Idols of Habit

Idol worship is a tricky subject, even in religions where it is strictly forbidden, such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam. On the one hand, modern interpretation in these faiths denies completely that there is more than one God. It isn't that God is the highest divinity in existence, He is the only divinity in existence. On the other hand, humans are wired to understand symbols, and we love to set them up for each and every concept. Few would claim that a crucifix is an idol and even fewer that Christians worship the cross itself. Still, it can certainly appear that way to an outsider.

What is worse, outsiders are sometimes quite good at finding hypocrisy in the way Christians express their faith. Indeed, Jesus himself reserved some of His harshest criticism for the Pharisees of that time, the very people who made it their express aim to be the best Jews they could be, by strict observance of both written and oral Hebrew laws. The very word Pharisee derives from the Hebrew, perusim, meaning 'to set apart', perhaps from their practice of keeping themselves separate from all things spiritually unclean. This could mean separation from the very widows and peasants that depended on the synagogue to get by, a particular point of contention for Jesus. But Jesus was not against observing the laws of Israel. Rather, He was insistent that the laws serve the will of God and never supersede it.

Of course, the Pharisees were largely unpersuaded by Jesus, unable to see the error of their ways. And since Jesus confronted the Pharisees on many occasions, the Christian traditions and teachings naturally emphasize that believers should find and eliminate their own hypocrisies. That doesn't make it easy to do.

To get started, an inventory of personal activities is needed. This can be an actual list, gathered by exhaustively listing each and every action performed for a day or more and the time it took, or it can be an awareness, obtained either through frequent prayerful requests for God's presence in every activity or through the constructive criticism of friends and family. The list then becomes a source for contemplation, so that all activities are subject to the test of God's will. An honest evaluation can produce surprising results. For example, a friend was prompted one Lent to consider shopping as a personal idol. It was surprising because this person did not shop excessively, nor did she spend extravagantly. But through her Lenten journey, she discovered she devoted considerable time to planning and optimizing the purchases she did make. By giving this up for Lent, she became aware of the effort she was spending and the freedom she gained to concentrate on more important things.

So modern idols are not graven images, but more likely are self-chosen behaviors that once served a useful purpose, soothing our fears, preparing us for unfamiliar tasks or satisfying needs that long since have changed. Meticulous bookkeeping in an era of electronic statements, hoarding of items not used in years, time spent adjusting and re-adjusting wardrobe choices, fixed daily or weekly travel patterns and times - anything habitual with outdated or trivial justification can be a symptom of an underlying idol. Once identified, a Lenten practice can be crafted that continues to meet true needs, while cutting out the rest.

May God grant you discernment, so that your idols become known and confronted.