Paul Derengowski, PhD
The title of this article is actually a quote from Reformer John Calvin, as he discussed, in his Institutes of the Christian Religion, the subject of idol worship, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church.
He was contrasting it to how Protestants or biblical Christians know God, which is through God’s written revelation, the Bible.
Roman Catholics, as headed by the Pope, frequently exchange the Bible for their images, as they bow down and venerate statues, pictures, or whatever relic that informs their particular views of God, Jesus, Mary, or some patron saint.
Calvin continued, “I confess, indeed, as matters now are, there are not a few in the present day who cannot want such books. But, I ask, whence this stupidity, but just because they are defrauded of the only doctrine which was fit to instruct them? The simple reason why those who had the charge of the churches resigned the office of teaching to idols was, because they themselves were dumb.”
In other words, idolatry was rampant in Calvin’s day and the main reason for it was that Roman Catholic Church leadership had stupidly yielded God’s revelation for idol worship and their parishioners fell for it.
Sadly, nothing has changed today, except the images have exponentially multiplied along with the unlearned.
Aside from the fact that more and more people are biblically illiterate, those same individuals wish to think of themselves as godly and/or “spiritual.”
They have concocted in their minds false images of God, Jesus, and what it means to be a Christian, all of which is easily refuted by simply picking up the Bible and turning to thousands of passages that contradict those images.
What is equally unfortunate is that the “unlearned” are oblivious to the reality that they did not “learn” their method from God, Jesus, and Christianity, but from the very world that relies on all of the images to construct its warped narrative to explain itself.
Aside from all the fragmentation that is purported to be “news,” video and pictures have replaced the written text as the means to explain any and all events.
As pictures of the baby Jesus in the arms of the virgin Mary are supposed to convey some deep-seated theological reality to those who will simply dare to imagine, the same is true of the 15-second video clip of two officers wrestling to the ground an uncooperative female on a New Jersey beach or the picture of a group of young children within the confines of a chain-linked enclosure, who are supposedly being abused by border patrol agents.
And the “unlearned” or “stupid” buy into all the imagery, lock, stock, and barrel.
It is no wonder that there is so much angry, empty, emotional rhetoric being spewed about from every direction.
Yet, very little of it is motivated by a pursuit of the truth, as expressed in thoughtful, meaningfully expressed words.
It has to do with the carefully edited images that are intended to invoke a certain effect.
If someone or something is disliked or hated, a distorted image is produced—whether it is a Photoshopped picture or a video from an iPhone—which is then placed on social media to “go viral,” not to express a true, coherent statement of fact, but to demean, demoralize, or demonize the intended target of infamy.
Just as in Calvin’s day, the same idolatrous method is in vogue today. The only real difference is the sophistication or technology behind creating the image or idol.
Whereas in yesterday, the craftsman of the idol had to exhibit a bit of skill to physically concoct the image from wood, stone, or metal that began in his futile imagination, today that same idol is created with a high-tech camera, expensive computer software, or both in combination.
Whatever the case, the idol is no less untrue to reality and the idolater is no less unlearned and the droves of people bowing down to both is mind-boggling.
It is something to consider the next time you go to church or before you sit down to watch the evening “news.”
Does the imagery compliment the carefully written text—if there even is one available, which if there is not, ought to immediately send up a red flag—or is it the main source of conveyance of whatever specious message there might be?
If it is the former, then you may wish to pay attention.
If it is the latter, then you may want to find the exit or change the channel.
By the way, if you read you way through this article, Congratulations!
At least for this sitting you may consider yourself one of the “learned.”
