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Idolatry Is Alive and Well I some times think we have trouble relating to subjects in the Bible. For
instance, idolatry is mentioned many times in both the Old and New Testament. We
read of Rachel stealing her father’s household idols in Genesis 31.19.
Idolatry was common among the Gentiles as they made images of “birds and
four-footed animals and creeping things” (Romans 1.23b). Of the Ten Plagues on
It may be hard for us to relate since we live in more “modern times” and
people are not so superstitious as those at Mars Hill in Acts 17.22 “Then Paul
stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in
all things ye are too superstitious.” In most translations the word
superstitious is translated as religious. We think of superstition as people in
some third world country worshipping a tree or some man made object. We may even think of idolatry as something so called professed Christians
would never do. However, God told Just last year one of those supermarket newspapers had a full page story
about the face of Jesus suddenly appearing on the outside wall of a grocery
store in South America after a dramatic rainstorm. Hundreds of people came to
pray to the image of Jesus and some
of the sick went away cured. A few days later, following another thunderstorm, a
new figure appeared on the wall beside Jesus. Is was Julio Iglesias. What had happened, the rain had washed off the coat of a white-wash that had
covered a poster for “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before.” As I the read the above paragraphs, I had to chuckle a little, but also
shake my head, at those that will worship in total ignorance. I remember hearing
of somebody putting a piece of toast on ebay and selling it. Why would anyone
want to purchase a piece of stale toast? The owner of the toast said the face of
Jesus appeared on the bread. Therefore, some people were willing to pay good
money for this piece of food. How this man knew what Jesus looked like is beyond
me, but he said it and we are supposed to believe it. Do you remember the
“weeping Mary?” Checking on the Internet I found no less than 27 different
statues of the Virgin Mary that supposedly wept. By weeping I mean that some
thing started trickling down her face. People started coming to the statues and
worshipping. In one case they kissed her foot to the point of wearing it down.
In another case it was discovered that the fluid was oil from the paint.
In a different case, a janitor was guilty of using his blood to create
the hoax. Idolatry
still exists today. We are not talking about people in Africa or Asia, but here
in the |