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   %IDOL WORSHIP CREATE COMMAND INJUNCTION PROHIBIT+930801
   %MORAL CODE ETHIC SYSTEM LAW LEGAL INTIMATE LOVE 930801

     To the  extent  that  our worship  of  an apprehended
creation results in  our  alienation  from God and/or  our
sisters/brothers in God's Holy Family,  to that extent our
worship is idolatry.

     Idolatry  is not limited to the worship  of  physical
idols  made in the image of what people have  thought  God
looks like.   Such images are but representations of  what
people have thought to be the nature of God.   Such images
are worshipped as apprehended representations of God.

     It   is   idolatry   to   worship   any   apprehended
representation of God as if the apprehended representation
of God is God.  Our apprehended representations of God are
in part our creations.    If we apprehend a representation
of God we have played  a role in creating our apprehension
of the representation of God.   All of our perceptions and
experiences are in part our creations, especially when our
perceptions  and  experiences  are of that which  is  most
mysterious, luminous, holy and sacred to us.

     To  the  extent  that our worship of  an  apprehended
representation of God  results  in our alienation from God
and/or our brothers/sisters in God's Holy Family,  to that
extent our worship is idolatry.

     People have tried to represent the essence  of God in
images presented through:  sculptures,  paintings,  verbal
description,   stories,   parables,   rules,  regulations,
commandments,    prohibitions,    judgments,     prophesy,
scriptures,   etc.    All  such represent at ions  of  the
essence of God in images  which we apprehend,  are in part
human creations---and  are not worthy of being  worshipped
as  if  they  were God.  To the extent that our worship of
such an  image of God results in our alienation  from  God
and/or our sisters/brothers in God's Holy  Family, to that
extent our worship is idolatry.

     Often  our  worship  of  our best  image  of  God  is
motivated by  a feeling that because of our worship of our
best image of God we are closer to the true image of  God,
closer  to  the  true  God,   and so in  a more  favorable
position relative to God than are other people.    We  may
feel  that  we are thus in a better position  to  exercise
control  over  other  people because we are closer to  God
than are other people.  Our idolatry may be motivated by a
preoccupation  with  issues of control.   We may  feel  we
should,  need to,  or must be in control to be acceptable;
because our dysfunctional families of origin so taught us.

     When  we  cannot control other people as well  as  we
feel  that we should be able to control them,  or they  do
not control themselves as we say that they should;  we may
in    frustration   and   anger   resort   to   legalistic
judgmentalism   which   generates  alienation   from   our
sisters/brothers in God's Holy Family, and so from God the
Parent of the Holy Family.  Alienation is often the tragic
consequence of our believing that because we have eaten of
the seductively  sweet fruit of the tree of the  knowledge
of  good  and evil we are qualified to pass judgment  upon
evil people---and so we excommunicate ourselves from them,
and them from us.   Such worship of our presumed knowledge
of  good and evil is the idolatry which  was forbidden  by
God in the Garden of Eden.

     We  are idolaters whenever we set up any image of God
as  eternal and  absolute,  and pretend that image's power
exceeds   the   power  of  our  most   integrative   human
experiences  within  our most  open  and  honest  intimate
relationships---to  inform us  of  God's presence  in  our
lives and of our integrity in God's presence.

     We  are  probably guilty of idolatry  when we are not
free to check the authenticity of our image of God  within
and   through  our   most   open   and   honest   intimate
relationships; for then we cannot learn from our mistakes.

     We are  probably guilty of idolatry when we  are  not
free  to recognize the  tragic  alienative consequences of
being ultimately concerned with our best image of God, and
so we are not concerned enough with how intimate, open and
honest  we  are being with our brothers/sisters  in  God's
Holy Family.
                                                                                                                               
                         (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in      
                    (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy)  
                                                                                                                               
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