We misunderstand the meaning of idolatry when we think the term refers only to the images of other religions. If you are a Christian, your idol may look to you like Jesus, or the church or your interpretation of the Bible. If you are Jewish, your idol may look like Moses, or Israel or your interpretation of the Torah. If you are Muslim your idol may resemble your image of the prophet, or an Imam or some interpretation of the Quran. If you are an atheist, your idol may consist in an obsession to attack the religion of others, or in a belief that reason and science make art and poetry foolish.

The sacred is our sense of unity and reverence before the mystery of being. Idolatry is when belief or disbelief in religious images become an excuse to be cruel and unloving. Whether we attack or worship such images, they may have displaced us from true living and true loving.