Faith’s core challenge is not atheism. It is idolatry. It was the first sin of the chosen people, just after their election by God and their deliverance from Egypt. It is ours as well. We fashion gods ...

When we think of idolatry, we often think of a practice of worshipping statues or images long dead in modern society, save for maybe a few far-flung places on islands or in jungles somewhere. Idolatry ...

Last week, Ash Wednesday marked the beginning of Lent, a 40-day period (not counting Sundays) in the Christian calendar that is focused on repentance and preparation for Easter. During Lent, ...

In his daily Mass homily, Pope Francis warned of the presence of idolatry in our lives, urging each person present to look to themselves in order to find the hidden idols which are present in our ...

Ben Azzai offered: “This is the book of the lineage of Adam.” (Genesis 5:1). For both of these sages, the Torah’s unifying principle is love. For Rabbi Akiva, this is expressed explicitly in a divine ...

To achieve their goal of creating a holy people, the Pharisees had become quite aggressive. All the people must become holy, lest one desecrate the land and dispel God’s presence. The Pharisees couldn ...

Idolatry (avoda zara) is one of the gravest sins in the Torah. In fact, it is one of three sins for which one must accept death before succumbing (Yoma 82a). But is it merely an ancient relic? As 21st ...

Today's most popular television shows contain a lot of sin, but even more idolatry. In "House of Cards," the idol is power. Conniving politician Frank Underwood says, "Everything is about sex. Except ...

What basic Christian tenet, doctrine or word have you struggled to “translate” into plain speech? That question is part of an essay prompt I’m considering for a July writing workshop with Kathleen ...