Idolatry is the veneration, excessive honor, or worship of something other than God. In various cultures -- both past and present -- idols have come in many different forms. The most commonly known forms of idols includes statues, figurines, sacred pillars, poles, towers and rocks. Other forms of idolatry includes illicit sexual activity, greed, theft, and the excessive love of money. Yahweh makes it quite clear in scripture that He will not tolerate any form of idolatry (Exodus 20:4-6, Exodus 34:17, Leviticus 26:1-2, Deuteronomy 5:8, Deuteronomy 32:21, 1 Corinthians 10:14).

When speaking of idolatry in general, the bible tells us that it's not agreeable for God's temple to be shared with idols (2 Corinthians 6:16) and we are to keep ourselves away from idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:14, 1 John 5:21). Idolatry is one of the works of the flesh that can prevent us from entering His Kingdom (Galatians 5:19-21). Yahweh is very serious about the sin of idolatry. He warned of harsh punishment towards those who did not heed His divine instructions regarding idol worship (Exodus 20:4-6). Those who were involved in the manufacture of idolatrous objects were cursed because of their detestable occupation (Deuteronomy 27:15). We are not to fall into actions of worship towards anyone else, not even angels (Revelation 19:10, Revelation 22:8-9). Some people believe that it is okay to take something and use it as an aid to worship so long as it is for worshipping The Almighty God. However, in the bible, the example of the Israelites attempting to do the same thing still incited God to great rage (Exodus 32:1-10).

Does idol worship still occur among those claiming to be Christian today? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. We can see how this happens by considering what the scriptures say compared to common practices in the lives of those who claim to be Christian. So, taking the bible, let's see how people today have been misled into idolatry:

One of the biggest things going today is accepted disrespect for the arrangement of marital fidelity. Unclean sexual practices are connected to idolatry (Colossians 3:5-6), and this includes fornication and adultery. According to scripture fornication is a major sin (Acts 15:20,29, Acts 21:25, Galatians 5:5) and is covetous sexual appetite (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5). Covetousness is greed, which is idolatry (Ephesians 5:5), therefore fornication is a form of idolatry. Adultery is a form of fornication (Matthew 5:32, Matthew 19:9), therefore the sins of adultery, fornication and idolatry are connected. (Psalms 50:18, Jeremiah 3:9, Jeremiah 7:8-9, Ezekiel 23:36-37, Romans 2:22, Revelation 2:20-23). It is interesting to note that adultery is also linked to stealing (Psalms 50:18), and stealing is also a form of Idolatry (Romans 2:22).

Yes, stealing is a form of idolatry (Romans 2:22). This is because a thief steals out of covetousness, wanting something that cannot be legally taken. Covetousness is a form of idolatry (Colossians 3:5). A thief steals out of greed, wanting more than what is already had. Greed is a form of idolatry (Ephesians 5:5). Therefore, we can see that stealing, covetousness and greed are all connected as idolatrous practices. Closely related to this is the love of money. Although you can legally pursue riches, the excessive love of money is linked to idolatrous activity (Matthew 6:24). The excessive love of money is why Jesus was so angry at the merchants that set up shop in God's temple (Matthew 2:12). This is not saying it is a sin to have a lot of money though. This is shown in that many godly people in the bible had a large measure of financial wealth (Genesis 30:43, 1 Kings 10:23, 1 Chronicles 29:28, 2 Chronicles 32:37). The sin lies in your attitude towards the money: are you freely giving it to the needy? (Matthew 5:42, Matthew 19:21, Luke 6:30, Luke 14:13) or are you hoarding it away from them? (Deuteronomy 27:19, Matthew 15:5, 1 Timothy 5:8) Are you cheating others to gain the money? (Proverbs 11:1, Proverbs 20:23), or are you gaining it honestly? (Proverbs 16:11). The apostle Paul spoke thoroughly against the love of money, that we should be contented with having enough for our needs and not worry about having more. He also reminded us of the evils that love of money can suck us into (1 Timothy 6:6-19). James supports this at James 1:15. And, as a last point, greed shows a lack of faith in God, because it shows one is not trusting that God will supply us with our daily needs (Matthew 6:33, Hebrews 13:5).

What about the other, more commonly known forms of idolatry? Do some Christians actually worship idols today?

Exodus 20:4 Says we are not to make something that represents anything that resembles things from the sky, the earth, or the sea to use for bowing down or serving in worship. For many Christians, a certain fish symbol represents Christianity. This symbol in itself isn't a bad thing as it is simply an identifying logo. However, if some individuals start to use the fish symbol as a visual aid for praying to and worship, then it is becoming an idolatrous thing. This is because Exodus says we are not to bow to or serve or such representations (This would include the bowing of one's head in prayer toward the object).

