American Idols, Celebrity Worship= Sin of Idolatry

Angelina Jolie pictured as a goddess

In the month of January 2013 we did a two part radio broadcast called American Idols, Celebrity Worship = Sin of Idolatry(here and here). We covered that in this present age celebrity worship has now become a new religion for people, and the celebrities they worship are in reality their god or goddess.  In American society people may not worship the idol gods of stone, wood, bronze, silver, and gold.  However, they do worship actors/actresses, singers, musicians, news anchors, athletes, models, and politicians. These individuals develop faithful followers that follow their every word and move.  However, the Bible warns us about the sin of idolatry.  One may ask what is the sin of idolatry? Let us examine this sin in this expose'.  Are you a person guilty of the sin of idolatry?

What is Idolatry ?

Idolatry is the worship of spirits, persons, or graven images.  It also includes trusting in any person, institution, or thing as having equal or greater authority than G-d and His Word.

In ancient Biblical times the nations surrounding the children of Israel were involved in idolatry. They worshiped all types of gods and goddesses including Chemosh, Baal, Moloch, and Astaroth. Now Yahweh had warned the children of Israel not to worship these idol gods. Yahweh alone was to be worshiped because He was and is the only "true living G-d" and the Creator.  Unfortunately, Israel fell in and out of idolatry which bought judgment upon the nation for disobeying  G-d.

The very reality is this: Israel fell in love with these idols by worshiping them.  In addition, these idols were really demon spirits. Psalms 106:36-37 reveals the truth that these idols were devils that  caused the people to commit acts of abomination and to sin against G-d.    

Celebrities That Are Worshiped 

Politicians Worshiped

President Barak Obama Viewed as Messiah

Sports Stars Worship

 Lebron James is worshiped as a sports star

Media Diva Worshiped as a Goddesss

Oprah Worship

Music Stars Worship

Kanye West portrayed as Christ Figure

New American Religion of Celebrity Worship

If you see people that place more emphasis and time in listening to the music of their favorite artist, watching their favorite television program, or dedicated to their favorite sports team and athlete, rather than worshiping G-d, you are seeing someone who is an active participate in a form of religion.  These people religiously follow their idol news media star, movie and television star, sports star, and/or politician.

The new houses of worship for this celebrity-centered religion are the iphone, ipod, computer, online, sports stadium, movie, music concert, television.  The celebrity worship Bible is the tabloid magazine.  Magazines such as US Magazine and The National Inquirer sell millions of copies each week.  Television programs such as E!, Extra, TMZ, Entertainment Tonght, and Access Hollywood give regular daily updates about their gods and goddesses(source).  

Sociologist Rodney Stark states, "typically people do not seek a faith; they encounter one through their ties to other people who already accept this faith." It's been said that fame is a religion, and celebrities are the gods.

So...to Which Idol Should You Bow?

The question is: what celebrity idols do you bow down to daily?  Do you you spend more time listening to ungodly music and watching ungodly music videos? What ungodly Anti-Christian and anti-moral celebrity poster is hanging on the wall of your room?   Do you spend more time reading about your favorite celebrity than you do your Bible? How much time do you spend in prayer versus watching your favorite television show with your favorite actor? Please think about these questions.  If you answered affirmatively to any of them, you might have a serious sin problem with idolatry. Stop bowing down to these celebrity idols! they don't mean your eternal soul any good!

1 John 5:21 warns Christians on the following, "Keep yourselves from idols." Don't bow down to the sin of idolatry! Revelation 21:8 states that idol worshipers will have their destiny in the Lake of Fire. Please keep Jesus Christ first in your life, and you will have eternal life.     

  

The Image of Jealousy(Sexual Sin is Idolatry)

Multiple Breast Goddess Idol

In today's times, the Church really needs to examine what may provoke G-d to jealousy. Exodus 20:5 says, "Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them, for I am a jealous G-d, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third, and fourth generation of them that hate me." Looking at Ezekiel 8:3, it states, "And he put forth the form of a hand, and took me by lock of my hair; and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate, that looketh toward the north; where was the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy." The notes from NIV(New International Version) Study Bible for that verse states that the idol that was in the temple was statue of the Canaanite fertility goddess Asherah(Astaroth).

Who is Asherah? 

    Goddess Asherah

Asherah is an idol goddess that was worshiped by the Canaanite people. This goddess is known as Venus by the Romans, Diana Greco-Romans, Artemis Greeks, Isis by the Egyptians, and Ishtar by both the Assyrians and Babylonians. Asherah's name means lasciviousness, lust, and seduction. This goddess represents sexual perversion, along with the male idol counterpart Baal. 

