“…life is shaped not only by natural forces and human actions but also through the active presence of God in it through Christ and the Holy Spirit. It identifies the origins of all human alienation in the separation of humanity from God. Refusing to live with God through Christ is the root cause of all sin. What enables human beings to cope with the anxieties and the adversities of life is their trusting relationship with God. Human ideologies or deeds in themselves cannot sustain life in the midst of adversities, suffering and pain. Such an attitude or pattern of life is idolatrous. In the words of St. Paul, those who adhere to such a pattern of life " exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator." (Rom. 1:25)” (Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Clapsis)
“…everyone is religious in some fashion. We all pay homage to something, or someone, above all else. Whatever we devote ourselves to is the “god” we serve. Our temple may be dedicated to the worship of comfort, wealth, prestige, ego, pleasure, power, health, duty, or pleasing others. Potential idols are everywhere. The Lord Jesus separates us from this array of false divinities. He calls us to become whole, free, holy children who depend primarily on our Father in heaven. To do so means to break the hold of every idol “for the sake of the kingdom of God” (Lk 18:29). We must join our entire will and our desires to the will of the true God, our heavenly Father. This is a tough assignment that requires long struggle.” (OCPM 11/22/2017)
“Anything that replaces the centrality of God in our life can be a form of idolatry. A job, music, money, popularity, success—all can become forms of idolatry. Even nationalism can be idolatrous.” (Abbot Tryphon)
“We engage in idolatry when our hearts and minds attach faith, reverence, and fear to persons or things – when we direct our energies to creatures rather than the Creator.” (Dynamis 7/17/2018)
‘It is easy to slip into idolatry and not even realize it. Here is a simple test to see if this is so. Just ask yourself, on a daily basis, is there anything in my life I put first before having my prayer time with God? Now, if the answer to this question is yes, it may not be full on idolatry and it may be a matter of simply reordering priorities. However, either way it is worth examining. Christ told us to “seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33)… Calling us to be free from anxiety about earthly things, Jesus directs us to look to heaven, secure in the faith that God will provide needed earthly blessings.” (Sacramental Living Blog, Orthodox Study Bible, Matthew 6:33)