We are here in Exodus chapter 32. The first sermon talked about basically what is idolatry and where to draw the line on the gray areas. This sermon is going to talk about not just the sin of idolatry but why idolatry is so common and what is actually taking place. Here is the thing — we understand it is just a piece of wood, it is just a piece of stone, and everybody understands that. If you ask someone, they will say, no no, it is just a piece of wood. So why are we doing it? I mean, it is such a vain tradition. And yet half the world — the Hindus, the Buddhists, one billion Catholics — half the world is heavily into idolatry. It is just a piece of wood. So what exactly is going on?

When it comes to the average person that has idols, the reason why they are doing it is: you worship you know not what, just like Jesus said in John 4. You just do not even know what you are doing. You do it because your mum did it. Those that grew up Catholic were doing things because that is what they were taught by their parents. To really figure this out — because I have learned through my years of studying the Bible and talking to people in various religions — you often find that they do not even know what they believe. You talk to people that are Inc and they have no idea what they believe. You talk to people that are Mormons and they are surprised when you tell them what their religion actually teaches. People just worship they know not what. So to really understand what is going on, you have to listen to the leaders in these religions and find out exactly why they are doing it.

I read an article called "Reasons for Idol Worship in Hinduism" from hinduwebsite.com, probably the most in-depth Hindu website online. They give ten reasons and we are just going to go through them. What is actually stated in their own words is pretty shocking. The first three ease you in slowly, but reasons four, five, six, eight, and ten are where it gets very interesting. We are also familiar with the story in Exodus 32 of the wickedness of the golden calf.

Reason 1: “It Is the Easiest Way to Instil Faith and Devotion”

Go to 2 Timothy chapter 2. The first thing they mention is that idol worship is the easiest way to make people very religious and devoted. That is probably true — the average Catholic in the Philippines is very religious. The average Hindu in India is very religious. But that does not mean what they are doing is right. Just because they are very religious does not mean God actually approves of it.

In explaining this, the article says: as an abstract concept, God may be appealing to the intellectual mind, but ordinary people who are too busy with their own lives and who are not well versed in scriptural knowledge — for them, idol worship is the easiest path. What they are literally saying is: if you are smart and have time, study the Bible; but if you do not have time or you are not educated, just worship an idol instead. Here is the thing — we are all busy. But what does the Bible say in 2 Timothy 2:15: "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." If we want to know God, we have to read his word and study what God says. The average Catholic in the Philippines is very religious and very rarely reads the Bible. The Catholic Church does not focus on you reading the Bible, and neither do the Hindus. It is just: worship this idol and that is the easiest way to make people devoted. It does not mean it is the right religion.

Reason 2: “It Is a Way of Acknowledging the Omniscience and Omnipresence of God”

Go to John 1. The article says: if God is omnipresent, then everything in the universe, including the idol one worships, is filled with his energy and presence. When Hindus talk about God, their idea of God is very different from ours. Filled with his energy — that is essentially what they believe God is. It is this energy that is out there. Everything in the universe is equally sacred and worthy of worship since God equally pervades all things. Every animal is worthy of worship. Everything is. In the Hindu scriptures there is literally talk of worshipping cow dung in many places, because God is that cow dung, just as God is everything else in their theology. They will even say that whether someone is being patient or whether someone is being a pedophile — it is all part of God in their theology. A warped and strange belief.

But this is what the Bible says in John 1:3: "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." God made the animals, he made us, he made the earth, he made the sky. He is not the sky — he made the sky. He is not the earth — he made the earth. He is not me — he made me. There is a big difference between those things. The Bible condemns worshipping and serving the creature rather than the Creator.

Reason 3: “Traditionally It Is an Approved Practice”

Go to 2 Thessalonians 2. The article says: in the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna gives the assurance that in whatever form and manner people approach him, he will accordingly reciprocate. You can worship God in any way you want. If you like the fierce god Kali or the god Shiva with the snake around his neck, worship him that way. If you believe God is very benevolent, worship him in that way. God is everything anyway, so whatever you do, God is happy with it as long as you are religious. Is that what the Bible says?

