The Golden Statue of Donald Trump is an Idol
The golden statue of Donald Trump is an idol.
Here is a short video, showing part of the unveiling ceremony for the gold statue. Note the congregation members, reverently placing their right palms over their hearts, while facing the statue during the ceremony. Some Jews are also present.
For Christians, idolatry is a controversial subject, in light of the Second Commandment:
>Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
In the practice of religion, a cult image, or graven image, is a human-made object that is venerated or worshiped for the person, deity, spirit or daemon that it embodies or represents. The term idol, usually pejorative in English (except in Indian English where it usually carries no hostile implication), is an image or representation of a god used as an object of worship. The term idol can also refer to a person who is held in high esteem, such as a sports hero, a pop star, and even Donald Trump himself.
Most of you are familiar with the story of Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image, from Daniel 3:
>Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Then an herald cried aloud, “To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.”
Three Jews survived the fiery furnace, and Jews became exempted from worshiping the statue.
Jews and Samaritans in the Roman Empire were officially excused from worshiping the Roman emperor, which included veneration of the emperor’s image. The Romans permitted Jews to follow their ancestral laws and to pray for the emperor instead of deifying him. An article on the rise of emperor worship in Rome.
In the New Testament, Paul advocated something of a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy concerning whether to eat the meat of animals that had been slaughtered as part of Pagan religious ceremonies.
Protestants often accuse Catholics of violating the Second Commandment by worshiping cult images. Catholics counter by asserting that they are not worshiping, but merely venerating, their images. Here is a Protestant perspective.
Mark Burns defended the golden Trump statue thus
>“What amazes me is how quickly some people have compared this beautiful statue, created and made possible by more than 6,000 patriots, to a golden calf or idol worship.” He quoted the Commandment to “have no other gods before me” and said he is not guilty of that. “Honor is not worship. Respect is not idolatry. Celebration is not bowing down to a false god. Giving honor where honor is due is biblical. Bowing down and worshipping an idol is sinful. There is a major difference. The giant golden statue was not created for worship. It was created as a symbol of resilience, patriotism, courage and gratitude. It was created to honor a man whom many may disagree with, but millions of Americans believe has done extraordinary things to make this nation stronger.”
The millions of Americans who believe that Donald Trump has done extraordinary things are idolizing him. Honoring Donald Trump, by venerating the golden statue that embodies Donald Trump, turns the statue into a graven image, and an idol.