I grew up in West Mifflin, PA, a suburb of Pittsburgh. Can you say, “Steel(er) country?” More to my liking can you say, “Pirate country?” But I rabbit trail.

Pittsburgh, if you check the history books, was a melting pot of nationalities. The promise of employment in the steel mills brought people from every nation on the planet. Polish. Greeks. Czechs. Slovaks. Italians. Negro (as they were called). You name it, it was there. So telling jokes on each other was par for the course.

So was religion. You name it, it was there, except for the prominent cults today (JW, Mormon), who were minor players back then. I grew up in a large Catholic area. When I thought of idols I thought of statues made of stone or metal. Idols bowed down to and worshiped. Idols on car dashes.

It is easy to dismiss “idol talk” being personal if that is the only picture one gets from idols. “I’m in the clear! Whew!!” But, as you know, an idol is more than a statue of stone, or a carving of some kind. An idol is a representation of what we honor, esteem, pay allegiance to, or worship. (p.73). Good definition. A definition which leaves none of us out of the discussion. An idol is something which attracts our attention and motivates us. I won’t lie. Basketball was, for the longest time, an idol to me. I have to watch cycling does not become that, especially in the summer.

Bobby says, “An idol, at its core, is a God-supplanter.” (p.75) I’m not sure one can find a better statement than that about idols. It takes the place normally reserved for God and places Him in a lower position. You know what?

GUILTY AS CHARGED!

The real Game of Thrones is who will we place on the throne? Any thoughts? What idol do you struggle with?