Babylon has idols for every person at every age in every group. Idols range from Rolexes and Rolls-Royces to rhinestone boots. It is instructive to ask “Self, what’s your favorite idol?”
In recent times, Idols in the Temples of Temperature have been very popular, particularly among those who fancy themselves as “intellectual”. Those sort of “intellectuals” are able to notice that temperatures go up and down. When priests in the Temperature Temples tell them, “Watch out for Global Warming!” they promptly take up the chant, “The world is getting warmer! The icecaps and glaciers will melt! We will all die very soon!”
But, the Temperature Temples tell us there is a narrow path to survival! “Unplug all your appliances. Stop driving your vehicles. We may be saved! Whew! That was close! If it weren’t for Sustainability, we’d all be dead!”
Then, priests in the Temperature Temples open their other Holy Book. “The world is getting colder! We will all die! We are going to freeze to death!” The priests look very worried. “Dress in layers! Insulate your homes and buildings! Put up storm windows!” Disaster will be averted, but only if enough obey!” Another grave danger will soon pass. The Temperature Temple will announce, “We were saved by Sustainability!”
Asteroids are sometimes feared. Breathless announcements come from the idol-mongers: “If just one asteroid the size of Manhattan hits the earth, we will all die!” Near misses are announced every year or so. Sometimes, comets and giant meteors give additional reasons to fear Death from Space. “If we don’t worry, we’ll be wiped out!”
Status is an omnipresent idol. “It’s better to die than be nobody!” Each article of food, make-up, and clothing reflects status. Priests and priestesses aplenty provide proper direction in every tattoo parlor, gymnasium, clothing, grocery, automobile, and jewelry store.
Why does Babylon provide so many idols? Idols keep us from focusing on God, marriage, families, Church, and the important things in life. Idols distract us from saving our soul. At every moment in a person’s life, idols must be available.
Hopefully, when we inquire “Self, what’s your favorite idol?”, we are able to respond, “I really don’t like any thing very much.”
A note: Over the years, many of us collect changing varieties of things. I have some such things in a display cabinet. I do not like the things, themselves, as much as the response of people to them. Approval is a dangerously seductive idol. The approval of others, like all idols, is “chasing the wind”.
