Idols are forms which are raised by us to the level of gods. They are attempts to replace the perfect abstract Love of God with a form we find in the world. Idols are people, places, things and ideas which we consider on par with God and thus obscure God. Idols are like veils lifted to obscure the pure light of Heaven. By gazing at them, our gaze is not given to Love but rather a cheap knock-off we made. An idol is not a symbol. A person can be a symbol of Love when we see beyond the person to the Love to which their being points. But an idol does not point; it blocks. Its objective is our continued forgetfulness.
Related Posts: After Idols