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While most societies have freed themselves from actually idolatrous rituals, the concept of idol worship still stands as a block to the world's elevation and redemption. Idolatry in its essence misdirects pure faith which strives for wholeness and corrupts it into faith in specific powers or limited values, claiming it will grant people the good life they seek.
There are two basic types of idolatrous beliefs. Some believe that if they manage to attain money or honor, or fulfill their various desires, they would truly be living the good life. These people are worshiping the idols of money, lust, and honor. In the short run, this “idolatry” provides great satisfaction to its adherents, energizing them to work hard to fulfill their dreams, but ultimately it fails. Even in cases when people fool themselves for years, feeling as if their dreams came true, they know in their hearts that all of their acquisitions in this world are hollow. King Solomon explains in Ecclesiastes that all earthly things that are considered good and beautiful but lack spiritual value are “vanity of vanities” and cannot provide true fulfillment.
A more elevated but still idolatrous belief is faith in values or ideologies that will supposedly make the world a better, more perfect place. These include love, truth, equality, nationalism, science, liberalism, and humanism. Similar to actual idolatry, striving for these concepts can make adherents’ lives feel more meaningful, energizing them and helping them succeed during specific times because they are grounded in true values. Nevertheless, because each value or ideology is still narrow and limited, putting faith in it ultimately fails.
For example, those who put their faith in communism thought they would redeem the world by imposing economic equality. In the name of communism, they abandoned all other values, murdering millions of people and creating horrific suffering in many countries. Only after they recognized how much pain their belief cause did they abandon their “idolatry.” Similarly, people today believe that liberalism will save the world imposing its ideology on society and trampling other values. To achieve this, they are willing to make great sacrifices – of other people. Ultimately, after humanity has suffered greatly, they will eventually understand that turning any ideology into the sole value is “idolatrous” and false.
Therefore, all specific values or ideologies are limited. As long as they are not connected to pure monotheism – which includes all the values – they are liable to become idolatrous. As a result, they cannot connect people to the all-inclusive God, nor can they improve people and the world. In addition, specific values and ideologies block the path to complete faith by providing a seemingly beneficial alternative, only shown to be false much later. It is important to note that it is dangerous to believe in a religious or social charismatic leader, even someone righteous, because such belief can be internalized as a type of idol worship.
Only the combination of faith in God and the rejection of all idolatries of beliefs or ideologies, will elevate a person to a total faith connected to the divine source of life. This faith incorporates all the positive aspects of the other nations of the world. With the Torah’s guidance, we can harmoniously integrate these different values to bring benefit and blessing to the individual and the world.
