MultifariousBirdLady Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 Armstrong also mentioned this in her book, that the bible's rants about pagans worshiping the idols were really just stereotyping pagans and not really accurate representations of actual pagan idol worship and that the pagans didn't believe the idols were actual deities, only representations of those deities in physical form. As a Pagan with a bunch of idols sitting in shrines around the house, that's how I see it, too. Idol worship gets a bad rap and it should by any thinking person. Religious Gods = rules. Political Gods = rules. Natural Gods = rules. To idol worship a statue or WORD or political party tends to kill all the questioning that one should always be doing. To idol worship something is to resist any change to it. In an evolving world, to allow ones rules to be so fixed that one is afraid to change them is to digress and not progress in one's thinking. Now this I disagree with. While there are plenty of religious (and political) systems which are rule-heavy, that's not universally true. Just because one has Gods does not mean one will resist questioning. Some Gods/religions encourage questioning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deva Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 Idol worship gets a bad rap and it should by any thinking person. Sounds like you are broad brushing a vast number of people as being unthinking. I disagree with this sweeping statement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outlaw393 Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 I don't worship any 'idols', it would be like worshiping your refrigerator because you think it's a god. To me idol worship is empty and pointless. My gods are not idols. They are living beings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greatest I am Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 Armstrong also mentioned this in her book, that the bible's rants about pagans worshiping the idols were really just stereotyping pagans and not really accurate representations of actual pagan idol worship and that the pagans didn't believe the idols were actual deities, only representations of those deities in physical form. As a Pagan with a bunch of idols sitting in shrines around the house, that's how I see it, too. Idol worship gets a bad rap and it should by any thinking person. Religious Gods = rules. Political Gods = rules. Natural Gods = rules. To idol worship a statue or WORD or political party tends to kill all the questioning that one should always be doing. To idol worship something is to resist any change to it. In an evolving world, to allow ones rules to be so fixed that one is afraid to change them is to digress and not progress in one's thinking. Now this I disagree with. While there are plenty of religious (and political) systems which are rule-heavy, that's not universally true. Just because one has Gods does not mean one will resist questioning. Some Gods/religions encourage questioning. A few of the many yes. All should but do not. Regards DL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greatest I am Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 Idol worship gets a bad rap and it should by any thinking person. Sounds like you are broad brushing a vast number of people as being unthinking. I disagree with this sweeping statement. One can disagree with me but they would likely be wrong. Why would a believer who is idol worshiping a God need to think? He has all the answers in his book and will not question God. Regards DL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greatest I am Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 I don't worship any 'idols', it would be like worshiping your refrigerator because you think it's a god. To me idol worship is empty and pointless. My gods are not idols. They are living beings. To label a living being a God is to idol worship that idol. Regards DL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deva Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 Idol worship gets a bad rap and it should by any thinking person. Sounds like you are broad brushing a vast number of people as being unthinking. I disagree with this sweeping statement. One can disagree with me but they would likely be wrong. Your name is quite descriptive of how you come off here - and pretty much sums up your general attitude. Do you ever imagine you might have a wrong idea? Why would a believer who is idol worshiping a God need to think?He has all the answers in his book and will not question God . Why you think worshiping an idol precludes thought is quite beyond me. Why would you image everyone who worships idols doesn't question? An idol is nothing more than a symbol, just as words are symbols. Does everyone that uses words or paints a picture an unthinking person? I am completely mystified by this attitude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Babylonian Dream Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 Idol worship gets a bad rep, because only preteens worshipper their favorite musicians Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greatest I am Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 Idol worship gets a bad rap and it should by any thinking person. Sounds like you are broad brushing a vast number of people as being unthinking. I disagree with this sweeping statement. One can disagree with me but they would likely be wrong. Your name is quite descriptive of how you come off here - and pretty much sums up your general attitude. Do you ever imagine you might have a wrong idea? No. I do keep an open mind though. I love to learn. Why would a believer who is idol worshiping a God need to think?He has all the answers in his book and will not question God . Why you think worshiping an idol precludes thought is quite beyond