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There's a good thread on competitive and commercialized sports in the Anabaptist theology section. This post prompted the thought that perhaps we could expand it a bit for multiple perspectives. No debating/arguing please.

What kinds of activities, events, or people have developed an idolatrous following in our modern culture? Sharing your perspective with kindness is appreciated.

MaxPC wrote:There's a good thread on competitive and commercialized sports in the Anabaptist theology section. This post prompted the thought that perhaps we could expand it a bit for multiple perspectives. No debating/arguing please.

What kinds of activities, events, or people have developed an idolatrous following in our modern culture? Sharing your perspective with kindness is appreciated.

May we start with someone helping us with the true meaining of idolatry? I mean I guess- is idolatry the same thing as being a fanatic about something other than God? Or is 'obsessions' and 'idolatry' the same thing? Or special interests and idolatry the same thing?

Looking for the accurate definition of idolatry would help at least me-

Anything and everything is and has been used for idolatry.
There's really no defining it.

Idolatry is anything that we place before God in our priorities. In the modest dress thread, we could have looked at fashions as being idolatry. Many times we don't think of something as being idolatry - we need to ask God to reveal to us those areas that fall into the idolatry area for us as individuals.

Hats Off wrote:Idolatry is anything that we place before God in our priorities. In the modest dress thread, we could have looked at fashions as being idolatry. Many times we don't think of something as being idolatry - we need to ask God to reveal to us those areas that fall into the idolatry area for us as individuals.

Anything we put in God's place is an idol.

Even our religious practices can be idolatry. Some people idolize their pastor or their denomination or a particular translation of the Bible or a particular kind of religious garb.

Bootstrap wrote:

Hats Off wrote:Idolatry is anything that we place before God in our priorities. In the modest dress thread, we could have looked at fashions as being idolatry. Many times we don't think of something as being idolatry - we need to ask God to reveal to us those areas that fall into the idolatry area for us as individuals.

Anything we put in God's place is an idol.

Even our religious practices can be idolatry. Some people idolize their pastor or their denomination or a particular translation of the Bible or a particular kind of religious garb.

Can we give examples by Scripture that ascribe 'idolatry' to something other than a 'false god or false diety'? Where "worship" is actually being done? I think sometimes we use the word idolatry too loosely- when I think about when God used it, there seemed to be ACTUAL false gods involved that were worshipped by pagans.

Valerie wrote:

Bootstrap wrote:

Hats Off wrote:Idolatry is anything that we place before God in our priorities. In the modest dress thread, we could have looked at fashions as being idolatry. Many times we don't think of something as being idolatry - we need to ask God to reveal to us those areas that fall into the idolatry area for us as individuals.

Anything we put in God's place is an idol.

Even our religious practices can be idolatry. Some people idolize their pastor or their denomination or a particular translation of the Bible or a particular kind of religious garb.

Can we give examples by Scripture that ascribe 'idolatry' to something other than a 'false god or false diety'? Where "worship" is actually being done? I think sometimes we use the word idolatry too loosely- when I think about when God used it, there seemed to be ACTUAL false gods involved that were worshipped by pagans.

Colossians 3:5English Standard Version (ESV)
5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

silentreader wrote:

Valerie wrote:

Bootstrap wrote:
Anything we put in God's place is an idol.

Even our religious practices can be idolatry. Some people idolize their pastor or their denomination or a particular translation of the Bible or a particular kind of religious garb.

Can we give examples by Scripture that ascribe 'idolatry' to something other than a 'false god or false diety'? Where "worship" is actually being done? I think sometimes we use the word idolatry too loosely- when I think about when God used it, there seemed to be ACTUAL false gods involved that were worshipped by pagans.

Colossians 3:5English Standard Version (ESV)
5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Perfect- thank you. (is that saying 'all' of those characteristics are idolatry or just covetousness? Anything 'earthly' then?
I hadn't remembered that passage relating to idolatry- but yes it does- but am really thinking of all the times God addressed Israel's idolatry when they went after false gods.

Valerie wrote:

silentreader wrote:

Valerie wrote:
Can we give examples by Scripture that ascribe 'idolatry' to something other than a 'false god or false diety'? Where "worship" is actually being done? I think sometimes we use the word idolatry too loosely- when I think about when God used it, there seemed to be ACTUAL false gods involved that were worshipped by pagans.

Colossians 3:5English Standard Version (ESV)
5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Perfect- thank you. (is that saying 'all' of those characteristics are idolatry or just covetousness? Anything 'earthly' then?
I hadn't remembered that passage relating to idolatry- but yes it does- but am really thinking of all the times God addressed Israel's idolatry when they went after false gods.

I think that it is talking about covetousness only here. What I get from this is that serving self, as in "I want that bad", is idolatry. Especially if it puts what I want for me, above what God wants for me.

silentreader wrote:

Valerie wrote:

silentreader wrote:

Perfect- thank you. (is that saying 'all' of those characteristics are idolatry or just covetousness? Anything 'earthly' then?
I hadn't remembered that passage relating to idolatry- but yes it does- but am really thinking of all the times God addressed Israel's idolatry when they went after false gods.

I think that it is talking about covetousness only here. What I get from this is that serving self, as in "I want that bad", is idolatry. Especially if it puts what I want for me, above what God wants for me.

Makes sense- kind of implying then a 'self' worship-