Monday, September 04, 2017
Godverb, Godnoun
When I grouped superstitions and fetishes as idolatries, I tried to fit literal idolatry into the same pattern. It doesn't fit at all, but it does generate another divide.
There are idolaters and abstracters on both sides of Natural Law.
Eastern Orthodox and pre-Vat2 Romans are close to NL, and are nothing but idolatry. Mary, saints, icons, relics, wafers, wine, thousands of OBJECTS that crowd out poor old God.
Bergoglian Rome, and most "mainline" Protestants, and the more secularized Jews, are still into idolatry. The focus on objects remained CONSTANT when these demoninations (typo, leave it!) departed from Natural Law.
Islam is ferociously opposed to idolatry. God is abstract. God doesn't even have an image or a visual representation. Mohammed isn't a semi-god or 1/3 of God or anything. He's the greatest and last HUMAN prophet.
Many of the non-"mainline" Protestants and Jews are also purely abstract. Church of Christ, Baptists, Hasidim. Plain churches, no images or icons.
The variable of idolatry doesn't correlate with following Natural Law, but it does correlate with HOW you obey Natural Law. Across all three main faith forms, the non-idolaters focus heavily on your BEHAVIOR. Following the written rules is more important than worshipping the symbols and objects, and your direct communication and experience of God is most important of all.
Basic divide: For the idolaters, God is a noun. For the non-idolaters, God is a verb.
Labels: Constants and Variables, Natural law = Sharia law
¶ 10:01 AM
