”Yea, and we also see the great wickedness one very wicked man can cause to take place among the children of men.” (LDS Alma 46:9)
One of the reasons idolatry is such a serious offense is because it can be a powerful way to get people to commit big sins. When a wicked person succeeds in becoming someone’s idol, those who may subject themselves to him, can quickly be imposed upon to accept and carry out, practices that are a complete abomination. As the book of Mormon says it in the quote above, ”Yea, and we also see the great wickedness one very wicked man can cause to take place among the children of men” (LDS Alma 46:9).
From a secular perspective, the Milgram experiments confirm just how powerful idolatry can be. These experiments simply placed people from a variety of backgrounds in situations where an authority figure would pressure them to do things that conflicted with their personal conscience. Participants were led to believe they were involved in a completely different type of experiment. This false experiment had them “assisting” a “learner” by giving them electric shocks for incorrect responses. Even when the power of the electric shocks increased to levels which, had they been real, would have killed the “learner”, most people continued to do what they were told. The experiments showed just how pervasive and powerful idolatry can be. A very large portion of people would continue to do what the authority figure said even though they clearly had a personal reluctance to continue with giving shocks. Most people ignored their personal conscience in favor of the authority figure. Is such obedience a virtue, or a problem?
When there is a conflict between our own conscience and what someone we respect has to say, how do we handle that? Do we listen to our own conscience as the default behavior? Or would we instinctively follow what someone else tells us to do? How much respect do we really have for our own conscience? Or have we turned over our conscience to someone else? Are we “past feeling” for ourselves? Are we dependent upon someone else to tell us how to feel? How important is our own direction from God? If God gives us personal direction to follow, will we do it, even if it conflicts with what others we respect tell us to do? Or will we give up our own connection with God and rely on another’s connection?
There is a reason why God commands to bow to no other gods than to Him. Obedience to God alone is a completely different attribute from obedience to something or someone else. One is essential, the other is a great error. God will never require anyone to do something wrong. On the other hand, others, even a well intended, good person, can be the means of causing difficulty.
As Jesus taught his disciples:
“Therefore, if your hand offend you, cut it off. Or if your brother offend you, and confess not and forsake not, he shall be cut off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than having two hands to go into hell. For it is better for you to enter into life without your brother than for you and your brother to be cast into hell — into the fire that never shall be quenched, where their worm dies not and the fire is not quenched. And again, if your foot offend you, cut it off. For he that is your standard by whom you walk, if he become a transgressor, he shall be cut off. It is better for you to enter lame into life than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched. Therefore, let every man stand or fall by himself, and not for another, or not trusting another.” (NC Mark 5:16-17)
That last line deserves real contemplation: “let every man stand or fall by himself, and not for another, or not trusting another.” As it is also said, “Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh felsh his arm” (RE 2 Nephi 12:6).
Even when the object of idolatry is a good person, it is still wrong. Following another can still be the means of propagating errors. Paul confessed to having his “thorn in the flesh” (KJV 2 Cor. 12:7) without giving details about what that was. It was weakness that he knew he had. Someone who knew and idolized Paul may very well adopt Paul’s weaknesses, thinking that since Paul is a messenger of God, that whatever Paul is involved with must be right. But that is wrong. Such an approach might repeat and magnify the problems of one man by many others adopting those issues for themselves. Errors in another can be a good reminder of why worship is to be reserved for God alone.
When we do see errors in another, and we will, it can be a good reminder to not put one person above another. We are not to esteem one as greater than another. When errors are detected, it is not to condemn one another. As Moroni puts it, “Condemn me not because of mine imperfection, neither my father, because of his imperfection, neither them who have written before him; but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been.” (LDS Mormon 9:31). Seeing the flaws and errors in another can be a personal blessing if we do not use it to judge or condemn one another. It can help remind us not to idolize anyone. It can also help us learn greater wisdom in how we should conduct ourselves and not encourage others to follow us either. Knowing our flaws can give all the more reason to point to Christ.
God can tell the difference between a sheep who is truly following His voice and one who is following another sheep. We are to have no other gods before Him, no matter how noble and great another may be.