What is Idolatry?

Discussion in 'Religion & Philosophy' started by Greenleft, Apr 23, 2021.

  1. The Amazing Sam's Ego

    The Amazing Sam's Ego Banned at Members Request

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    The Old Testament doesn't say that God is One in the context of solitary oneness. https://www.bible.ca/trinity/trinity-oneness-unity-yachid-vs-echad.htm

     
  2. gabmux

    gabmux Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    [​IMG]
     
  3. CKW

    CKW Well-Known Member

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    I surmise that you think anybody who doesn't hate our ex-president, who might even respect him and agrees with him and many things idolizes him? Liberals tend to think that. You guys are pretty confused.
     
  4. Tosca1

    Tosca1 Well-Known Member

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    Idolatry doesn't have to be worship of graven images, or other entities.
    Anything or anyone that is placed above God - something that you feel you can't do without, even if it draws you away from God - is a form of idolatry.

    Some "worship" money.

    Some place "SELF" above God - with abortion as an example (willingness to commit and promote murder, with "self-interest,"
    as the motivating factor) - it's actually like a modern-day version of child sacrifice which God had mentioned in the OT.
     
    Last edited: May 20, 2021
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  5. gabmux

    gabmux Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    That is a fair point.....in that a person seeking an abortion may be putting their own welfare first.
    But have you considered why Christians keep harping on that one particular (so called by you) idolatrous issue...
    while at the same time promoting one of the worlds best known idolaters...
    [​IMG]
    That's not only hypocrisy....it's more like insanity.
     
  6. Tosca1

    Tosca1 Well-Known Member

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    [​IMG][/QUOTE]
    To be pro-Trump may look like "hypocrisy" or "insanity" to some folks.....but seriously.......
    You can impose the picture of Bill Clinton on that calf - and he'll fit the bill - no pun intended! [​IMG]
    Just with Monica Lewinski alone -and that's a fact - not just a rumour (because that even got him impeached!)
    That happened while he was in office!

    Lol - if we believe the rumors swirling around the Clintons - we can even add multiple murders along with those.
    People around them, are said to be dying!
    So - what hypocrisy? What insanity?

    I think - a lot of anti-Trump people who attack pro-Trumps, need some serious headshakes. Lol - the accusations they give are so pathetic....that they're funny! Do they even think?



    Christians - AND, ATHEISTS/HUMANIST pro-lifers - are "harping about abortion....because there are lives involved.
    It's a matter of gross violations of human rights.......a matter of life and death. That is where pro-lifers are coming from.


    It's not about the person.
    It's about the platform - or policies.

    Surely, people vote for a leader whose policies are compatible with their values!



    Anyway........is there some sort of a contest between candidates on who sins the most? [​IMG]

    Hahahaha Does this count? Biden was refused Holy Communion in a church, because of abortion.

    How accurate do we know all the information we read?
    Are we with them 24/7?

    Who's tallying...................... and, keeping score?

    Lol....I have a visual of a huge scoreboard!
    You know, I'd like to believe that you're just..........kidding? [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: May 20, 2021
  7. gabmux

    gabmux Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Of course....and....of course...Christians will point to Clinton's mistakes and ignore Trumps....
    or (as in your case) try to justify Trumps because another pres did the same thing.
    That's the hypocrisy...Christians pretend to stand for "Thou shalt not kill!"....
    but throw the rest of the commandments out the window when it comes to Trump breaking them....
    But as the idol himself said...
    Donald Trump claimed he could "stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody" and not "lose any voters."

    So if it came down to it...Trump could break that commandment too...and Christians would not bat an eye.
     
  8. Tosca1

    Tosca1 Well-Known Member

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    Hahahahaha Read again. No one is ignoring anything - except perhaps, you.
    You seem to have ignored the explanation, or, it went over your head.

    Anyway ....I've already explained why that kind of argument from anti-Trumps is so.....silly.
    Really - it's so juvenile.

    Bye. Have a nice day.
     
