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→Idolatry
== Idolatry ==
One of the pitfalls of technology is that it can draw our sight away from God and in the end makes us think we can do without God. That leads to idolatry and brings a new kind of enslavement.
Old Testament warnings against idolatry frequently include comments on the technological origin of idols. For instance, in the incident when Israel grew impatient waiting for Moses and started to worship a Golden Calf, it is clear that Aaron gathered gold jewellery, melted it, cast it into the shape of a calf, and fashioned it with a tool ([[Exodus 32:2]] - [[Exodus 32:4]]). When confronted by Moses, however, Aaron denies the use of tools ([[Exodus 32:24]]). This may imply a belief that what occurs naturally is good, but that manufactured goods are not. But more likely, it is simply a denial of responsibility, like a child's "I didn't touch it, it just broke".
[[Psalm 115:2]] - [[Psalm 115:8]] describes the futility of worshipping idols of silver and gold, made by human hands. In the modern world we rarely see this kind of superstitious approach to idols, and yet passages like this remain powerful as commentary on a materialist worldview. The materialist atheist cannot see God in the world and asks us where he is, blind to the fact that God is sovereign. They can manufacture all manner of goods, even computers and robots. But such creations are a poor imitation, not really seeing or speaking or hearing or smelling. Of course, in this age, the manufactured goods are far more sophisticated than the idols of old, and computers can indeed perceive and respond to the environment. Nevertheless, they are mere machines, lacking the inner life of humans. Those who believe otherwise end up suggesting that we too are mere machines: perfectly fulfilling the prediction in [[Psalm 115:8]]. And even if they were to succeed in making machines with human powers, they would be no closer to understanding the God who made heaven and earth nor being open to God's blessing ([[Psalm 115:15]]).
Isaiah adds to this by explicitly posing the question of whether any idol could be greater than God ([[Isaiah 44:6]] - [[Isaiah 44:20]]). Yahweh is the first, last and only God. A blacksmith or a carpenter may fashion an idol, but so what? The blacksmith still gets hungry, tired and thirsty like anyone else. The carpenter uses the same wood as his carved idol for kindling a fire to cook on! Can't he see that the wooden idol he created is a lie? (A sub-text here is that craftsmen and technologists should have a sense of humility about their work.)
Jeremiah uses a humorous picture to say much the same as Isaiah: A craftsman shapes an idol with a chisel, adorns it with silver and secures it with a nail to stop it falling over -- but it is no more powerful than a scarecrow in a melon patch! ([[Jeremiah 10:3]] - [[Jeremiah 10:5]]). Furthermore, every goldsmith should be shamed but their idols: their images are frauds; worthless objects of mockery ([[Jeremiah 10:14]]), as is everything that seeks to displace God from the centre of our worship.
== Measurement ==