Sexual acts were conducted during the worship of Asherah, abominable acts of multiple sex partners, sodomy(homosexual activity), and sex with temple prostitutes, women dressing like men and men dressing like women(transvestites), and pornography. The idol of Asherah had sexually perverted overtones, showing multiple breasts. Asherah places of worship had groves, which were altars of worship of mostly sexual perversion and were also called the high places. Asherah was the worship of sexually perverse demons.

Judah in Ezekiel 8:1-18 was guilty of setting up an idol of Asherah in the temple of G-d, and was thought that they were practicing these acts in secret, where G-d did not see them. Ezekiel 8:12 says, "Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery?  For they say, the Lord seeth us not; Lord hath forsaken the earth."

21st Century Church and Worship of Asherah 

The church of the 21st century has fallen into the worship of Asherah in an indirect way. Statistics show 80% of Christians are dealing with sexual sins(source/source). A survey of lay leaders and pastors conducted by Leadership Magazine revealed that 62% have viewed pornography. New Man magazine states that 1 out of 10 men attending church are dealing with a sexual addiction. 37% of pastors in a Christianity Today survey indicated that they struggle with internet pornography.

Young, old, single, married, lay member and those in ministerial positions come on Sunday morning to worship in the house of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Yet, in private, they have erected an idol of Asherah in their temple, which is their body. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:18-19 says, " Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? Know ye not that your body body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"

The modern idols of Asherah have been set up in the hearts and minds of some in today's church as follows: singles who continue to have pre-martial sex(fornication), adultery, men and women viewing pornographic material(via the Internet, magazines, and DVD's/Videos), men and women committing homosexual acts, teenagers viewing pornography on the internet and watching music videos on stations as BET and MTV(which is nothing more than soft porn). In the Greek, the word porneuo means to indulge in unlawful lust of either sex, to practice idolatry, to commit fornication.

The coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is soon. The Church must cry out with a loud voice to its people to rid their hearts of Asherah and any sexual sin that has ensnared them; we must warn them that they need to cleanse their personal temples. Do not provoke G-d to jealousy by having the image of jealousy in your hearts. Tear down the high places of your hearts. Let Jesus be number one in our lives. The people of G-d need to confess sin and repent. G-d will forgive and deliver you. Saints, let us live holy and sanctified lifestyles. AMEN.       

The Truth & History of Tattoos: Christian Perspective

Pic of False Prophet/Profit Todd Bentley Tattoos



Tattoos in today's society are quite popular.  One in 10 Americans have tattoos, and one - third of 25 to 30 year old in America have tattoos (here).  Church folks are even getting tattoos because of the influence of today’s culture. We will explore the truth about tattoos, how they originated, what they symbolize, the biblical perspective on tattoos, and the possible health risks.
Leviticus 19:28 says, "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the Lord." The act of tattooing includes tribal markings dedicated to a particular person’s tribal deity. The tattoo was originally a sign of alliance and worship to an idol god. Therefore, tattooing originates from pagan demonism, idol worship, and the magical arts of the occult world.

Tattooing-Magic and  Demons 

Tattooing was a method used by pagans such as sorcerers and pagan priests. Sorcerers used the method of tattooing to pass on their powers or demons to a disciple or descendant.  A Tattooists in paganism are much like a shamans or occult priests.  They are a point of contact to the spirit world.  In Michelle Delio's states on page eight of her book, "Tattoo: The Exotic Art of Skin Decoration," that tattooing is all about personalizing the body to making it a true home and fit temple for the spirit to dwell inside. The Apostle Paul said in First Corinthians that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit  for those are in the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Likewise in tattooing the body is a temple to a spirit/demonic spirit.

A perfect example of  tattooing and the act of passing down magical powers to a disciple or descendant is television series, "Smallville."  In the episode, "Spell", the character Lana Lang has a spell book from one of her ancestors.  She becomes possessed by the spirit of her ancestor (really a demon spirit), and assumes the magical powers of her ancestor. It seems Hollywood's entertainment industry is well versed in the knowledge of the occult and its promotion. They know the reality of the occult spirit world and tattooing.

