Real Idols

Actually, no. Terach didn’t exactly stay behind. He took his family from Ur but only went as far as Haran. This makes the story a bit more complex, doesn’t it? Reply

Idolatry is identification. You will never find truth in any identification because divine life is beyond the capability of human mind, because identification mean separation. You can not experience the depth reality of sea if you find peace for your mind in in the conviction the sea is like a shallow lagoon without depth. You can not really see the depth if you are convinced that seeing requires blind glasses. If you want to experience sea you must dive into the sea. However you can not survive without preparation. If you try and still be convinced or suspect that the deep sea is somehow like a shallow lagoon you will die for sure and the damage will be great for both yourself and your environment. If you try to dive in with blind glasses, you will never experience anything real before you die. So life lays in truth. You can never ever find real truth in any kind of identification. Reply

Truth is one, the wise call it by many names Some folks makes a big deal out of a one G-d but forget that G-d is not an amount nor can he be defined or restricted to something. Some people have become fixated on the idolatry of the book ! The purpose of life is not to obey or abide by any book but to realize a certain truth that can be relatable through experience not just written commandments or dogmatic observation of written rules on a sacred book which make no sense sometimes.
Praying in front of an idol is no different than praying to a wall or towards Jerusalem. It is the inspiration or narrative behind the practice that matters.
I see Jews, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists & Hindus as having idolatrous practices at first sight but with deeper meaning once you understand the connection of these practices to the truth.
G-d is this truth but the wise realize the truth through different approaches and circumstances. In no way does different practices, religion or the name of G-d hinders this truth and everybody can do it ! Reply

Hello, Freeman

It makes sense. Abraham looked beyond the limitations of the mind and physical perception and found "truth." When we do this, we become the seed of Abraham, a child of faith, recipients of truth.

Thank you. Reply

When and where did Abraham worship idols? Never heard that one. Reply

Idols Now I see the statement the" the church must change with the times".
I had so many questions that ministers could not answer but in Judaism as a Noachide the answers are clear the Torah is true and does not change .The creator G-d is one and does not change .The idols come and go but HaShems law does not alter .What happines this brings to my heart and soul .I never worshiped the idol of man but searched and sought truth . Reply

The third temple One wakes up to the world of needs and is satisfied for a moment. One wakes up to the world of spirit and is satisfied forever. For the finite and infinite become as one day. Reply

I firmly believe that God is all! This means god is a polluted fish while in the process of making that polluted fish! Harsh as this may seem while god creates all do we continue to loose faith in all? Is a polluted fish something bad if it is gods making? Thier are reasons god creates religiions he has us all where we need to be in his plan! If i own a pitcure of my parents do i idolize them? No ! I honor them and ask my angels to have my back! I am no better then any creature or all that god is! Reply

Real Idols I grew up an idol worshiper. That is all I knew because that is what I was taught. Like Abraham, my devotion to the idols were from the heart. I remember once asking the main idol of all, when I was only seven years of age. Why did you have to die? But in my soul there was sadness. Loneliness. Hunger to know more about the Creator of the Universe. Until one day, He, blessed be the One and Only One. Revealed to me who He really is and who I am in Him. This revelation has been the greatest miracle in my life. Did I deserve it no. I feel ashamed of this past. I hate it with passion, because it separated me from Hashem, blessed be He, for all these years. Yet, what can I make of these experiences in my early childhood? Hashem, blessed be He, is the only One who can give an answer. I trust in Him with all my heart, and soul. There had to be a purpose. And only Him knows which is it. Reply

I think that the story of the akeidah (binding of Isaac) was when Avraham proved that he really had found truth. when he refrained from completing the sacrifice of his son Avraham was making the statement that no true God would want such a sacrifice.

unfortunately a common interpretation of the story of the akeidah is that avraham was willing to kill his own child in the name of God and that that should be considered praiseworthy. Reply

"If you really seek truth, truth will find you. Like Avraham, and unlike Terach, who was a phony impostor even in idolatry." I guess the same applies to impostors in one G-d worship.

Then is it better to be idolatrous seeking truth than not being idolatrous on paper only and not seeking the truth? Then it's the non seekers of truth who should be deemed as "real idolatry"! Sincerity is the first sign of a seeker of truth not what one boasts to be or advertises to the world about being non-idolatrous. Reply

I never knew that! Reply

think so I go along with the comment by YONI that when you believe in whatever you believe in with your whole heart and soul, the truth will find you.
For me, my heart is more truth than my mind, so therefore I "feel" the truth sometimes even before I know it. Reply

to clarify sorry about the bad grammar.
i didnt get the stories confused, i was taking this story about terach and applying to a different story about abraham. the one where he takes issac up the mountain to kill him.

in that story most people interpret the point of the story as that abe was willing to kill issac because g-d wanted him too.

however now after establishing that like terach abe served idols, it would make more sense that the great thing about the issac story was that abe himself wanted to kill issac as idol service but then it was great that he abandoned idols and chose not too, influenced by his belief in what a true god would want from him Reply

It means I think what the author is trying to do is explain that when the approach to something, even as heinous as idolatry, is with the whole mind and heart, positive will be the fruit. Subjective truth leads to ultimate truth. If you really seek truth, truth will find you. Like Avraham, and unlike Terach, who was a phony impostor even in idolatry.
Great Lesson. Reply

Envisioning To all of us the truth comes in a different way. Some of us have the ability of envisioning things by seeing them, and some of us have the ability to Envision things by simply seeing them.

But most important is to see the image, start acting like the image and sooner or later we become like the image. All of us share one thing in common and that is the image of G-D in thoughts and acts of deeds.

Everything must start at one point and grow. Eternal patience brings peace and with peace clarity and with clarity comes harmony with G-d and with ourselves. Then and only then can we materialize our thoughts into reality. It works with us !!!!!! Reply

Real Idols Besides the English and, therefore the grammar being wrong in places, the context is confusing and I am not at all sure of what point is being proposed for the reader. Terach stayed behind because he never truly believed in idols?? Abraham worshipped idols with all his heart, mind and soul, every hour of the day and night!! How does he then manage to question the efficacy of the idols, when everything he did had to be real?? Did you mix up the two people,Abraham and Terach, in the text?? Very confusing. please elucidate. Reply

rational interpretation of the akeidah thats why he wanted to sacrifice his son but then at the last minute he thought, wait a minute just cause everyone else is sacrificing their sons doesnt mean i should sacrifice mine so he didnt.
the story also shows how much Abraham loved Ismael that he would rather have sacrifced Issac or maybe not maybe he chose to kill the son he loved more, he didnt in the end though so thats whats good about it. whats good is that he decided it would have been bad to kill his own son.
most people will say the point of the story is that abraham was willing to do something stupid like kill his son showing how much he liked god but I think the point of the story is that once he got up there on the mountain to kill him he heard g-d speaking to him and g-d said dont kill your son thats idol worship. Reply