Idolatry

Idolatry is the giving of worship to the "Not-God."  It is to worship something which is not worthy of worship, something less than ultimate in our reality.

Society offers we men a number of well tried  idolatrous opportunities.

Work is the classic idol. We are invited to give our life to our work.  When we say someone "lives for his work" we saying theologically that he "worships" his job.  This is idolatry.  Work is not worth it!  It never was worth being only the extension of a company or job. Witness the alarming number of men who die relatively soon after retirement!  Work today is even less worthy of worship.  We live in the age of retrenchment, downsizing, and contract labour.  Why worship something so transitory?  There is nothing ultimate here.

Idolatry  may seem an outdated concept in today's world. However, we give credit to the notion of idolatry by our use of the phrase "to idolise."  We use it of the teenage fan of a pop group, for instance. In that idolising we recognise that there is a worth given to the object or person which is not quite proper.  They are not quite worthy of our attention in this way.  There are occasions where we deliberately use the word "idolise" instead of words like "respect" or "esteem."  We talk of "discipling" ourselves sometimes, or of using a person as a "mentor figure" or "life symbol."  These are all different to what we mean when we say "idolise."

Firstly, happiness is often merely diversion.  We are not happy... we are unconsciously diverted to something else.  We may feel "happy" simply because we have been diverted from being sad, or troubled.

Secondly, happiness is contingent, not ultimate.  This is why it is so hard to be happy.  Happiness comes from the old English word "hap" which essentially means luck.  Things just "happen."  An unlucky person is "hapless."  Happiness is an ephemeral thing which just happens... it is dependent on circumstance.  We may work to alter our circumstance, or may live in very fortunate circumstances, but all this work or good fortune may desert us.  It is therefore very careful to discern whether we are working toward a life which is "blessed" or joyful (see below) or whether we are being sold an idolatrous concept of happiness.

Some techniques for happiness are useful; they help us make the best of a situation, and seize its opportunities.  Others are ultimately about achieving material insulation from misfortune. I think these cost so much ethically if they are to succeed that they will make us UN-happy!

In contrast to happiness, Christian theology uses the word makarios which means "blessed."  "Blessed are the meek," said Jesus. Blessed does not mean happy.  It is more like joy, the knowledge and experience of something more enduring than lucky happiness.  Happiness as an object of worship is an idol. Mat 5:6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." Blessing and joy have to do with ethics, not just happiness.

This is an area where issues about sex and pornography arise.  Not only is pornography wrong because it is exploitative and degrading, treating people as objects.  It is also diversionary.  In the end it seeks happiness by diversion.  Even where it provides some measure of happiness, what has it really done?  It has diverted some attention away from one's own misery.  An imagined physicality has relieved one's alienation and loneliness for real contact.  There is no real happiness, let alone joy.

Mat 5: 10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 "Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Blessing is not about happiness. The translation of makarios as "happy" is profoundly wrong.

This is not to say that a Crusade is intrinsically unworthy.  Perhaps the warning here, from Usama bin Ladin, and from President Bush (see side panel) is that the stronger the will to crusade, the more consuming and driving it is, then the more suspicious we should be of its real worth.

There is an increased urge to "crusade" in our society.  Much of it is worthy.  Action needs to be taken on many fronts as big business and globalised interest (not intrinsically bad perhaps) tend to ride rough shod over the interests of the local people and culture.  But much crusading, such as (Pauline) Hansonism or the National Front in Australia is really dark underbelly stuff.  It is tribalistic fear, unworthy of worship.  The language and the generated passion are reminiscent of worship, but are ultimately pretenders.

The sidebar quotation is from an article currently (Oct 2001) here, although if you put the title, The Algebra of Infinite Justice into a search engine, it will show up in a number of places. The Copyright belongs to Arundhati Roy. 

If family is given the maximum worth then our ethics will always be under undue pressure to bend to keeping the family happy over the greater good. This is an especial problem for we Westerners who are so over sated with possessions.

Luke 5:59To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."
But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God."  Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

This was not to say family is bad, but the claim of the ultimate is greater than family.