False Gods

“You shall have no other gods before Me.”

God to the Israelites, Exodus 20:3

Many read this commandment as irrelevant today. Nobody worships bronze statues or nature gods anymore. God was speaking only to the Israelites over three millennia ago… or was He?

In my humble opinion, this commandment is as relevant today as it was in the Bronze Age. We may not worship Baal or Asherah poles or Oak Men anymore; but this does not mean we have no false gods now. We have as many as the ancients did. Why do I say this?Because anything a person values more than God often becomes a god. I’d argue this is true almost by self-definition. The person that has no God will almost always have values and have a highest value. And if a person’s highest values animate all they do, how is that so different from following a god? The question is what that ultimate value will be. To name but a few values people hold in high esteem (and with very good reason.)

• Love

• Kindness

• Activism

• Reason

• Nature

• Health

• Wealth

• Family

• ‘Growth’

Whilst these values are decent values, they can become very corrupting when held as the ‘highest’ value. Take growth as an example - growth is held as the highest good in many areas of life. Modern Western psychology pushes the idea of nurturing a ‘growth mindset.’ Gardeners and farmers want their plants and crops to grow. Economists hold growth as an indicator of a healthy economy.

But growth is not an inherent good. Growth can be undesirable. Unhindered growth can be a disease. The plant that grows too quickly weakens and breaks. The cell that regrows too quickly becomes cancerous. Growth can be especially destructive in an economic context. Politicians, economists, councillors, developers, civil servants and so many other high flyers talk about the need for ‘growth’, often at the expense of other considerations.

Does GDP growth matter when every other aspect of life is neglected or overlooked? Does GDP going up mean more people are employed? That the prices of everyday items are more affordable? Does it mean people still have access to nature? Does growth mean people are living better lives? These are merely questions relating to economics, not even other important spheres of life. I think many of these rhetorical questions answer themselves. But most people don’t stop to think. They just do what the next guy does. And that can be very unfortunate (pun not intended.)

I could rattle on about the real downsides of ‘growth.’ How it often destroys the environment. Produces ugly buildings. Saps people’s spirits. And I emphasise that growth is not inherently wrong. Growth can certainly be a good thing, but only when weighed against other values. A value held on its own at the expense of others usually becomes destructive. A value that ‘transcends’ other values in my view is a false god. Growth is merely one of them I’ve elaborated upon. The downsides of wealth are easier to imagine. One need only think about our modern values for a limited time to realise they are not as sound as they seem. It would not matter if these values alone led to good fruit, but in my limited experience they rarely do.

It’s why I quietly sneer at the buzzwords of our modern world, and growth might be one of the most pernicious. But there are many others; compassion, equality, diversity, empowerment, dynamic, etc… they are the offspring of our false gods. And I really do believe they are gods to some people. Even if they don’t realise it.

Does this mean belief in one God solves the problem of false gods? Not necessarily. God would not need to tell people to have no other gods if it was self-solving. Religious people can just as easily fall into the same traps that irreligious people do. The corruption within the Catholic Church is just one example.

With that said, belief in something is usually better than belief in nothing. Not merely for the believer, but for everyone else. I do not care what a person believes in their heart. I only care about what they do. One of the most illuminating things that has ever been said in human history is Christ’s warning in Matthew:

“By their fruits you shall know them.”

Matthew 7:16

The modern world would be more enchanting to me if its fruits were sweeter. We may have Netflix and next-day deliveries, but does that mean we are living well? I would say not. Our bellies may be full, but our souls are empty. And one of the biggest causes of this modern crisis is the abandonment of God. And when God disappears, what replaces Him? The frail, weak, subjective world of manmade values. In my view, false gods.