Idolatry in society is hidden. It is a commitment to something that is given a supreme importance, which leads to sacrificing other things for and even to it. As Bob Goudzwaard once put it
"Suppose we consider the worship of a wood, stone or porcelain image, a practice still common in the world today. This worship has several steps. First, people sever something from their immediate environment, refashion it and erect it on its own feet in a special place. Second, they ritually consecrate it and kneel before it, seeing it as a thing which has life in itself. Third, they bring sacrifices and look to the idol for advice and direction. In short, they worship it. Worship brings with it a decrease in their own power; now the god reveals how they should live and act. And fourth, they expect the god to repay their reverence, obedience and sacrifices with health, security, prosperity and happiness. They give the idol permission to demand and receive whatever it desires, even if it includes animal or human life, because they see the idol as their savior, as the one who can make life whole and bring blessing."
Not only a physical thing, but any type of thing, even an idea or cause, can be an idol.
Idolatry is usually hidden, because it is a societal commitment that goes unquestioned. But idolatry can be revealed in a crisis.
I intend to feature examples of idolatry in society here. I begin with one example that has become highly visible over the last few days. It seems to reveal multiple idolatries, which are linked together under a major idolatry of an entire industrial system. Each possible idolatry is marked in italicized [square brackets]. Maybe not all are full idolatries, but I have marked those that seem to refer to a commitment to something, which is largely unspoken, and for which other good things are sacrificed. At the end, I analyse it using Goudzwaard's characteristics of idolatry.
This stopped generation of carbon dioxide (CO2). That should be welcomed as a Good Thing, because CO2 is a greenhouse gas and fertilizer production is a not insignificant contributor to climate change. Surely it was a blessing that we have been forced by external circumstances to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions? But in fact the opposite occured: Reduction in CO2 generation was treated as a Bad Thing, a curse! Media, industry and government seemed to adopt an attitude of panic. This alerted to me to a possible idolatry: CO2 generation, and indeed various elements of idolatry seemed to be revealed in the following things related to it.
Why did they treat this blessing as a curse? Because, it seems, the CO2 produced is used in several industries [Idolatry of several industries?].
At first, to me, that sounded OK, because: does that mean the CO2 is not released to the atmosphere? I misunderstood. Sadly not, because in almost products in which it is used, such as fizzy drinks, the CO2 is indeed released. However, let us look at the industries.
On the first day of frontline media coverage, it was pointed out that the CO2 was important in the fizzy drinks industry. My immediate thought was: Surely it is good to reduce the production and availability of fizzy drinks, on the grounds of bodily and dental health? Was there not a major concern only a few months ago about the huge amounts of fizzy drinks being consumed? But not once did I hear that argument put on the media. [Idolatry of fizzy drinks?]
The next industry cited was the alcoholic drinks industry. But, I thought, maybe naively, surely it is fermentation that generates the CO2 in beers, so why do they need industrial CO2? [Idolatry of convenience, or some other reason?] See comment by Andy Sawyer: traditional beers don't use CO2 and taste better!
The next industry cited was the food packaging industry: CO2 helps increase shelf life. Sounds reasonable, I thought. Except that I remembered a case years ago where a company trumpeted "keeps your food fresher longer" when what they really seemed to mean was "we can keep our products on the shelves longer; they are not fresher when they get to you, because they have been longer on the shelves before they get to you; it is mainly for our own convenience." [Idolatry of self] Moreover, more plastic packaging is needed to keep the CO2 around the food.
The next industry cited was the meat industry. My response was: are we not supposed to be eating less meat these days, so is it really so awful that the meat industry lacks some of its CO2? But nor was that idea allowed into the media discourse. [Idolatry: meat eating by the overfed wealthy?]
Then I discovered what they use CO2 for. Apparently CO2 is used in 'humane' slaughter, in that the animals are suffocated with CO2 and go unconscious before they are killed. My response: Good to want slaughter to be humane, but is suffocating really humane; do not people who find they cannot breath suffer trauma before they pass out?
After several days, "fizzy drinks" was no longer mentioned - I wonder if the media had got the idea that fizzy drinks was not such an essential thing that would justify protecting our generation of this greenhouse gas [Idolatry: CO2 generation].
Then a few days later, while the story was still top news in the media, "hospitals" was cited as a user of CO2. Now, I believe that this is a very minor use, by volume, so why bring this in? Is it because somebody wanted to justify the entire industrial process were looking around for more justifications? [Idolatry of the entire industrial process?].
The UK government took panic action to agree with the American manufacturers that they would subsidise the manufacture of fertilizers.
One issue that was not mentioned: is it necessary to use so much fertilizer in agriculture? In the agriculture sector - in which I have worked - there seems to be a mentality to resist any climate and environmental responsibility. There seems to be almost an article of faith that fertilizer use is sacrosanct, regardless of the damage it is known to do (to wildlife, to soil quality, to biodiversity, and to climate change emissions, as just a few). [Idolatry of fertilizer, as part of idolatry of industrial farming, coupled with resistance to 'greenies'?]
Another thought was: If they really need CO2, should they not be extracting CO2 from the atmosphere rather than generating it? Would not help reduce climate change emissions? I guess generated CO2 is cheaper. [Idolatry: profits before responsibility?] (Also, of course, in all those uses, the CO2 ends up back in the atmosphere - but at least it would not be generated; it would be a circular economy.)
I might also ask: How essential to society's life is it to have so many fizzy drinks, so much alcohol, and even so much meat! Is it worth contributing to sacrificing the climate - and future lives of those in many other countries - in order to have so much and so many of them here? [Idolatry: our affluent lifestyle?]
"Minor technical correction: beer brewed and bottled in traditional ways doesn't use CO2. And CO2 is used much less, if at all, in traditional draught beer. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_ale#Real_ale for details. It also tastes much better! I'll bring a bottle next time we come :-) Good illustration of how damaging the American way is, too ..."
AB Response: Thank you. Even less need for the idolatry of fertilizer etc. than I had thought. Back to text.
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Created: 22 September 2021 Last updated: 16 October 2021 Comment by Andy Sawyer.