Idolatry and Horror Stories
In his classic horror story, The
Call of Cthulhu, H.P. Lovecraft delivers one of the spookiest narratives of all
time. This is not of zombies or vampires, but something far more unsettling.
The narrative surrounds the discovery of an idol that has a surprising effect
on the person who owns it. The idol drains the person of sanity, robs them of
their sleep, and calls them to take part in reviving a dark evil that slumbers
far away - but will come to take the planet. The story progresses as other
occult groups are worshiping the slumbering evil one. This is one of the
greatest horror stories of all time because of the remarkable restraint that it
shows - but it all starts with the power of a stone idol that is small enough
to fit in a box in the closet.
Idolatry in the Old Testament
The Old Testament records the
history of Israel. As they were called out by the one true God and set apart
for His purpose they still struggled. They struggled to keep His law, they
struggled to maintain their identity, but it seems that above all else - they
were addicted to idolatry. That first commandment of the 10 proved to be the
most difficult to maintain. (Exodus 20:1-5; Deuteronomy 5:6-9)
The idolatry that plagued Israel seems ridiculous.
The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob defined Himself so clearly against these
wicked idols (Exodus 3:6; Exodus 20:2–3). He defeated the false gods of Egypt
with resounding miracles (Exodus 7–12; Numbers 33:4). He cast the pagans out of
the land and many of the cities were wiped out completely because of the
serious threat posed by idolatry and the adjacent pagan practices (Deuteronomy
7:1–5; Deuteronomy 9:4–6).
When we consider the perversity of
the heart of mankind the errors make sense (Jeremiah 17:9; Genesis 6:5).
Asherah poles were sex cults, drug use and alcoholism were regularly part of
idolatry and pagan worship (Judges 6:25–30; 1 Kings 14:23). These false gods
offered a better time - not what was best, but what felt best.
The attraction of idolatry
continued - a person could run off and find any old block of wood. As Isaiah
tells Israel, that person can cut that block of wood in half. Use half to cook
his food - burn it up completely. And fashion the other half into an idol he
bows down before. Half was burned up as his possession to make his food, and
the other half was shaped, fixed to the ground to keep it from tottering (Isaiah
44:9–20). This block of wood couldn't walk, talk, or make anything happen - yet
he would worship it (Psalm 115:4–8; Psalm 135:15–18). It is a natural sinful
compulsion of man. We are designed to worship the One who created us. It is a
need that is within us that is as deep as our need to eat and sleep. Yet,
worshipping the God of the universe means giving up our desire to be the god of
our own lives (Genesis 3:5; Romans 1:21–25).
If we ask the God of Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob what to do we may not like what He says. But the little idol in the
corner always says exactly what I tell it to say - what I want it to say. Idols
are like fast food - you get to have it your way (Judges 17:6).
Modern Idolatry
Modern idolatry is only slightly
different. Mostly because we have more sophisticated methods to make our idols
talk. From the little Apple IIGS in the corner to the phone we hold in our
hands, our idols have become far more communicative, but they still have all
the marks of ancient idolatry. They still demand attention (Matthew 6:21), they
still tell us exactly what we want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3–4), and they keep us
from attending to the Lord. The new trap of AI is even greater than the last. A
machine that you can talk with and get anything from a new recipe to updates on
the latest political and world news. The world quickly adapted this new tool
into every aspect of life.
Computers, cel-phones, the internet,
and AI are simply tools. As tools they must be respected for the power that
they offer and the threat that they pose (1 Corinthians 6:12). A table saw is a
great tool, but can also easily take off a finger, or fire a board right
through you (Proverbs 14:15). When I see a group of people sitting around a
table at a restaurant all staring at their phones, I don't see a tool - I see
an idol (Isaiah 2:8). When I notice that people are going to AI to find
solutions to their greatest spiritual problems, I don't see a tool...I see an
idol (Jeremiah 2:13). When I hear about people using AI to replace
relationships, as with the new trend of "AI Girlfriends" I don't see
a tool, I see an idol (Romans 1:22–25). When I see people choosing to skip
church because they can catch it online...I don't see a tool, I see an idol (Hebrews
10:24–25).
I am no luddite - I don't think that
all technology is bad. I love being able to call any of my friends around the
globe. I am writing this article on a computer; I will use an editing app that utilizes
AI to help find spelling and grammar errors before I publish it. I will also
use AI to create a snappy picture for the top of any given article I write. I
only exhort Christians to be wise (Ephesians 5:15–16).
A Closing Warning
We know that we can worship money (Matthew
6:24), a relationship (Luke 14:26), a celebrity or politician (Psalm 146:3), a
government (Revelation 13:4). There are many things competing for the position
that only God deserves in our lives (Exodus 20:3; Matthew 22:37).
The little idol in The Call of Cthulhu is more accurate than we may think at first. Idolatry makes man foolish, stupid, and worthless (Jeremiah 10:8; Romans 1:21–22). As the Bible says more than once "those who worship them will become like them" (Psalm 115:8; Psalm 135:18). It may be a slow trip; it may be a subtle decay of mental and spiritual capacity. The Apostle John thought this theme was so important that he ended his first epistle with a simple sentiment that I will close by quoting: "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." (1 John 5:21)
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