From => https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nao_robot,_Jaume_University.jpg
Here are the previous posts in this series.
- Part 1: The Worship of Stuff – When we worship stuff, we fall prey to our greed, envy, gluttony, and pride.
- Part 2: The Worship of Sex – When we worship sex, instead of caring for the OBJECT of our “affection,” we give expression to our lust and pride.
- Part 3: The Worship of Science – When we worship science, we seek to justify ourselves to protect our pride.
- Part 4: The Worship of the State – When we worship the state, we deify the man or the men who promise to give us power and wealth.
What is next?
The Worship of Self
What call the sin of pride is the worst of the seven dead sins.
Pride is an excessive view of one’s self without regard for others.
From => What are the seven deadly sins?
Pride becomes sinful when we put our self before God. Instead of turning to God for wisdom, we make our choices based upon what seems right in our own eyes. What is the problem with that? Consider the theme the Book of Judges.
Judges 17:6 New American Standard Bible
6 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
Because everyone did what seems right in his own eyes, the Book of Judges reads like a horror story. As we read the story, we can easily make the mistake of deriding the foolishness of the people of Israel. We can readily forget how easy it is for us to make the same error that they made, choosing to do what seems right in our own eyes. We forget what it means to be wicked.
Psalm 10:4 New American Standard Bible
4 The wicked, in his haughtiness, does not seek Him.
There is no God in all his schemes.
What does the Bible tell us to do instead?
Proverbs 3:5-7 New American Standard Bible
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
We show our trust in the Lord by trying to obey His commands. That is, we turn to the Bible for guidance.
The Book of Ecclesiastes describes the issues involved. Here King Solomon tells his story. He describes his frustrations when he tried to live life without God. Ecclesiastes 12 ends the book with Solomon’s sad expression of regret for his wasted youth. Contrary to the foolishness of some, there is nothing to gain by sinning now and repenting latter.
Solomon was wise, right? When he asked for it, God gave him wisdom. Then why did he sin? When Solomon asked God for wisdom, apparently he asked God for the wisdom to govern Israel, but he did not ask for the wisdom to govern himself (see 1 Kings 3:1-15). Therefore, because he personally chose to do evil, Solomon led his people back into idol worship.
What should we do? We should acquire wisdom.
Proverbs 4:5-7 New American Standard Bible
5 Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding!
Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
6 Do not abandon her, and she will guard you;
Love her, and she will watch over you.
7 The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom;
And with all your possessions, acquire understanding.
When we are wise, what does that look like? Jesus provides the standard. If we read the four Gospels, we will begin to have some notion of what it means to be wise. Of course, Jesus lived among us two thousand years ago, and His example seems impossible to follow. So, we have another example of what it means to be wise. We have the example of the man and the woman who love each other in Holy Matrimony (see Ephesians 5:22-33). If we can treat the person we married with love and respect, we can learn to love our neighbors and devote our lives to our Creator.
What about the alterative? What does the worship of self look like? Let’s consider a couple of examples. First, The rise of the meebot by ColorStorm.
There is no place to hide as they are everywhere. In the grocery aisles with Mom, at the mall, at the boardroom on Madison Ave, sports, I’m tellin ya, they are multiplying.
We all know folks like this. They were groomed in the home, practiced the art in kindergarten, fine tuned it in high school, and perfected it in the workplace. All along, there has also been the aiding and abetting of adults at every turn, who shaped this strange creature from the craft of meebottery.
What is a meebot? It is a person of any gender or age, which views everything and everyone through his own selfishness. It is a person who has a pet, and wants to make it the pet for everyone. It is a person who lacks respect for authority. It is a person with the loudest of voices who has the least to say. It is a person who lacks manners, and it is a little thoughtless machine.
Continued => The rise of the meebot
A meebot is someone who trusts in his or herself instead of God. A meebot puts their desires before God commands. What is robotic about a meebot? A meebot doesn’t consider anyone else’s point-of-view. Considering another person’s point-of-view would take some thought.
Here in the video below is a second example, one that is a bit more complex. Gang members do consider the feelings of others. Gang members are still highly robotic, but they are guided by their allegiance to their tribe, their gang. Just the same gang members still trust in themselves instead of God.
Watch the video for a few minutes, and Johnny will explain what it means to trust in one’s self. After that, my guess is that curiosity will keep you listening.
To Be Continued
- Can We Imagine the World Before Noah’s Flood?
References
A Related Series, What Do Atheists Worship?
Citizen Tom 
Tom,
“Tom, if someone accused you of having an Idol… What do you think that would be? Second question, what might be one Idol that you would say you struggle with?”
King Solomon agrees with your reply to Barabbas Me above questions,
Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am cleansed from my sin”? (Proverbs 20:-9)
Regards and goodwill blogging.
Thank you. Fitting proverb.
Tom, if someone accused you of having an Idol… What do you think that would be? Second question, what might be one Idol that you would say you struggle with?
Barrabbas
We are all sinners. When we sin, we put something ahead of God.
With respect to your question, that is about all I am going to say. Why?
I ask the questions for no other reasons than transparency. There is no gotcha behind it.
I don’t debate to perfection, but I try to avoid personalizing discussions. However, politics and religion involve our personal beliefs. So, when we discuss merits of various political and religious beliefs or subjects like idol worship, some take it personally. Instead of dealing with the message, they attack the messenger.
The logic of Atheism leads to idol worship. We have to have some kind of framework upon which we can base our choices. Christians are supposed to use the Bible, the Word of our God. Atheists turn to whatever idols they hold most dear. Can I say that without offending some Atheists? No. Is it true? Does it need to be said? Yes and yes.
Consider. 1st century Pagans worshiped idols. Were they offended when Christians pointed that out? No. Pagans were offended when Christian pointed out the wrongness and the futility of worshiping idols. Some even considered the idols the Pagans worshipped as representative of demons. Hence, the Pagans persecuted the Christians and called them Atheists because they did not worship all the gods, including the Emperor.
Just a thought that will help you, I hope. Honesty answers the questions regardless of why you might think or surmise the person might be asking.
Barabbas
Okay. Try honestly answering this question with a yes or a no. Are you still beating your wife?
Our country is being ripped apart by people who don’t share our values. There is no point in pretending otherwise. That would not be honest.
Should we expect the best of people? Yes. Will we always get the best from people? No. Matthew 7:6
My answer… I am not still, or otherwise, beating my wife. Lol. My questions were not trick gotcha questions.
And to be honest, my questions weren’t yes or no. They called for introspection and open honesty and transparency.
What an incredible testimony! How wonderful. Very moving.
My thought as well. Thanks for listening and sharing what you think.