Why is Idol Worship a Sin

8/11/2019 Why is Idol Worship a Sin

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Why is idol worship a sin ?

Introduction:

There are a number of people in the world that practice idol worship. This article aims tocritically analyze idol worship, taking into consideration the reasons given by those who

practice it.

Reasons given for Idol Worship:

1. An Idol itself is NT god. It is !ust a symbol of "od.

#. Idols are !ust an ob!ect of concentration. $e do not believe idols themselves to be

"ods.

%. $e do not worship the idols & $e worship "od through idols.

'. $e revere "od like we revere our leaders and forefathers by remembering them with

their pictures and statues.

(. "od is everywhere, so worshiping idols is not a sin.

). $e use simple e*amples to make children understand. +imilarly, common people are

like children when it comes to spirituality. That is why idols are used during worship.

Things to remember:

Gods image is an assumption

None of us have seen "od. Therefore, the images of "od that people worship are not correct.

They are mere assumptions made by people.

Images derived from Mans eperience

The images attributed to "od are derived from peoples e*periences of what they have seen

and perceived in their daily life.

Why is idol worship a sin?

-eople think that worshipping idols is not a sin because idols are worshipped only to revere"od. Idol worship is not a sin since "od understands the intentions behind it.


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ven though people who worship "od using idols might do so with the best of intentions,

idol worship is still a sin because of the following reasons.

!" God did not permit idol worship

"od did not allow people to worship /im through idols. In order to be remembered or

thought upon no one would like to have the statue or painting of a dog or monkey made for

him, since we consider them sub&human creatures which are far below us. +imilarly all

ob!ects in this universe are created by "od and everything here is so insignificant that there is

no comparison to any of them with "od. It is a gross in!ustice to "od to erect any of these

ob!ects to remember or to concentrate on "od. /ence it becomes an unpardonable sin.

#" Images attributed to God disrespect God

Although images are made to revere "od, unfortunately the same images become a means for

disrespecting "od. 0or e*ample we see the images attributed to "od being used in calendars,

hand bags, crackers, lottery tickets, invitation cards and even beedis. nce the calendar year

e*pires, the calendar which has the image of 2"od3 gets thrown into the garbage bin. The

same happens with used and old notebooks, invitation cards and hand bags. $e see old

lottery tickets with the image of "od being used in hair salons, while some beedis with the

image of "od are flushed in toilets and others stamped under peoples feet.

$ould we accept such things to be done to our picture or the pictures of our parents or our

beloved ones4 If not, how can we accept such things done to "od4

$" Images attributed to God are many times unacceptable to us

+ome of the images attributed to "od are many times unacceptable to us. 0or e*ample would

we like to see ourselves with a big pot belly, disfigured face with teeth protruding outside4

$ould we agree to marry such a person or agree to get our children married to such persons4

$e would never accept.

"od who created beauty would be the most beautiful. The images do gross in!ustice to "od

by portraying "ods image as something we ourselves would not accept.+o the reason We revere God like we revere our leaders and forefathers by remembering

them with their pictures and statuesis not valid.

%" Images of God distort the correct concept of God

$hen images of "od are drawn from what man has e*perienced, man starts to think that

"ods nature is similar to humans and ends up attributing all types of human weaknesses like

family, wives, concubines, sleep, forgetfulness etc to "od. This leads to the distortion of the

correct belief of "od thus making man careless about the accountability of his deeds as hestarts to consider "od weak.


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&o we need idols for concentration?

$e do not need idols or images to concentrate. The following points will e*plain that.

1. $e see many people close their eyes when they pray standing in front of the images

or idols. If images and idols are used for concentration, why do people close their

eyes4

#. 5oncentration needs to be at the ma*imum when we pray to "od for an urgent need.

0or e*ample 6ou travel in a bike and the brake of the bike fails. It is natural that you

would pray to "od and concentration for this prayer needs to be at the ma*imum.

$ould you search for a picture or an idol of "od before you pray or would you

directly pray to "od4

%. If idol is used N76 for concentration, any ob!ect could be used and the substitution

of any other ob!ect for the idol would not be opposed. This never happens. /ence the

statement that idols are used only for concentration is not true.

'. 8oreover, if the idols are used only for concentration then people should be ready to

treat the idols and images like any other ob!ect. This never happens. 8an gets the

image and reflection of things where his mind and eyes concentrate. The idolater will

have the image of the idol settled in mind, and idols will occupy "ods place. This is

why the statues and images are sanctified and honored with worship 9pu!as:. This

shows that people treat the images and the idols as "od. +o the reasons 2Idol itself is

NT god. It is !ust a symbol of "od; idols are !ust an ob!ect of concentration. $e do

not believe idols themselves to be "ods and we do not worship the idols & we worship

"od through idols3 are not true.

