An idol is anything that comes between you and God. In the bible-days idols were represented by golden calves and naked deities, so I think it is easy for us as modern-day Children of God to think the second commandment (the second most important commandment of the 10), ‘Thous Shalt have no other gods before Me,’ does not really apply to us anymore. However, if you stop to think about how the Gentiles (pagans) of the time used the ancient idols, you can see similar behavior in our current culture.
It doesn’t really matter what you do with it, an IPOD is made to be a personal device for entertainment; to be clutched, protected, and clung to like a constant companion. It is a muse and a cherished device. It is a modern-day deity. In older generations, the TV was our IPOD.
An idol can also be a bottle of booze. A pack of cigarettes. A phone. A credit card. In all these cases, we worship something that we perceive is going to deliver us unto happiness. We might not even consciously believe that, it might be completely subconscious, but the point is, our action reaches for and intoxicates upon, the Thing, whatever it is.
Technology is our golden calf. We might not literally bow down to it, but I bet if your IPOD or phone or computer breaks, you are going to lament, contort yourself somewhat, and take steps to replace it immediately.
Do we do this with God? Do we take the same loving care with our relationship with God as we do with our personal devices? Do we protect from taking His name in vain with the same diligence with which we protect our phone from moisture? Do we keep our communication with Him as quick and responsive as our texting? Are we as enraptured by His wonders as we are by viral youtube videos? If not, we are probably serving idols in place of God.
Technology which is a vehicle for communication and connects people together, such as certain aspects of the internet and phone, are not all bad, but we must use them with caution, knowing they could lead us into temptation and subsequent idolatry. Usually God does not want us to be tempted at all, and commands that we avoid temptation by eliminating all of it from our lives. As He illustrated when the ancient Hebrews settled in the Promised Land of Canaan, He demanded that all the pagan tribes be destroyed, lest they lead His chosen people into sin and idolatry.
Even though we might think we are far removed from worshiping golden calves and sacrificing our children to gods, we are actually the very same now. We let our children go away from our protective arms from the time they are born, so that we can make double the money, one of our favorite gods. We elevate our false egos that make us worship ourselves and each other, because since we do not believe in God, we make ourselves or someone else god. We pay homage and adoration to stars, and look up to them. We clutch cold shiny metal that portrays any image we crave to see, and in the imagination of our own hearts, we think that it is good.
~Song of Mary~ 