Now when you think about Catholicism, what justification do Catholics often give for doing things? This is what the church fathers did. Our family has been Catholic for eight generations. It is our family tradition. It is an approved practice. Let me explain something — in 300 AD there were church fathers doing things exactly opposite to what Jesus said. Even in the days of Paul, the apostle talks about false brethren and all kinds of things coming in. And then of course when the Catholic Church comes in around 310 AD with Constantine, there is a big council of all the Christian leaders. Do you realise if there was a big meeting of all the Christian leaders in Metro Manila, I would not be invited? The ones that have made it high up in politics and prominence — they would be invited. And what they would agree on? Things that I do not agree with. That is exactly what happened with the Catholic Church. Just because church fathers did something does not mean it is right.

2 Thessalonians 2:3: "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition." Let me ask you — is it okay to worship the Antichrist? According to Hinduism, you can worship God in whatever way you want. Worship anything, any animal, and it is perfectly okay. That is what it teaches. Pretty bizarre.

Reason 4: “The Idols Help the Devotee Become Deeply Religious”

Go to Acts 19. This sounds like reason number one, but when they explain what they are saying it blows your mind. In fact, I am going to share this article in our group chat because it is very interesting to actually read. All you have to do is substitute the word God with devil and you will understand exactly what is going on.

Here is what it says: when the idols of the gods are installed in the house or in a Puja mandir — a place of worship in the house — the very house becomes an abode, meaning a dwelling place, of gods. Do you understand what it is saying? When you set up idols and worship them, your house gets filled with gods. Translation: your house gets filled with devils. When you set up those idols, it attracts gods — well, the problem is there is one God, and when they are saying gods, what they actually mean is devils. It becomes an abode of devils, fallen angels, just hanging out at your house.

Acts 19:26–28: "Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands. So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth. And when they heard these sayings, they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians!" Those people are very religious, very devoted to what they believe — ready to kill Paul. It is the wrong religion though.

Reason 5: “They Serve as Objects of Concentration and Meditation”

You set up this idol and you can concentrate and meditate on it and through that you can get to know God. It is kind of interesting because in a religion like Pentecostalism they have a lot of energetic and intense methods to get possessed by devils. In Hinduism it is different — you have yoga, you have this meditation and these calm, quiet methods to get possessed by devils. But the same thing is taking place. The article says: by keeping the mind concentrated on a particular image, one can bring it under control and stabilise it in the thoughts of the deity. All of a sudden through this concentration you can get the mind of the deity. The Bible says let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, but that is talking about laying down your life for other people and having the same mindset and goals as God. And if you want to know what God is thinking or what he thinks about things, read the Bible. These religions use substances and rituals and the idea is you are getting in touch with a god — just not a capital G God.

Reason 6: “In Idol Worship the True Worshipper Becomes God”

This is where it gets really interesting. What they teach in Hinduism is that if you worship idols in the right way, you become God. Here is what the article says: when an idol is worshipped with intense love and devotion, a similar process takes place in the mind of the worshipper. The idol is, at the physical level, just a piece of stone, clay, wood, or some other material. They actually teach that in Hinduism — an idol is nothing. It is literally nothing, just like Paul the Apostle said. It is inert, inactive, something created with hands.

But then it says: in the minds of the devotee it comes to life as he pours his love and devotion into it and makes offerings to it. And it says: not all idols are alike. Those which are more frequently worshipped by more people accumulate higher power in proportion to the offerings they receive.

Do you understand what is being said? An idol that is not worshipped much — there is a little bit of energy in it, or whatever you want to call it. But if it gets worshipped more, and by more people, there is more energy in it. Translation: there are more devils in it. That would make sense — there would be more devils around the famous statue in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil than a small Santo Niño carried in someone's pocket. The more people worship a particular idol the more devils are associated with it.

