Idolatry in religion and ways to its overcoming

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to critically present the essential manifestations of idolatry, which consists in the absolutisation of finite and relative concepts, images, rituals, things and persons by means of which we relate to God. As a result, the true God is replaced by some fictitious image of Him treated as an object of adoration. It is therefore necessary to strive in religion to overcome all forms of idolatry by valuing certain aspects of the phenomenon of religious pluralism and the experience of sacrum. The article consists of three parts. The first shows the nature of idolatry in religion, its essential forms and elements of its critique. In the second part, attention is paid to the phenomenon of religious pluralism, its developmental stages, sources and ways of understanding. The third part focuses on the experience of sacrum, its essential manifestations and human attitudes towards it.