A pastor once told me a story of a woman who was at one of his church services.  The woman ended up responding to the altar call after the sermon stating that she wanted the "baptism of the Holy Spirit."  She was having a hard time receiving the Baptism when he noticed that her tongue was pierced.  He told me that the Holy Spirit spoke to him and to tell the woman to remove her tongue ring.  She did and guess what?  She received the Holy Spirit! Several days later, the woman brought five thousand dollars worth of body piercing and tattooing equipment to the church.  When she spoke to the pastor she told hm that she was into Satanism.  She confessed that she and her friends would pray satanic prayers over their body piercing and tattooing equipment to invoke demon spirits on the people getting the tattoos.  She asked the pastor to dispose of the equipment which he did with extreme pleasure.



United States History on Tattoos

Concerning the history of the United States, tattoos have always signified rebellion in a society with criminals, adulterers, traitors, and the deviant. Many prisoners and criminal gangs have used and continue to use tattoos to indicate criminal behavior, prison sentences, and organizational affiliation. In the beginning of the late 1990’s the lower back tattoos became popular with young woman. It’s intent was to emphasis sexual attractiveness. However, some consider this type of tattoo as sign of promiscuity and indication of the "raunch" culture. Hence, the nicknames "tramp stamp" (a.k.a "slut) and "dirty girl" tattoo.
In parts of Britain adultery was punished by tattooing. In the army deserters were tattooed with the letter "D".

Yes indeed the popularity of tattooing in American society has grown by leaps and bounds. However, corporate American doesn't look to favorably on tattoos. In in poll done by Careerbuilders found the following:

Over 42 percent of managers said their opinion of someone would be lowered by that person's visible body art. (Personally, I think that the actual figure is much higher.)

Three out of four respondents believe that visible tattoos are unprofessional.

Employers aren't legally bound if they tell someone not to reveal tattoos at the workplace, or to keep tattoos covered up isn't illegal. In survey done by vault.com employers and employees were asked the question about body piercing and tattoos in the workplace. Sixty percent of the employers were less than likely than to hire someone with body piercings and tats, because on how the company image maybe tarnished. An individual may see it as self-expression, but an employer sees it as rebellious, bringing attention to yourself, and not a team player(here).

Health Consequences on Getting Tattoos

There are many health concerns when it comes to tattooing. There is a possibility of contracting deadly blood -borne diseases including but not limited to; AIDS, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, tetanus, syphilis, and tuberculosis(here).
Tattoo parlors are not held to the same health regulations as a health care practitioner office. Many of the parlors cater to customers that are somewhat deviant and already carrying some type of disease.
Tattooing opens your body up to infections, diseases, and scarring, which can have a devastating effect to a person’s overall health. Tattoos can also cause person to have chronic skin disorders such as sarcoid, keloid scarring, allergic dermatitis, psoriasis, benign and malignant tumors. In some cases people suffer an allergic reaction from the tattoo ink(here).

1990s sex symbol and Baywatch television star Pamela Anderson,  is the prime example of the health dangers of tattooing, after contracting hepatitis C(serious liver disease), she got disease by sharing a tattoo needle with her ex-husband rock star Tommie Lee.

What Would Jesus Do(WWJD) on Tatttoos

If you are someone who received a tattoo in ignorance before you became saved or after getting saved, I am not saying that you are not saved, you did out of ignorance. However, we are trying to teach the youth and babes in Christ in today’s church not get caught up in the culture of the world. Our purpose is to enlighten and educated the church in the way of holiness (Leviticus 10:10-11).

Some may say will Endtimeshofar, that is Old Testament scripture, were not under the "law or the Old Testament," were under the New Testament and grace. Your outdated and out of touch of what is going on in today times, even in  the Book of Revelation(Revelation 19:16) Jesus has a tattoo on his thigh that says He is the "Lord of lords and Kings of kings." This is false teaching to any one  who teaches this is heresy, Jesus would never have a tattoo, because He is Jewish number one, and number two He came to fulfill the Torah(Law) and not destroy the Torah(Law), three He would be in direct violation of Torah(here). Even with that being said, someone that got tattoos before getting saved shouldn't continue to get tattoos(this is called repentance), or even some young person thinking about getting a tattoo because it is culturally relevant needs to take not just look at Leviticus 19:28 scripture into account, but Exodus 20:4 put a graven image on your body whether or not it is a Christian tattoo it violates the Word of God. Again our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. So why would you want to violate "the Word" and your body?

Let us not learn the way of the heathen (Jeremiah 10:2), but fear God and keep His commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13). We’re in Babylon, but Babylon is not in our hearts (1 John 2: 15-16).