Then it says: in worship, devotees step into the role of God. They put life into the material of the idols and make them alive. I believe what they are saying is accurate — as long as you change God to devil. They are literally saying: it is just a piece of wood, it is just a piece of stone, we do not worship idols — but wait, as you worship it, energy flows into it and you become God because you give life to that idol. The more an idol is worshipped, the more energy it has, and the more in touch it will get you with God.

What they are actually saying is: somebody makes a piece of wood that looks like whatever, nothing to it. All of a sudden people start worshipping it — and what happens? Devils will come around this thing, and as people worship this idol they get possessed by devils. That is what is actually taking place. If you ever hear of someone going to a famous Hindu pilgrimage site, they will literally say, I cannot explain what took place when I stood in front of that idol — I felt something inside of me I have never felt before. They are being accurate. They felt something. They got possessed by devils, and it is like there is this feeling they have never felt before. When people go to the Feast of the Black Nazarene and they touch that statue, there is a good chance they get possessed at that moment. This is literally what is taking place. When people say they do not understand — I felt something — I do not think they are lying. I think it is actually taking place. There are a lot of fallen angels out there and they are not just hanging around doing nothing. When people are worshipping those idols, they are getting possessed.

Go to 1 Corinthians 10. 1 Corinthians 10:19–20: "What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that that is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing? But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils." When they are worshipping an idol, it is not that that piece of wood is a devil — literally devils will come and they are worshipping those devils. When it says they sacrifice to devils, it is being literal. There are literally devils right there as they are sacrificing to that idol, because the devotee makes the idol come alive. That is what it is saying.

Reason 7: “The Idols Help Cultivate Equanimity”

Go to James 4. The article says: some idols which Hindus worship look fierce or unusual with grotesque bodies. They disturb our sense of proportion, beauty, symmetry, and harmony. By worshipping them, one overcomes attachment to superficial beauty and learns to see the truth hidden in things beyond their names and forms. The idea is that when you find something so disturbing and evil looking and learn to worship it, that is when you really get in touch with God, because everything is equally worthy of worship.

Reason 8: “It Is a Powerful Technique to Cultivate Purity”

The article says: idol worship is more effective than praying. I missed that verse in the Bible — I remember pray without ceasing, not bow down before idols without ceasing. Idol worship is more effective than praying, and when you combine the power of prayer with the power of concentration and meditation and further reinforce it with ritual and spiritual power, you create a powerful field of sacred energy. This is why many devotees experience peace and feel energised after they perform domestic or temple worship. Do you know why they feel energised? Because they got possessed by a devil. That is the reason why. That is why people feel something they have never felt before.

I remember when I was in Guyana years ago, I knocked on a door and walked into this man's backyard. There were two men — one Hindu, one a non-denominational Christian — both getting drunk. The Hindu man was trying to get me to eat something he had prepared. I thought it was probably sacrificed to idols so I declined, and then he said: I love Jesus. I want you to know that. And I was like, have a nice day. But before I could leave his yard, he had me look inside a cabinet in his backyard. He had all of these gold idols, and one of the most prominent ones was an idol of Jesus. He said: I love Jesus. That man was drunk as a skunk. He was not living a pure life. And I was amazed because the house was very poor, but those idols had to be pretty expensive. Spending all of your life's money on alcohol and idols is a bad combination.

What does the Bible actually say about living a pure life? James 4:7–8: "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded." If you want to draw close to God, get the sin out of your life. God is holy and we ought to strive to be holy — be holy, for I am holy he says. Try to be like God. Try to be holy. Get the sin out of your life. That is what the Bible says. That is how you become pure. That is how you draw close to God — by cleansing your hands, your mind, your heart, your eyes, and your ears from the filth of this world.

Reason 9: “It is a declaration of simple faith in the universal presence of God.”

This one's kind of a silly one they just wanted to come up with 10. [Pastor Stucky skips this reason.]

