Idolatry is a more dangerous crime because it is apt by the authority of Kings & under very specious pretenses to insinuate it self into mankind. Kings being apt to enjoyn the honour of their dead ancestors: & it seeming very plausible to honour the souls of Heroes & Saints & to believe that they can heare us & help us & are mediators between God & man & reside & act principally in the temples & statues dedicated to their honour & memory? And yet this being against the principal part of religion is in scripture condemned & detested above all other crimes. The sin consists first in omitting the service of the true God.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Idolatry is especially dangerous because it is sanctioned by authority and masquerades as reverence for ancestors or heroes, yet it violates core religious teachings.
- In plain terms
- Worship of statues and relics, supported by leaders, distracts from true devotion and is condemned.
- What can you take from it?
- Beware of practices that replace genuine belief with superficial reverence.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How does authority influence religious practice?
- What criteria define true devotion?
Another view
The claim reflects a specific doctrinal stance and may not apply across all cultures.
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