Leviticus 26:1-2 and Deuteronomy 5:8 Tells us to not set up a carved image, sacred pillar, or a stone showpiece for worship. Many believers don't realize that the veneration they give to a crucifix or a cross falls under this form of idolatry. The fact is, a crucifix or a cross is a form of sacred pillar. Some people pray to this sacred pillar in their attempts to worship God. People even go so far as to kiss it, and caress it, and essentially adore it. God has told us not to set up a sacred pillar for worship, He made no exceptions to this. We'd like to point out, though, that one can have deep appreciation and love for Christ and his sacrifice without resorting to prayerfully venerating the cross itself.

Deuteronomy 4:16-20 Specifies that we are not to make any kind of image, not even in the likeness of a male or female, to set up for worshipping purposes. Again, there are no exceptions to this command. In some congregations the members use the statues of Christ, his human mother Mary, or even a plethora of Saints as part of their worship routine. They pray to, and kiss these objects. These are definite representations of males or females for the purpose of worship. Remember, scripture states that acts of worship belong only to God (Revelation 19:10, 22:8-9), and that we are to pray only to God and no one else (John 14:13-14). Also, the bible specifies that Jesus Christ is our only intercessor (John 14:6, 1 Timothy 2:5), making the use of anything or anyone else a waste of time.

Other forms of idolatry can be manifested by giving excessive honour and glory to living people.

Now, first we have to balance our view of honour according to what the bible says. The bible does say that we must pay our taxes, give honour to those who call for honour and give tribute to those who call for tribute. This is because it is God who actually allows the human leaders to be placed in their positions (Romans 13:1- 7). Therefore, we are commanded to obey the laws of our countries, recognize the authority of our human leaders, and live peacefully with everyone else. To do otherwise would be going against what God has ordained. However, we must be on guard that we don't elevate our leaders to the extent that we deify them. We cannot regard them as equal to, or nearly equal to, God Himself (Isaiah 40:25, Isaiah 46:5). This includes political figures, country leaders, famous evangelists, even the Pope. There are no exceptions to this biblical teaching. The bible tells us that we should be careful of men who elevate themselves as a god (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). To reinforce the idea that men shouldn't be elevated to god-like status, there are scriptures that tell the error in putting all your trust in men (Psalms 118:8-9, Psalms 146:3, Jeremiah 9:4). The bible considers venerating anything created (which includes men) and rendering sacred service to such things as exchanging the truth for a lie (Romans 1:25). Scripture also points out that God's ways are much higher than men's (Isaiah 55:9), and that sacred honour and glory belong only to God forever (1 Timothy 1:17). Lastly, the bible also shows that putting your trust in men is a curse and turns hearts away from God (Jeremiah 17:5).

Exodus 20:4, and Leviticus 26:1 and Deuteronomy 16:21 Tells us several things: We aren't to make any images that represent things in the sky, the earth, or the sea to bow to or serve, and we also aren't to make sacred poles, pillars or rocks to bow to or serve. One thing many people don't catch is the idolatrous amount of honour bestowed on their country's flag. Not only do many flags have the representations of things from the sky, earth, or sea, but they are usually mounted on a pole as well. Now, We are NOT saying that we should show disrespect to a country or flag, but again we are saying we should keep a balanced view on the matter.

For example: Here in the United States, citizens give a piece of non-living cloth excessive amounts of honour by saluting it, pledging allegiance to it, and even setting up strict rules on the care and keeping of it. There are specialized ceremonies concerning folding the flag and the discarding of retired flags. Now, flags don't know we exist -- they are non-living objects -- yet we show more respect and care for them than some people show to their own fathers and mothers. Flags are non-conscious and do not know country, pride, allegiance, or anything. They cannot be offended. Despite this, people tend to become deeply offended when others show less then high veneration for the object. Our flag pledge even states "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.....", but shouldn't our true allegiance be to God Almighty instead? -- Especially since it was God Almighty who allowed the leaders to have their positions in the first place? This is not an affront to our individual countries to feel this way, because balanced respect for our countries should always remain in place no matter what. We can fully obey the laws, pay our taxes, and live as law-abiding citizens while keeping our alligiance to God intact.

We understand that these above mentioned concepts may be new to a lot of you, and may seem downright strange and hard to get used to. Nevertheless, think about this: who told you that it was okay to use these certain objects for worship, veneration or glory: imperfect men, or God's Holy Word the Bible? Who's words are you going to take? Remember the scripture at Matthew 15:8-9, which says

"These people show respect to Me with their mouth, but their heart is far from Me. Their worship of Me is worth nothing. They teach what men have made up." (New Life Version)

We also need to remember, as tough as it can be sometimes, we need to purify our worship as best we can (James 4:8). Yahweh is a God of truth (Psalms 31:5), and He only wants those who will worship Him in truth (John 4:23-24). We are also told in scripture that we are to walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).Therefore, we need to live by His rules, even though we may not be accustomed to them. Remember, the road to everlasting life is narrow and cramped, and few are the ones who find it (Matthew 7:13-14, Luke 13:23-24). This means that just because the majority of worshippers are going according to a certain custom, that does not necessarily make it a correct, godly custom.