False Worship

Various forms of false worship are mentioned in the Scriptures. A few are listed here in order that the reader may guard against them:

+++ The Worship of Gold The world worships the God of Gold. But gold is scheduled to loose its value when the economy of the world collapses at the Message of the Second Angel.

James 5:1-7, Revelation 14:8

+++ Demon Worship Devil worship, voodoo, black magic, witchcraft, Satanism etc. are all strictly forbidden in Yahweh's Word. Disorder and calamity are certain to fall on all who engage in them. They are by far the worst forms of false worship.

Deuteronomy 18:9-13, Matthew 4:8-10, Exodus 20: 3-6

+++ The Worship of the Heavenly Host The Scriptures strictly forbid humanity delving into astrology (the study of the supposed influence of the stars on human affairs) reading of horoscopes and various other pagan practices associated with the worship of the sun, the moon and the starry host.

Deuteronomy 17:1-7, Job 31:26-28, Ezekiel 8:15-16, 2 Kings 17:13-20, 21:1-9

+++ The Worship of Manmade Products In the final analysis there is nothing that man can make - be it a physical machine or an ideological system or doctrine - that can "save him out of his troubles." The material and mental productions of mankind may be ingenious to the extreme, they may for a short while dazzle the population, but in areas of real importance they are quite useless - because they cannot save mankind from sorrow, sickness and death. And it is because of this fact they are not to be venerated. Humanity is on the slippery slope to self destruction, and nothing we can manufacture or do can save us - except God. This ego-shattering fact must be realised before a person can hope to receive help from the Almighty. So let us not delude ourselves by worshipping "the work of our own hands" or foolishly think that the ideologies and "doctrines of men" can save us - because they cannot. The productions of mankind are as incapable of solving our problems or saving our souls as were the wood, stone and metal idols our ancestors worshipped centuries ago.

Isaiah 2:4-8, Matthew 15:9, Isaiah 44:9-20, Jeremiah 1:16, Isaiah 46:5-7

+++ Baal or Nature Worship The worship of the creature rather than the Creator is also strongly condemned in Yahweh's Word. Nature Worship is the inordinate adoration of the physical powers of the earth (rain, wind, fire) the beauty of the body, the lust of the flesh, the pride of life. All such worship is Baal worship. It is earthly, sensual, devilish and corrupting in its influence and effect. Yahweh has created this earth with its millions of life forms to demonstrate certain spiritual lessons. But alas, mankind in blind wonder fails to see the spiritual lesson, the real purpose of the physical illustrations Yahweh uses, and he worships the creature rather than the Creator. When this happens, and especially when it continues to happen in spite of repeated warning, Yahweh usually hands the wilfully ignorant worshippers over to Satan who produces in them the most despicable of degradation. In short, a person may study nature and learn the manifold spiritual lessons the Creator is teaching us; or he may completely miss the point and worship nature itself, and thereby risk being handed over by the Eternal to Satan. That in a nutshell is the choice.

Acts 7:42, Psalm 81:8-12, Romans 1:21-32, Psalm 81:8-12

GTHN!