    Last edited: May 20, 2021
  9. gabmux

    gabmux Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Calling attention to what Clinton did (as you have done)...or even what JFK did for that matter...
    as if they've committed a grievous crime against humanity...
    and then supporting someone like Trump is exactly what Christians do.
    I think the only reason Christians still cling to the anti-abortion issue...
    is because "Thou shalt not kill" is the only commandment they have left.
    They had to drop the other nine commandments from their Bible
    because Trump broke them all...and the Christians didn't want to look silly for voting for him.
     
  10. DennisTate

    DennisTate Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I could be wrong but I believe that the number one false god on earth is SELF.......
    and I plead guilty.......

    ... to a degree I still worship at that detestable false idol that I have set up!




    https://near-death.com/christian-andreason-nde/


     
  11. DennisTate

    DennisTate Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Yes... ultimately God is first and foremost a Scientist and Inventor who just happens to be composed of truly fundamental energy that would have existed for something like infinite time even before the most recent Big Bang event of thirteen point eight billion or so years ago.


    www.CarbonBias.blogspot.ca/
     
  12. MJ Davies

    MJ Davies Well-Known Member

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    Many years ago I was talking to a fellow classmate who confided in me that he was a recovering alcoholic. He traveled for work and kept a book of the local Alcoholics Anonymous meetings for where he would be on any given day. He went to one meeting during the work week and two meetings every Saturday and Sunday.

    I remember that because it was the first time I ever considered that an "idol" could be ANYTHING a person basically handed their personal freedom. There isn't much difference in being addicted to alcohol or AA meetings or porn or anything else a person decides to worship.
     
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  13. Lindis

    Lindis Banned

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    Some say praying to Mary was idolatry.
    I do not say so.

    "Idolatry" is not in my book, anyway.
     
  14. Jeannette

    Jeannette Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    God is not an elitist. He wants to reach out to people in a way that they can relate to. This means that Christianity will adapt to a person's prevalent culture - and this is as it should be, providing a person's beliefs conforms to established Christian beliefs and are not heretical.

    Because of this, people will worship in the way they were accustomed to and the Fathers of the Church made an allowance for it. Thus they established the Christian holidays on the same days as their former gods, and converted many of the pagan temples into churches- that is after they were exorcized. Even the Parthenon that was dedicated to the goddess Athena, was turned into a church.

    As for gods, I think anything you idolize above our Creator God, such as the martial arts, nation, sports, wealth, scholarship, land, sex, beauty, etc., has become your god. If you make an image of it such as the Greeks did, then it will probably become possessed. Don't think the Greek idols didn't speak back to their worshippers. I'm sure they did.

    God said not to make graven images of that which we idolize, which brings me to robots and sex dolls. I would be very careful about them.
     
  15. Jeannette

    Jeannette Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    During exorcisms, the demons will usually speak. When someone was being exorcized the demon refused to use the name Christ but used the name Manny instead. As to Saint Mary, he referred to her simply as 'her'.

    The demon had two complaints, one was that he only sinned once and yet he was not forgiven, while people can sin all the time and are forgiven. The other was that Christ will do anything His mother asks him.

    A priest observing the exorcism asked why is that, and the demon said: "You're a priest and you don't know? It's because she gave Him a body."

    Anyway according to our Orthodox Saint Palamas, Saint Mary held within her body the Creator of the universe, so that no one, not even the Saints are able to go to heaven without going through Mary. I'm not sure, but I think this conforms with the Catholic beliefs of Mary as a Mediatrix.
     
  16. JET3534

    JET3534 Well-Known Member

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    Well, my understanding there is no God is based on the total failure of you and your people people to present any empirical evidence of your claims.

    BTW, I have never heard or read any scientist making a claim that there is no God. Because in science when you make a claim, it must be substantiated by empirical evidence.
     
  17. Lindis

    Lindis Banned

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    Indeed!
    Now if you say "pre-Christian" instead of "pagan" - then over-pious Christians would be forced to avoid nearly anything!

    :truce:
     
    Last edited: Oct 10, 2021
  18. Cougarbear

    Cougarbear Banned

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    https://www.livescience.com/63854-stephen-hawking-says-no-god.html
    There are plenty out there with the same lame reason of empirical evidence. Most of the world believes God exists. They all have their own uninformed and limited understanding of God. But, 95% of the world believes God exists. So, what's your problem?
     

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