Reason 10: “It Is a Transformative and Purifying Process”

Go to Revelation 9. The article says: it is not known to many that before a devotee worships an idol in the most reverential manner, he has to richly install it and breathe life into it. The article itself is saying most people — including most Hindus — do not realise this. They teach that you have got to breathe life into that idol. It is called establishing life breath into the idol — Prana Pratishtha — in the Puja ceremony. In temples this is done only when the idols are first installed. At home though it is done as often as you worship, so in a temple you do it one time but at home you do it over and over again, breathing more and more life into it each time.

The article says: you are worshipping living forms of God, not a mere physical form. When you do it, the Prana — the life energy — that you pour into the idol comes from you. You make the idol alive. And when the deity departs at the end of the ritual, the Prana which you poured into it returns to you purified and elevated inside your body. It purifies you further.

What is it stating? As you worship that idol you attract the devils, and when you are done with the ceremony they enter into you. The more you worship the idols, the more devils are attracted, and they are going to come back into you. There is actually a verse in the Bible that talks about a devil leaving and coming back — and that is what is taking place as they worship these idols.

Revelation 9:20: "And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk." When it says they are worshipping devils, it is being literal. Yes, there is a piece of wood, but there are actually devils right there. It is actually literal. They are literally worshipping devils. Certain devils probably just hang out by the same idol all the time, which seems to be what this Hindu article is also saying — certain devils for certain idols.

The Same Is True in Buddhism

Go to 1 Corinthians 12. In Hinduism it is the most extreme, but the same thing takes place in Buddhism. Although there is more idolatry in Hinduism, most of the tallest statues in the world are of Buddha. A Buddhist article says: Buddhists revere the image of the Buddha as a gesture to the greatest, wisest, most benevolent, compassionate, and holy man who has ever lived. The worship of the Buddha really means paying homage, veneration, and devotion to him and what he represents, and not to this stone or metal figure. I am sure the same thing happens with Buddhism as well — people can get possessed at these big statues. Buddhism says there is no God, there is no Creator God. But their god is Buddha. If it is not Buddha, then why are you bowing down and worshipping it and giving it milk baths and all these vain traditions? If you believe in reincarnation you obviously believe in some kind of God regardless of what you say. Their god is Buddha, and as they bow down before their god, many are getting possessed.

1 Corinthians 12:1–2: "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led." A dumb idol means it cannot speak. It is deaf and dumb. It cannot hear, it cannot speak, it cannot feed itself, it cannot drink. It is just a piece of stone, it is just a piece of wood. But here is what I am telling you — you look at certain verses where the Bible says it is just a piece of stone, and then other verses say you are sacrificing to devils. Why? It is just a piece of stone — except those idols are attracting devils.

Now I am not saying that if you visit your Catholic relative and there are idols at their house there are necessarily a bunch of devils hanging around. But it is possible, especially if they are very zealously worshipping those idols. It is not a random process how people get possessed. There are certain things people can do that can attract devils — certain types of drugs and drinking, and certainly worshipping these idols. Many people are getting possessed and getting energised. It is a transforming process. They become a new man — because they are filled with devils.

Conclusion

As a saved person, you can never be possessed by a devil — the Bible teaches that. At the same time, stay away from these idols. If you ever visit India, do not walk into a Hindu temple. I would not want to be around these idols where there are all kinds of devils. It is satanic. It is bizarre. This is like out of a horror movie — literally scarier than anything I saw as a kid. There are going to be all kinds of devils and people getting possessed, and this is actually taking place.

In my opinion, in Hinduism it is probably the most prominent because they have more idolatry. But the same thing could take place in various situations like the Feast of the Black Nazarene, or whatever the name of the statue is in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, where people give offerings to it. As Christians, stay as far away from it as possible. Abstain from all appearance of evil. Just stay away from these things.

This is how serious the sin of idolatry is. It is not just a vain tradition with no effect — it is literally attracting devils, and zealous worshippers are getting possessed. That is what is actually taking place. But the best way to reach Catholics or people of any religion is still just with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing us to be here today. I ask you to help us understand how serious a sin this is and the wickedness of idolatry. Help us to understand what is going on when people are worshipping these idols, but also help us to understand that the best way to reach Catholics or people of any religion is just with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.