Paganism

Paganism

Christianity, in the widest sense of that term, is professed by only some 20% of the earth's population. The rest of the people worship in various forms of paganism. Excluding Islam, these people worship gods made by man's hands.

The consequences of paganism are appalling. All of these religions leave their followers in the depths of moral degradation. Every kind of immorality, deceit and dishonesty prevails. Socially, the strong dominate the weak, women are degraded before men. The poor are treated as the dirt of the ground. Financially the nations that are addicted to idolatry are generally poor with a very few men holding most of the money. Domestically, the home is the throne of the tyrant father, women are little more than slaves. Children are sired with little thought of moral or spiritual training. Politically, these nations are generally oppressed or they are oppressive. The rights of men mean little to pagan rulers. The welfare of a society is of no serious concern. Those in power enrich themselves at the expense of their poor subjects.

The only effective weapon against idolatry is the gospel of Jesus. It will tear down the strongholds of ignorance. (II Cor. 10:3-5). While the major Protestant churches have done much in the past to combat paganism it is sad to see a willingness to accept the pagan religious as equal partners by the liberal leaders of today's Protestantism.

Idolatry is wrong on numerous counts. We will notice four areas in which it is condemned of God.

Idol worship dishonors God the Creator of man. Paul writes: "Because that, knowing God, they glorified Him not as God neither gave thanks...professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed beasts and creeping things."(Rom. 1:21-23). Even as Jehovah strictly charged ancient Israel, so it is today, "I am Jehovah thy God...thou shalt have no other gods before me, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image...Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve, them for I Jehovah, thy God, am a jealous God..."(Deut.5:5-9). It is hard for Americans to visualize human beings prostrating themselves before images of beasts or men, debasing themselves in the most abject manner before the creation of human hands. Yet one has only to board a jet air liner and in a matter of hours he can be in Asia or Africa where such is the rule of life, not the exception. While unbelieving religious liberals and altruistic anthropologists speak of the splendor and beauty of heathen worship, Christians are shocked, disgusted and appalled by it. It is gross and sensual, far from beautiful. It dishonors the God, in whose image man is made, to offer such vile worship.

Idolatry is wrong because it is vain and foolish. Isaiah ridicules the idol worshipers of his day in chapter 44:12-20 of his book. "The (black) smith maketh an axe, and worked in the coals and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with his strong arm;...the carpenter sketcheth out a line; he marketh it out with a pencil; he shapeth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the compass, and shapeth it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. He heweth him down cedars,...and strengtheneth for himself one among the trees of the forest: he planteth a fir-tree, and the rain doth nourish it. Then shall it be for a man to burn; and he taketh thereof, and warmeth himself: yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread: yea, he maketh a god, and worshipeth it; he maketh it a graven image, and falleth down thereto. He burneth part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eateth flesh; he roasteth roast, and is satisfied; yea he warmeth himself, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire. And the residue thereof he maketh a god even his graven image; he falleth down unto it and worshipeth, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou are my god. They know not, neither do they consider: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see and their hearts that they cannot understand. (Behold how Satan blinds them! II Cor. 4:4). And none calleth to mind, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire: yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination(idol)? Shall I fall down to the stock of a tree? He feedeth on ashes; a deceived heart hath turned him aside; and he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie inn my right-hand?" Again in 46:1-2, Isaiah cuts sarcastically at Bel and Nebo, the gods of Babylon, as he foresees the people fleeing their city with their idols strapped to the backs of their beasts. Not only can they not save their worshipers, the gods themselves must be saved from capture or destruction by their devotees. Man, the crowning jewel of all creation, made in God's likeness with intelligence, superior to all other creatures, should perceive the folly of such senseless worship. Paul argues in Rom. 1:20 that all idolaters are "without excuse" since with their native intelligence and basic sense they could realize the one God's everlasting power and divinity. He further charges that such idolatrous worship is the result of man becoming vain in his reasoning and professing himself to be wise. Man seeks a god like himself so that he can do the desires of his flesh with the approval of his conscience and his society.

Idolatry is wrong because it is cruel and degrading. Idolatrous rites have included human sacrifice, ritual fornication, sensual dancing, torture of devotees, and sacrificial victims. Idolatry has cruelly crushed the masses of people under foot as the Hindu Brahmins have the harijans (the low caste) people of India, treating them far worse than they treated their beasts and even vermin and insects. Multiplied millions yet cringe in fear of demons, evil spirits and shaman (witch doctors) who claim to hold supernatural powers. People let rats and cows eat the grain with impunity while millions fight to cling to the threads of life as they battle starvation. In Thailand, Buddhist women are told they cannot enter Nirvana (the highest state) as women, they must be reincarnated as men. Polygamy is basically a product of corrupt religion that teaches that man's future happiness depends upon the number of spirits he can generate to take into eternity with him.

Idolatry is wrong because it leads away men from the true God and farther and farther into rebellion. Paul vividly portrays this downward path in Romans 1: "Professing themselves to be wise, they become fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four footed beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts unto uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonored among themselves... God gave them up unto vile passions (homosexual perversion)... And even as they refused to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up unto a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, strife, malignity, whisperers, backbiters, hateful to God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, unmerciful..."(vs. 22-31). The author used to think that this sordid, morbid picture was only of the first century Romans. A trip to any pagan nation in Africa or Asia will be a living commentary on Paul's words. The road of idolatry is away from Jehovah and in the opposite direction of righteousness, justice, and truth. From Paul we learn that men first reject God in their heart, then they are rejected by Him. Man becomes like the God or god which he worships. The faithful Christian grows to be like the righteous Jehovah. The heathen is like the devil gods he worships.

As these words were being written I looked out of my window in New Delhi, India and saw the situation described above. What can we do to help these poor benighted souls who languish under the yoke of Satan's false religions? The answer is simple and plain. "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved..."(Mk. 16:15-16). This is not simplistic for the Scripture tells us that the gospel of His Son Jesus is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth. (Rom. 1:16).

Christians in America, look around you and be grateful, look up and be thankful, and send the blessed light of the gospel into all the world.

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