(. It is a common practice for people to use 2photos3 of the deceased during the

anniversary rites. If the picture of the deceased is not to be found, would people agree

to substitute with a picture of someone else4 If no, how is it fine to substitute an

image for "od4

).

Is God everywhere?

-eople think that since "od is everywhere, idols and statues can be worshipped. This

reasoning is incorrect due to the following reasons.

1. If "od is everywhere, then we can start worshiping any ob!ect present around us and

need not look for an idol or an image attributed to "od. *ample pen, chairs, tables

etc.

#. It is illogical to think that "od is everywhere. 5reations have a beginning and end. If

the "od 9creator: is within the creations, then what would happen to "od when the

creations come to an end4

%. ur universe comprises of matter and anti&matter. $hen matter and anti&matter comein contact with each other, they cancel each other and the result is non&e*istence. +o if


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"od is present everywhere, it would mean "od is present in both matter and anti&

matter. +o when the matter and anti&matter come in contact with each other, it would

mean that "od becomes non&e*istent because the matter and anti&matter cancel each

other. /ence, "od being present everywhere is illogical and impossible.

/ence the reason 2"od is everywhere, so worshiping idols is not a sin3 is incorrect.

'ow can we achieve concentration in worship?

$hen man starts to think about the attributes of "od like "ods mercy, forgiveness, love,

wisdom, poweretc man would be able to really concentrate in his worship and the worship

will also become meaningful.

ne important thing everyone needs to ask themselves is have we ever tried to worship "od

without using an image or an idol4 If no, how is it correct to dismiss the idea without eventrying it4

(ommon people need Idols to worship God

The claim that common people are incapable of worshipping "od without idols is false

because

1. There are millions of common people in Islam,


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'indu )criptures condemn Idol worship

A careful reading of the edas and Bpanishads will show us that the /indu scriptures are

against idol worship. /ence organizations like Arya+ama!, Crahmo+ama!, "ayathri+ama! etc

which follow the teachings of edas and Bpanishads speak against idol worship and regard

idol worship as a sin.

&o we have an ecuse to worship Idols?

$hen we confront the person who worships an Idol with the evidences and reasons against it,

he may recant saying 2$hat matters is to be good, let us not worry about how we worship

"od3. Bsing this statement, the person attempts to nullify all the arguments against idol

worship.If this statement is made by a person who worships "od, we may ask him, if it is !ust about

being a good human being, why do you worship "od4

Cy worshiping "od, the person agrees that as much as we strive to be good human beings, it

is e@ually important to worship "od. +ince worship is for "od, are we not supposed to see if

"od ratifies how we worship4 $e did see that "od does not permit idol worship and also the

problems with it and why it becomes a sin.

7et us try to understand this through a simple e*ample. +ay there is a person called A, who

does a lot of social services like helping the poor, sick and the needy and he is known as an

e*cellent human being in his society. ne day, people discover that he was involved in

treason by secretly helping an enemy nation by passing on confidential information to them.

n the other hand, we have another person called C, who does not do much social services or

get involved in any social welfare activities and is not considered as a great person by his

society. Although this person does not do any good acts, he stays loyal to his country.

5ompare these two persons, A and C. $ho is better of the two4 5an person A be forgiven !ust

because he has helped a few people4 In no case, will he be forgiven, as what he has done

amounts to treachery and planning against the country. All countries consider treason as a

very serious crime.

+imilarly, "od does love people who do good deeds, but under N prete*t, will "od forgive

those who do Dtreachery against /im, by worshipping things other than /im or by

worshipping idols.

It is hence, very clear that when a person is involved in idol worship, he disobeys "od. Aperson can never be a good human being by disobeying "od and doing things that displeases

"od./ence, to be a good human being, a person has to obey "od in all matters including

worship.

+o the e*cuseWhat matters is to be good, let us not worry about how we worship Godis

not !ustified.

*ssence of Worship


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$orship is a deed done by the worshipper out of e*treme piety, reverence and humility to

"od. It is unbecoming of man, who is the best of "ods creations to offer worship to

something that is e@ual to him to or something which is below him in status.

8oreover, worship with e*treme reverence is shown only to the one who deserves it. "od

alone is perfect in greatness, wisdom and power. +o "od alone deserves worship and it is

"ods privilege to be worshipped and adored. $hat "od alone deserves should not be givento others; and doing so is against "ods will because it is like elevating them to the same level

as "od, who is the one and only deity.

)ummary

1. Idol worship is a ma!or sin.

#. "od did not permit idol worship.

%. Images attributed to "od humiliate "od.

'. Images of "od distort the correct concept of "od.

(. Images attributed to "od are many times unacceptable to us.

). $e do not need idols for concentration.5oncentration in worship can be achieved by

thinking about the attributes of "od.

E. The argument 2"od is everywhere, so Idol worship is correct3 is erroneous.

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Why is Idol Worship a Sin