Overcomplicating Idolatry

*I've moved, and my posts have come with me! Check out my new blog at www.jeffrey-davis.net/blog/*

Sometimes I feel that our over-arching longing to label things leads to over complication of many things. You know what I mean, little Larry says, "I think Jesus died for His elect, and only them." Then tiny Tina replies, "oh you're a Calvinist...". Non-theological example: merry Martha says, "...No thank you, I don't eat meat." Judgmental Jamie replies, "Oh, are you like a hippie or something?" See, humans have a freaky unspoken desire to label everything and everyone, and in so doing, we confine people to certain "camps" that we assign them to and refuse to believe that they do not belong there.

Anyway, all that to say this--we overcomplicate a lot of things that aren't that complicated. Here's an excerpt from a book I'm reading, not Love Trumps Karma, a different one, because I just finished LTK this morning.

Regarding our "High Places":

"I rarely saw Benny without hearing some piece of profound wisdom suitable to a sage. This day was no exception. With that typical twinkle in his eye and that wry west Tennessee grin on his face, he asked me, 'Do you know how you can tell when something is an idol in you life?'

'No.' I waited for his reply. I knew it would be good.

His grin widened. His words were slow but short. 'By how big a fight you put up when it's taken from you.'

Many of the things we fight over are likely idols in our lives. We get angry when something we adore is taken from us or when we fear that it might be taken from us."

When I first read this I didn't totally agree. I thought, "that's not true! there are plenty of things that aren't idols that I would fight for with all my heart...like my wife!" Then I saw it, the story didn't say it was an idol if you fight for it, but the give-a-way of idolatry was how big a fight (or maybe a better word is fit) you put up when it is taken away. I'm still thinking on this, but a very interesting idea.

Tags: idol, idols, idolatry, high places