the.com/idolatry
worshipping the picture instead of what it's a picture of.
means treating a symbol, object, or substitute as if it were the ultimate thing itself, whether that's a golden statue or a stock price.
from from greek eidololatria, eidolon meaning image or phantom plus latreia meaning worship or service — coined by jewish and christian writers to describe pagans bowing to statues rather than an unseen god.
golden calfbiblical idolatry's most famous repeat offender
not just religionmoney, fame, nations all qualify now
iconoclasmthe violent cure invented to smash it
islam and judaismboth ban images of god outright
for instance
golden calf — exodus 32, israelites melt jewelry into a god while moses is on the mountain
byzantine iconoclasm — 726-842 ce, emperors ordered christian icons destroyed as idolatrous
cult of personality — north korea's statues of kim il-sung treated with near-religious devotion
celebrity worship — elvis's graceland draws 600,000 pilgrims a year