Idolatry

When I was a kid learning The Ten Commandments, there were certain commandments that I glazed over with relief, feeling they would not ever be an issue for me.  Thou shalt have no other gods before me was one of them.  Certainly I don’t worship any other “god” in the way I might worship God at church or pray to God.  But the term “worship” is a slippery slope.  Idolatry is part of the ice on that slippery slope.

If we’re not careful, we may find ourselves in a one dimensional relationship with another being or even a thing that borders on idolatry or worship.  I’m sure you can think of people you’ve known who had that sort of relationship with their expensive sports car, with their spoiled pet, or with another person, even a celebrity.  Inevitably, that object of “worship” fails us in some way, whether it be by death, destruction, or its absence from our life.  We find ourselves devastated, searching for the elusive North on our internal compass.  Maybe we allow another person to get away with behaviors for which we would hold others accountable.  Perhaps we make excuses to justify our idol’s place on a pedestal?

Yesterday, I read a status update on Jason Aldean’s Facebook page in which he apologized for his recent “inappropriate behavior” which involved “drinking too much” and “embarrassing” himself and his family.  The photos that had been published showed him kissing and intimately touching a woman who was not his wife and the mother of his two daughters.  For the most part, the fan reactions have been forgiving and supportive.  I wonder how forgiving and supportive those same people would be if it was their husband or their father or their sister’s husband or their daughter’s husband who behaved that way?  I suspect they might be more condemning of such behavior if it hit a little closer to home.

I felt personally disappointed when I read the news reports and saw the photos.  I’m a huge fan of Jason Aldean’s and just recently saw him in concert for the second time.  I had to ask myself – if I’m just a fan of his music, why do I have any personal expectations regarding his behavior?  Another artist of whom I’m a fan is Prince, who once pointed out that he doesn’t like the term “fan” because it is short for fanatic.  So, while I don’t have a shrine to Jason Aldean and I don’t attend weekly services to praise him, maybe I need to let go of the idea that there are any among The Ten Commandments that don’t apply to me.