Is Idolatry Bad?

You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. [Deuteronomy 5:8-10]

"Cartoon Dreams"

Kimberly loved cartoons. It was a pretty big hobby before but when mom and dad let her have a TV in her room, she really started loving cartoons even more. She loved the old ones a lot like Bugs Bunny, The Roadrunner, Popeye and lots of new ones too. Recently the one she liked best was Roscoe Rabbit. On Saturday nights, they play three hours of Roscoe Rabbit in a row. So Kimberly goes to bed early to curl up for a long fun evening of watching cartoons.

As half hour episode after half hour episode drifted by, Kimberly thought she felt herself drifting off to sleep. She really couldn’t tell the difference between sleep and being awake. Suddenly she woke up feeling a strange shaking sound and a high squeaky voice saying, “Kimberley, Kimberley, wake up, we have a long way to go and a lot to do.”

She felt herself come away slowly and suddenly bolting up staring right into that strange face. “Who are you?” she shouted although she recognized him right away.

“Well, I’m Roscoe Rabbit of course, come on, we have to travel three dozen galaxies to get to Moonblind where you will live forever”

“What do you mean forever?” But before she could get an answer, his white gloved hand closed on hers and they shot out in space like two Fourth of July rockets out into the cosmos and past the sun. Kimberly felt herself changed into just a blur of cartoon steam as she rocketed past stars and planets and comets sometimes doing squiggly patterns and loop-de-loops in space and then THUNK she was standing on a completely cartooned world, holding hands with the cartoon Roscoe Rabbit who was twice as big as her.

“Well, here we are? What do you want to do first?” Roscoe said in that goofy cartoon voice of his.

“I want to go home. How did I get here?”

“Wait, here comes the Bosco Boys!” Roscoe said with a wild giggle and in a flash from horizon to horizon was filled with every size, assortment, species and gender of alien motorcycle riders heads down and racing along at ridiculous speeds right toward them. Before Kimberly could yell, “HELP” she was swept up and holding for dear life to a huge pink and green hairy cartoon animal that kept doing wheelies with his motorcycle.

“Hang on Kimberly, we are going to ZIMZIM CITY” You are going to meet the GRAND ZIMZIM!!” Roscoe yelled as his hat blew from his head and he almost toppled from behind a yellow skeleton with big floppy feet racing his motorcycle with his skinny Skelton bottom shoved high up in the air. When the thousands of motorcyclists hit the gates of ZIMZIP CITY, they suddenly merged into a cycle of cartoon creatures all mixing together into one out of control mess when they were suddenly shot out and landed in a huge room in front of a throne high above them.

Turning to Roscoe Rabbit, Kimberly had to know “Is the GRAND ZIMZIM the president or something?” Suddenly Roscoe slammed to the floor and became flat as a pancake with his long cartoon rabbit arms stretched out before him. His totally flat lips moved when he said “Bow down, Kimberly, the GRAND ZIMZIM is our God!!!”

ALL BOW said another voice that came from a smallish purple cartoon duck with yellow spots. Then it came in, what had to be the GRAND ZIMZIM. The thing that walked in looked somewhat like a cross between an alligator and a petunia. It sat on the throne looking very pleased with itself, until it saw Kimberly.

“You are not bowed down? You better get with it. Cartoon land works badly when someone disobeys. I am the God in this cartoon you know.”

“I am NOT going to bow because first, I am not a cartoon and second, I already have a god and I don’t worship anybody else.”

“Well, “the GRAND ZIMZIM said beginning to pout. “Why not?”

“Well because in the real world there is only one God and we only worship him.” Kimberly insisted.

“Oh please, just a little worship.”

“NO” Kimberly said and she stomped her feet.

“Ok then, you have a right to your choices, but the penalty for not worshipping the GRAND ZIMZIM is to be dangled above the huge worm tank!!”

There was a cartoon flash and Kimberly first felt her arms over her head, bound by cartoon ropes. “Well I hope you're satisfied NOW” she heard to her right where she found Roscoe Rabbit dangling and wiggling above a tank of very nasty multi-colored worms. “All this because YOU couldn’t FOR JUST FIVE MINUTES worship the GREAT ZIMZIM!!!”

“OHYEAH!” Kimberly shouted loosing her temper. “WELL I AM NEVER WATCHING YOUR SHOW AGAIN!” but before the words were completely out, the ropes let go. Kimberly felt herself screaming and falling and falling and falling and……….

‘EEK” she sat straight up in her bed. It was morning and the cartoon channel was selling exercise equipment to her. The first thing Kimberly saw was not all the cartoon posters and toys but in the corner a sweet picture of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. She ran to that picture and hugged it crying. “Jesus, I’m sorry I loved cartoons more than you” and she was too. Because before the weekend was over the posters were gone and mom and dad happily took TV from her room and Kimberly knew for certain why she should never consider worshiping another god who is not the one true God again.

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” [Matthew 4:10]