MAN’S FAITHLESSNESS LEADS HIM TO THE SIN OF IDOLATRY

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,"
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

MAN’S FAITHLESSNESS LEADS HIM TO THE SIN OF IDOLATRY

"You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make
for yourself an idol or a likeness of anything in heaven above,
or in the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth. You
shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the Lord your
God, am a jealous God…" (Exodus 20:3-5). [Ten Commandments]

The Lord our God is the True Son of the True Father; thus we do not worship any false god. However, false gods do not exist in themselves, for this commandment refers to the future, and what is in the future does not yet exist. But the Son is True God of True God; therefore, He exists eternally with the Father and the Holy Spirit. We worship the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, OUR ONE GOD.

An idol, or image, depicts some god as having form or shape, but the True God has no form or shape. Why therefore did Israel use images in their worship? Because all these foreshadowed the Incarnation of the Son of God, Whom we worship both as God and Man. Also, icons used in our Orthodox Church do not depict the Divine Nature. They draw attention to the Incarnation, God is without passion, but He condescends to call HImself a "jealous God" to show the intensity of His love for man. Therefore, let us love Him with intensity, for this is very pleasing to Him.

The Holy Apostle Paul writes, "Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry" (1 Corinthians 10:14). "Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons" (1 Corinthians 10:20). To genuinely offer a sacrifice is to unite with the object of that offering. An "idol" by itself is nothing, but behind them lurk "demons" waiting for someone to partake of them. The Christian offering is the once-for all Sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We are not to engage in any worship contrary to, or in competition with, the Echarist of Christ.

The Holy Fathers of the Church condemn worshipping creation instead of the Creator. The belief of idolatry extends beyond physical statues to include anything that receives devotion due only to God. This includes the worship of material things, worldly pleasures, or even internamal mental images or passions. Saint John Kronstadt warned against clinging to any earthly person or thing, stating that only God should be the "god of our heart."

A modern phenomenon among some Christians who have turned to ancient idolatry and pay homage to the pagan earth goddess as a deity representing the Earth, such as the Greek Gaia. The New Age movement or neo-pagan that revere Earth as a mother goddess. Orthodox theology views the modern threat of neo-paganism as dangerous spiritual delusion and a rejection of Christian revelation. The Orthodox Church maintains that neo-paganism, which it considers a form of idolatry, corrupts and misdirects humanity’s inherent search for the Divine.

From an Orthodox perspective, neo-paganism presents sevral foundational theological errors: The veneration of creating beings or spirits instead of the Uncreated God is a fundamental corruption. It represents a disordered prioritization of creation over the Creator, exchanging "the truth about God for a lie" (Romans 1:25). The Holy Church Fathers saw ancient pagan worship as demonic in nature, and this concern extends to modern movements. Orthodox theology is based on the divine self-revelation of God, most fully expressed through the Incarnation of fhs Son of God, Jesus Christ.

Orthodox apologists note that ancient pagan gods were historically and militarily superseded, failing to ensure the survival of their own worship. They argue that modern deities re-created by neo-pagans are equally without salvific power. Many neo-pagan paths emphasise self-determination and personal growth. Orthodox theology in contrast calls for humility, repentance, and communion with God through His Church, not a human-centric focus. As always the neo-pagans target the youth who do not have a strong Christian knowledge and understanding and are easily misled. Unfortunately there are even some adult Christians who dabble in neo-pagan practices and are in danger of surrenderitng to sinister forces and self-damnation.
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Paganism is attractive because it does not adhere to any form of morality or ethics. In reality, paganism has nothing to do intrinsically with morality. The pagan gods had no code of ethics but were promiscuous, adulterous and dedicated their life to pleasure, food and drink as was Dionysios of ancient Greece. We have witnessed the World Council of Churches, a global Council not of just Christian churches but of all religions that has the potential to enter a new faze. To take a new form or to become a more global religion which will embrace the politically persecuted, the poor, the needy, the diferenchized and those in the fringe of society. This neo or new religion is dedicated to the environment and is active ecologically. They are all about climate change doing everything to save the environment. This new global religion will be all-inclusive, loving and accepting of everyone and of all. It will be non-judgmental and open-ended in regards to morality, very permissive and tolerant.. Therefore, most appealing and enticing for those especially not committed to Christianity. This new religion will be very popular for it will stand against the old, patriarchal , hierarchical, dogmatic, judgmental religion. Even now we hear Christian leaders of major Christian Churches advocating for similar things. In some cases opening themselves to be involved in some form with pagan religious rituals and/or be entertained by them.

It is perhaps the hope of reinstatement of the ancient pantheon in Rome which included the worship of a group of gods and goddesses or deities like Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva. The name "Pantheon" comes from the Greek for "all gods". It is one of the best-preserved ancient Roman buildings. After Christianity became dominant in Rome, the building was converted into a church, though its history as a pagan temple remains. It is possible that one day in the future it will be revived to accommodate the new global and pagan rituals. The aspiration of the neo-pagans is that that just as Christianity replaced paganism centuries ago, this new global and neo-pagan religion will become dominant once again and replace Christianity.

Christianity, however, is not a man made religion as are the existing world religions today. Our Lord, God, and Savior is not the ordinary human founder of religion, but the Living God and Savior of the world. Christianity is A REVELATION (APOCALYPSE), MEANING GOD HAS ACTIVELY REVEALED HIMSELF TO HUMANITY, MOST FULLY THROUGH THE PERSON OF JESUS CHRIST. This is understood not as a human quest for God, but as God’s self-disclosure through His Son, the Holy Spirit, and various other means such as the Holy Bible, the Lives of the Saints, and even creation itself. The Son of God Himself who sacrificed His life on the Cross to save mankind and who died and rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. God is the Source of faith in the Orthodox Church. Orthodoxy believes that God has revealed Himself to us, most especially in the revelation of Jesus Christ, Whom we know as the Son of God. This Revelation of God, His love, and His purpose, is constantly made manifest and contemporary in the life of the Church by the power and operation of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Orthodox Church believes that, as the unique God-man, Jesus Christ has restored humanity to fellowship with God. Therefore, CHRISTIANITY CANNOT AND WILL NEVER BE EITHER REPLACED OR DESTROYED BECAUSE CHRISTIANITY IS CHRIST HIMSELF WHO IS THE ONLY TRUE GOD AND THE ONLY TRUE REDEEMER.
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"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George