Civic Religion

What is idolatry? Here is Exodus 20's description from the Message. Yes, this is one of the Ten Commandments:

^4-6 No carved gods of any size, shape, or form of anything whatever, whether of things that fly or walk or swim. Don’t bow down to them and don’t serve them because I am God, your God, and I’m a most jealous God, punishing the children for any sins their parents pass on to them to the third, and yes, even to the fourth generation of those who hate me. But I’m unswervingly loyal to the thousands who love me and keep my commandments.

It is not that images are bad in themselves, so I guess I am only semi-iconoclastic in the way I look at these things. What is bad is bowing down, serving, and worshiping these idols. 

But I can just see you saying, "I have never done that!"

Are you sure? 

But before I mention one widespread type of idolatry among Christians today, I want to discuss the punishment on multiple generations mentioned in the commandment. This is a proverb and must be interpreted as a proverb. Here is Ezekiel's interpretation:

18 ^1-2 God’s Message to me: “What do you people mean by going around the country repeating the saying,

The parents ate green apples,
The children got the stomachache?

^3-4 “As sure as I’m the living God, you’re not going to repeat this saying in Israel any longer. Every soul—man, woman, child—belongs to me, parent and child alike. You die for your own sin, not another’s.

How then can God punish us for the sins of our parents? It is really simple if you think about it. We learn from our parents and repeat the same sins. The rest of Ezekiel 18 discusses this. 

Watch this video clip taken directly from an iconic movie. It shows by example the idolatry of modern Christians today, and in particular notice the training of the youth in idolatry. Notice also the removal of the hat by the black man in America's most holy place. 

Are you committing idolatry without realizing it? The reason such propaganda films are made is that they work.