Having a holy cow over a golden calf
The Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam are monotheistic. One God is the transcendent creator and the source of moral law.
In the Christian faith the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one Godhead (Hypostatic Union). Jesus is both divinity and humanity. The Trinity may be conceptualized as a flawless three faceted
Hope Diamond radiating the light of grace to all of humankind.
Abrahamic religions identify idolatry as sacrilege. Idolatry is the worship of an object or person, be it a golden calf, holier than thou cow, political or religious cult demigod. The Old and New Testaments are centered around the worship of the God of Abraham. Abraham was a Hebrew patriarch. The Twelve Tribes of Israel are descended from Abraham through his son Isaac and grandson Jacob, whose sons formed the nation of Israelites in Canaan. The New Testament traces the lineage of Abraham through King David to Jesus Christ. In Islam, twelve Arab tribes known as the Ishmaelites are descended from Abraham through his son Ishmael in the Arabian Peninsula. Abraham is a link in the chain of Islamic prophets (including Jesus) that begins with Adam and culminates in Muhammad.
The United States embellishes its currency with the words “IN GOD WE TRUST.” The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag proclaims “one nation under God.” These words connote a union of both one nation and one God. The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States provides that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” The seemingly incompatible words can be harmonized by the interplay of a fundamental commitment to attain and maintain a higher order of personal liberties, both secular and spiritual. Separation of church and state prevents the abuse of governmental and ecclesiastical authority claimed to be immutable and infallible by divine right. Theocracy fosters autocracy. The separation of church and state is not apostasy. It serves to underscore the dignity of humanity by exemplifying the Abrahamic heritage.
The reward of heartfelt and selfless generosity is the satisfaction of making positive contributions to the lives of others. The gift of selfless generosity is more precious than material things or patronized affection. Lamentably, an increasing percentage of the population of the United States is worshiping false idols. Idolatry must not be confined to the worship of pantheistic or polytheistic deities, false prophets, or that which is created by man to usurp divine authority. The high holidays of Black Friday and Cyber Monday are attended by a theophany of patron saints, including Santa Claus and his industrious elves. Consumers are inundated by epistles of advertisement in cyberspace to indulge in a spending frenzy. Idols of spendthrift evangelize that what is under the tree wrapped in festive paper and fancy ribbons can be a substitute for heartfelt love. Collection plates passed in the tabernacle of conspicuous consumption are chock full of overburdened credit cards. Default is a sacrilege atoned by high interest rates and poor credit score ratings. Idols don’t mention that the most precious and priceless gift of love is intangible, and will never accrue a liability which imposes harmful consequences, financial or spiritual.
Congregations of many mainstream religions are waning due to secular distractions and diversions. Sanctuaries are bespeckled with crashing breakers of the frothy white hair of seniors on the shores of empty pews. Some religious institutions and denominations try to integrate or harmonize secular activities with spiritual worship to entice nonchurch goers to attend services, particularly from younger generations. Traditional hymns are blown away by blaring, electronic go-go to church music having ear piercing decibels amplified to vibrate a spiritual message by mind numbing volume. A diversity of secular programs and activities are provided as beacons serving as lightning rods which are grounded in church attendance.
The spirit of Christmas has extensively been commandeered by commerce. Its light emanates from the North Pole not as a firmament of a heavenly aurora. It is the glitter of lights surrounding Santa’s toy shop. Chinese elves make yuletide presents to be loaded onto Santa’s reindeer propelled surveillance balloon laden with greenhouse gas belching lumps of coal to spy on good little boys and girls. Ho ho ho!