OUR HIDDEN IDOLATRIES

‘I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, where you were slaves. Worship no god but me.’ (Exodus 20:2-3)

Introduction

This is a vital truth to grasp. God is our Almighty Creator and He is overwhelmingly interested in our victories. The fundamental questions for us to ask in this reflection are: How do we perceive God? How do we perceive ourselves in our relationship with Him? How do we perceive life, the world, our work and others? Yes, our very first call as Christians is to pay total loyalty and supreme devotion to God. He desires our success and wants us to live happy and fulfilled lives. Unfortunately our sins of rebellion, infidelity, disobedience, indulgence, neglect and lack of discipline pull us back and ages us swiftly. However, one thing is certain about our life in the world as the hours and days go by, and as the months and years passes by – one day it will come to an end, and each of us must face the fact and reality of our own mortality. So, we should use our lives to honor God above all others, and allow Him provide us with the strength we need to wage the battle against the idols and false gods of our age. We should stand up to defend our faith since this is the most valuable asset we have as Christians.

X-raying our world

We live in a world where everyone seems preoccupied with success and scientific achievements. We are deeply fascinated by our Television screen, radio, magazines and the internet which gives us a global view on this issue and shape our thoughts, choices and attitudes. In the midst of modern temptations and distractions, a lots of Christians have drifted from God’s will and don’t even realize that we are in deep troubles. Yes, for us Christians, God is the focus in life and we cannot be successful if we live the Lord out of our life. We may think we have it all and know it all by the standard of the world, but fame and fortune, wealth and material possessions cannot bring lasting joy, peace, love, contentment and eternal security, which are available only through the love of God and submission to His sovereignty.

What is Idolatry?

Let us give this matter a serious attention as Christians. It requires a careful and thorough examination of all that the western modern civilization has come with and its hold and impact on our people. For most people, the word idolatry brings to mind images of carved or molded statues worshipped by people in far off lands. On Idolatry, the New Catechism of the Catholic Church states: ‘Idolatry not only refers to false pagan worship. It remains a constant temptation to faith. Idolatry consists in divinizing what is not God. Man commits idolatry whenever he honors and reveres a creature in place of God, whether this be gods or demons, (For example, Satanism), power, pleasure, race, ancestors, the state, money, etc . Jesus says, ‘You cannot serve God and mammon. Many martyrs died for not adoring ‘the Beast’, refusing even to stimulate such worship.. Idolatry rejects the unique Lordship of God; it is therefore incompatible with communion with God’ (CCC 2113).

Therefore, idolatry is anything that takes God’s rightful place and wins our loyalty and allegiance. Many of us may unknowingly let other things – people, possessions and pursuits take precedence and dilute our devotion and commitment to God. It is a temptation we are not excluded and immune from as Christians, and so many other gods may be lurking and  hiding in believers hearts as well.

Idols and false gods of the modern society

Satan is the mastermind behind all idolatry and he lures us into misplaced affections, interest and loyalties. Today we witness savage battles and conflicts over possessions of material gains, unhealthy competitions, obsessions with carnal pleasures spurred by uncontrolled passion brought about by globalization. Some of the idols and false gods of our age are the god of sciences (deification of modern sciences), greed, injustice, ethnicity, religious bigotry, 419, bad leadership, hedonism, materialism, consumerism, relativism, atheism, superstition and agnosticism. The deification of modern sciences and the consequent dethronement of God has resulted to a world devoid of all meaning and purpose, with no higher order or power to guide it. The achievements and great advances of modern sciences has made many to think that religion had exhausted all its usefulness, and so surrender to science once and for all. Now, blinded by greed and lustful appetites, human beings try to gain whatever they can in the shortest span of time. Materialism so spoil life that even man’s material achievements are rendered useless and senseless, and the consequent result is dehumanization of man.

Signs of Idolatry

Sacred Scriptures encourages us with challenging insights: The first Commandment of God forbids us to make images to be adored or honored as gods. It also forbids dealing with the devil and superstitious practices, such as consulting spiritualists and fortune-tellers, and trusting charms, omens, dreams, and such like fooleries (Exodus 20:1-6). So some of the identifiable signs of idolatry in the life of a Christian as spelt out by Dr.  Charles F. Stanley in the InTouch Magazine are as follows:

·         Disobedience and insubordination to the Lord (1 Samuel 15:22-23)

·         Greed (Luke 12:15)

·         An inordinate desire for material wealth (Matthew 6:12)

·         Hunger for honor, power and position (Matthew 23:2-12)

·         Being mastered by anything, even by something not inherently bad (1 Cor. 6:12)

·         A craving for evil things (Cor. 10:6-7)

·         Love for the things of this world that temporarily satisfy our lusts and inflate our pride (1 John 2:15-17).

We must become aware of these signs and strive to keep them under check. We live in a very busy, broken and divided world. So many of us today race through life pursuing many interests. We are caught up in the hectic pace of our own lives as our dailies reveal that there is general discontentment and unhappiness all over the world as a result of greed, ambition, lust, corruption, prejudice and evil desire. So beware, as we cannot easily escape the temptation, noise and distraction of the modern society because emails, internet, mobile phones, and advertising billboards have become very much part of our everyday life.

Removing and overcoming Idolatry

Holy Scripture urges us to cultivate a total love and reverence for God above all else. The question then is, what can we do as Christians to ensure that the Lord receives our complete and total loyalty? Who and what dominates our thoughts and affections? Where are we investing our time, attention and efforts? Where does our priorities and passion lies? We can begin to remove the hidden idolatry  of our lives through the following in the light of Scripture:

·         Turn back to the Lord in wholehearted loyalty (Exodus 20:1-6)

·         Submit all your ambitions and plans to the Lord (James 4:13-15)

·         Develop a new value system that consists of heavenly treasures (Matthew 6:1-21)

·         Learn to be content with what you have (1 Timothy 6:7-10; Hebrew 13:5)

·         Adopt a Christ-like perspective and mindset (Colossians 3:1-5)

·         Beware of temptations, rely on God’s promised protection, and flee idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:12-14)

·         Use Scripture to silence the enticement of the devil (Matthew 4:8-11)

·         Discover in God your true purpose for existence (1 Corinthians 8:5-6)

·         Find your pleasure and joy in the Lord (Psalm 16:1-11)

Conclusion

We must examine our lives to unmask our personal hidden idolatries enslaving us and preventing us from living victorious Christian life. We should evaluate our lives to see where our priorities and passion lies, and to weigh the quality of our devotion and loyalty to God. Let’s us not be deceived, confused or seduced, but become aware of the dangers of idolatry in our modern society! Remember, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your strength’ (Dt. 6:5). Let people point at us in the world and say, ‘Now these are true Christians. We must leave behind a faith legacy that money cannot buy and death cannot take away through our courageous witness.

Rev. Fr. Michael Adefemi Adegbola, Director Media Service Centre writes from Kaduna, Nigeria 2011