Idolatry facts for kids

Worshiping the Golden Calf

Idolatry means giving worship or extreme devotion to something that is not God. This often involves statues or images. It can also mean putting anything else before what you believe is truly important.

What is Idolatry?

Idolatry is when people worship statues, pictures, or other objects as if they were a god. It's like treating an object as if it has divine power. This idea is found in many religions and cultures.

Idolatry as a Symbol

Sometimes, the idea of idolatry is used as a metaphor. This means it's used to describe something else. Religious leaders often say that anything you put before God can be an idol.

For example, Saint Paul, an important figure in Christianity, wrote that "covetousness" is a form of idolatry. Covetousness means wanting material things too much.

Jesus also taught that "you cannot serve God and Mammon." Mammon was an ancient Syrian god of wealth. This means you cannot serve both God and money at the same time.

Many religions warn against making material things or even political ideas into idols. This means not letting them become the most important thing in your life.

Modern Idols

The idea of "idolizing" someone can also be a form of idolatry. This happens when people admire someone like a rock star so much that they almost worship them.

The TV show "American Idol" uses the word "idol" in a positive way. It means someone who is greatly admired. However, some people, even those who are not religious, have questioned this use of the word.

Famous Christian leader Billy Graham warned that many different things can become idols in a person's life. These can be anything that takes the place of what a person believes is truly divine or most important.

Images for kids

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  Moses Indignant at the Golden Calf, painting by William Blake, 1799–1800

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  Moses breaks the original two stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments in response to the Israelites' worship of the Golden Calf; woodcut by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, 1860.

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  A 1768 synagogue parchment with the Ten Commandments by Jekuthiel Sofer. Among other things, it prohibits idolatry

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  Pope Pius V praying with a crucifix, painting by August Kraus

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  The veneration of images of Mary is called Marian devotion (above: Lithuania), a practice questioned in the majority of Protestant Christianity.

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  Altar with Christian Bible and crucifix on it, in a Lutheran Protestant church

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  An expression of reverence to Gomateshwara statue in Jainism.

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  Inti Raymi, a winter solstice festival of the Inca people, reveres Inti – the sun deity. Offerings include round bread and maize beer.

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  The Aztec Tula Atlantean statues (above) have been called as symbols of idolatry, but may have just been stone images of warriors.

See also

In Spanish: Idolatría para niños