me. Why would you image everyone who worships idols doesn't question? An idol is nothing more than a symbol, just as words are symbols. Does everyone that uses words or paints a picture an unthinking person? I am completely mystified by this attitude. I guess that you have not yet tried to debate against those who thump away and never judge what they read enough to see that their interpretation makes no sense. That is why literalists and fundamentals are considered to be religioulous. They have God in a book and it's WORDs are direct from God. Their idol. They have bought into fantasy as explanations for the way their book is written. one cannot reason with those who believe that talking animals are real. Regards DL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neon Genesis Posted April 1, 2010 Author Share Posted April 1, 2010 Why you think worshiping an idol precludes thought is quite beyond me. Why would you image everyone who worships idols doesn't question? An idol is nothing more than a symbol, just as words are symbols. Does everyone that uses words or paints a picture an unthinking person? I am completely mystified by this attitude. Which is ironic since this guy is a deist and some of the anti-theistic atheists on ex-c might say the same thing about deism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deva Posted April 1, 2010 Share Posted April 1, 2010 Why you think worshiping an idol precludes thought is quite beyond me. Why would you image everyone who worships idols doesn't question? An idol is nothing more than a symbol, just as words are symbols. Does everyone that uses words or paints a picture an unthinking person? I am completely mystified by this attitude. Which is ironic since this guy is a deist and some of the anti-theistic atheists on ex-c might say the same thing about deism. That's right Neon. I have been here long enough to know you are right. What I am objecting to is the sweeping statement that all idol worshipers do not question or think. It simply isn't true. Not all idol worshipers are fundamentalists, either. It is this all or none, black and white type of characterization. I used to think that way myself so I know how easy it is to fall into that trap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greatest I am Posted April 2, 2010 Share Posted April 2, 2010 Why you think worshiping an idol precludes thought is quite beyond me. Why would you image everyone who worships idols doesn't question? An idol is nothing more than a symbol, just as words are symbols. Does everyone that uses words or paints a picture an unthinking person? I am completely mystified by this attitude. Which is ironic since this guy is a deist and some of the anti-theistic atheists on ex-c might say the same thing about deism. My Deism is based in large part on nature and has no room for fantasy. I do not worship the Godhead I found any more than I worship nature. Why worship something that cannot help being what it is. I am quite happy that nature is what it is or we would not likely be here but worship it, no. Idol worshipers follow. They do not question. They are sheeple, not thinking people. They do not question or argue with their idols. Regards DL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neon Genesis Posted April 4, 2010 Author Share Posted April 4, 2010 My Deism is based in large part on nature and has no room for fantasy. Try telling that to Richard Dawkins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The-Captain Posted April 4, 2010 Share Posted April 4, 2010 Idol worshipers follow. They do not question. They are sheeple, not thinking people. They do not question or argue with their idols. No more so than any given adherent of a school of philosophy is an unthinking follower. In reality an idol is simply a focus of ideas, even if the worshiper is unaware of this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greatest I am Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 My Deism is based in large part on nature and has no room for fantasy. Try telling that to Richard Dawkins. I will ask for his view next time I see him. Regards DL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greatest I am Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 Idol worshipers follow. They do not question. They are sheeple, not thinking people. They do not question or argue with their idols. No more so than any given adherent of a school of philosophy is an unthinking follower. In reality an idol is simply a focus of ideas, even if the worshiper is unaware of this. Yes, they idol worship ideas. As those that worship the WORDS of their admittedly, unfathomable God. All of Christianity and Islam, it can be argued, idol worship. They are book base. Books are idols. Regards DL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neon Genesis Posted April 5, 2010 Author Share Posted April 5, 2010 I will ask for his view next time I see him. Regards DL There's no need to ask when you can simply read The God Delusion. Dawkins has a whole section of his book where he argues against deism as being just as unlikely as being true as theism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greatest I am Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 I will ask for his view next time I see him. Regards DL There's no need to ask when you can simply read The God Delusion. Dawkins has a whole section of his book where he argues against deism as being just as unlikely as being true as theism. If the Deist take it to the point of belief in a creator God then I would agree that this is not a realistic view from what we can know. I am more of a naturalist Deist and my apotheosis has shown that even what man thinks is God, is just a part of nature and our next evolution. Regards DL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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