourth grade four decades ago, it seemed obviously silly how ancient people actually worshipped the earth and things it contained.
It wasn’t long after, that the world established “earth day,” so we could officially worship the physical world around us with the misguided environmental movement.

+OLD TESTAMENT ISRAEL IDOLS—the golden calf at Mt. Sinai, ‘high places’ for duplicating pagan worship on mountains away from the temple, fiery molech for child sacrifice, even physical idols brought into God’s temple.
God set the record straight with severe repercussions, repeatedly as required.

+ROMAN/GREEK IDOLS—named gods for every human need, with human personalities, with human weaknesses, with human needs, providing material for a world of literature, fascinating in itself.
What a phenomenal exercise in futility.
They instinctively knew this did not cover their spiritual requirements, so they added to their physical idols an altar “to the unknown god.”

+CATHOLIC IDOLS—popes and councils add to the Bible (oppose people reading the Bible), indulgences (buy forgiveness—build cathedrals), saints for every need and every occasion (praying to saints unabated for 2000 years, shamelessly, with shrines and dates), Jesus alone is not enough, church itself becomes the idol.
God sends the Reformation—people read the Bible and find Jesus—Catholicism basically unchanged (still depending on the pope and praying to saints when you need them).

PROTESTANT/AMERICAN IDOLS—our enlightenment (we got salvation right, we brush over that Catholics don’t get it quite right, at least we all have Jesus—or do we?), our success (best Christian nation ever), economy (too good to depend on God), personal retirement (unbiblical), evolution to abortion (we didn’t stop either), sex worship to sex perversion (unclean pulpits—unclear message—unthinkable inclusion), social justice to socialism (church mission abdicated to government).
– – –
Jesus alone is enough—adding anything to Jesus and the Bible, by any church, at any time, is false gospel and idolatry—truth is unchanged!
We worship, condoning what God clearly forbids—no illusions that we’ve made any progress since Eden.
If nothing else, don’t give satan more to gloat about.

Warning:
Speak out against the idols of the day in the church—expect to pay a high price, now.

Warning:
Fail to speak out against the idols of the day in the church—expect to pay a higher price, soon.