IDOLATRY By Alex
"Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods. I am the Lord your God."...Lev. 19:4
In regards to that scripture, I'd like to quote a few excerpts from New Horizons Issue 10 July/Aug. 1998 -1634 E. 53rd St #190 Chicago IL 60615
Under the title "The Idol Shepherds" it starts out:
"Do you worship an idol?...A silly question you may think. For the notion of an "idol" conjures up to the modem mind a leering, bloated, cross-legged carving in wood or stone, worshipped by some ancient primitive tribe, and to which are sacrificed infants and virgins. There aren't many of these idols around today! Then, of course, we talk of a "pop idol", and perhaps even point to someone who makes an idol of his new Rolls-Royce--or World Cup soccer."
Then later....
"Biblical Christianity----Throw away the Bible, of course, and there's no such thing as idolatry. Anything goes. How come, then, that those who claim their religion on the same Bible, and who teach their flock from the same Bible, arrive at such different conclusions? How come they--from the highest prelate to the newest teacher of the faith--are at such variance with the Scriptures? How come they actively promote idolatry? (unquote).
I wanted to get that in before I began. But I want to go right to the heart of the matter. I want to clarify the first sentence in the above paragraph. I contend that the Bible itself is an item of idol worship. Which the writer says in so many words. So since the church he belongs to no doubt believes in the Bible, then it, too, is guilty of the very questions he asks. He who points a finger should make sure his own house is in order.
"I don't care if it rains or freezes, cause I've got my plastic Jesus, glued upon the dashboard of my car."
In our old neighborhood, Our Catholic friends would go berserk and chase us to hell and gone whenever we sang that song in front of them. Catholicism is the largest Christian denomination in the world. Being so, and believing that it is the only true church, and that Peter was its first pope, It brazenly thumbs its nose at the Bible and makes up its own laws. It has icons, artifact, paintings beautiful cathedrals, virgin Mary's and money up the kazoo. Talk about idol worship! Crosses, statues and arts of Mary, dead popes and saints abound in their churches. Catholics pray to them, weep for them, kneel to them, and make the sign of the cross before them, kneel to them, and make the sign of the cross before them.
In the editorial of this morning's paper (12/1), Mary McGrory mentions the current dispute between Catholics and Jews. Under the heading of "Canonization of Pius Xll drawing fire" she goes on to say:
"Pope John Paul ll caused many Jews great consternation when he bestowed sainthood last month on Sister Edith Stein, a Carmelite nun who was born a Jew. Now he is pushing the canonization of Pope Pius Xll, the World War ll pontiff whose silence during the Holocaust has made him one of the most controversial figures of his time. To Jews, that adds insult to injury". --and down further...
"It isn't what Pius did, it's what he didn't do. He protested the bombing of Rome, but not the bombing of London or Naples. People wished that when the Nazis rounded up the Jews for deportation, he had marched with them". ---Arrigo Levi, distinguished author and commentator. (Unquote)
But the popes themselves are objects of idolization. Catholics prost- rate themselves before him, kiss his ring, (some would probably even go further), crave for his blessing, and writhe with spiritual bliss in his very presence. And why not? He is God's most chosen anointed. He is a direct line of popes leading back to Peter, the first pope. He can, by decree, over- rule the Bible, and in essence violate the Word of God. Every good Catholic believes this. He believes in purgatory, limbo, confessions, venal and mortal sins, praying to the blessed virgin, praying the Rosary, lighting candles, Palm Sunday, Ash Wednesday, etc, etc.. All of this is Idolatry.
On page 178 in "The Book Your Church Doesn't Want You To Read" Is a reference to Mary. Under the title of "Mary" appears a bust image of her with a child looking over her shoulder. Under it are the words;
"The oldest story in the world is the virgin mother and the new born baby". --Then these two paragraphs:
"Fathers of the Christian church strongly opposed the worship of Mary because they were well aware that she was only a composite of Mariaune, the Semitic God-Mother and Queen of Heaven, Aphrodite-Mari, The Syrian version of Ishtar, Juno, the Blessed Virgin, the Moerae or trinity of Fates, and many other versions of the Great Goddess.
Even Diana Lucifera, the Morning Star Goddess, was assimilated into the Christian myth as Mary's mother, Anna or Dinah. Churchmen knew the same titles were applied to Mary as to her pagan forerunners: queen of heaven, empress of hell, and lady of the world". -------Women in Mythology
On 179 is a full page spread of a black star lit night with a white dotted outline of a woman holding a standing baby in her hands. The caption reads "Virgo". "Ave Maria" is a very beautiful, soul stirring song. Catholics sing it with the deepest of feelings. Sad to say, this too, is Idolatry.
The Protestants snicker, but they also practice Idolatry. Their steeples are phallic symbols, they also pray to a crucified Christ on a cross, sing about the cross, kiss the cross, and wear miniature crosses around their necks, (as do the Catholics). Their churches also have idolatrous objects similar to the Catholics. Candles, crucifixions, Mary, saints in leaded glass, etc. Many rituals are the same as the Catholics. They both honor the same God, albeit different faiths. And these very same Catholics and Protestants are killing each other in Ireland in the name of that God.
So a Catholic, Protestant, or any other Christian, should ask their spiritual leaders how Lev. 19:4 squares with their church's teachings.
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