WHAT DO WE WORSHIP?
Our Western culture is built on the devilish idea
that “more is good.” This craving for more—more power, more possessions,
more pride—has shaped Western society for thousands of years.
Before we can hope for just and compassionate societies, we must stop
blaming “the system” and examine ourselves. The question is simple:
who do we worship—God or the Devil?
It is not capitalism, communism, socialism, liberalism, conservatism, nor
any political player or philosophy that is ultimately to blame.
The problem is
deeper: it is the worship of evil—Satan, if you will.
Evil in the Bible always appears as the desire for more, beyond what God has given.
Satan (and those aligned with him) tempt humanity to grasp beyond God’s provision.
The classic example is found in Matthew 4:8–9: “Again, the devil took him to
a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
And he said to him, ‘All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.’”
Because our societies are built on this form of Devil worship, then every
attempt to make them more inclusive and just is doomed, because the foundation
itself is corrupt.
Until we as individuals repent of this craving for “more” and turn back
to God, we will remain trapped in a downward spiral that becomes a hell on earth.
The root problem is not economic systems or political
ideologies, but the object
of our devotion.
If our hearts bow before the false promise of “more,” we empower evil to shape
our world. But if we humble ourselves before God, trusting His provision as
enough, then we break free from the devil’s lie and begin to live in the freedom,
peace, and abundance that only God can give.
Change starts with one. One person choosing God over more. One heart
turning away from evil. One evil root pulled out of the soil, One life transformed.
We must stop blaming, and begin with ourselves.
SOME HISTORY
Western culture, often celebrated as the cradle of philosophy, democracy, and reason, rests on foundations much older than Athens or Rome. Its roots lie in the ancient Near East, where the earliest civilizations—Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Canaan—built societies around the worship of idols, spirits, and celestial powers. The Sumerians bowed before gods of fertility and war, Egyptians raised temples to Ra and Osiris, and the Canaanites sacrificed to Baal and Asherah. The Bible recalls this directly: “They sacrificed to demons, not to God—to gods they had not known” (Deuteronomy 32:17). Likewise, the Qur’an condemns this same tendency: “But they have worshiped the jinn, while Allah had already commanded them to worship Him alone” (Qur’an 34:41). The West’s earliest inheritance, then, was not reason but reverence for idols and the unseen powers behind them.
The Greeks refined this inheritance into a pantheon of gods—Zeus, Athena, Apollo—spirits of mountain and sea who were little more than human passions writ large. These gods were capricious, jealous, and vengeful, demanding constant appeasement. Rome absorbed them, blending idol worship with imperial power, so that the emperor himself became a living god. The New Testament makes the connection explicit: “The sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God” (1 Corinthians 10:20). Worship of idols in the classical world was not a neutral cultural practice—it was the spiritual architecture of society, shaping politics, law, and daily life.
When Christianity spread through Europe, it challenged idolatry, yet much of the old spirit persisted beneath the surface. Pagan festivals were absorbed, old symbols repurposed, and the fascination with spirits, astrology, and hidden powers endured. The Renaissance, hailed as the rebirth of reason, was in many ways a rebirth of paganism: the glorification of human pride, the return to Greco-Roman ideals, and the elevation of worldly achievement as the highest good. The Qur’an’s warning rings here: “Do not extend your eyes toward that by which We have given enjoyment to [some] categories of them, the splendor of worldly life, through which We test them” (Qur’an 20:131). Western culture’s trajectory—whether in ancient temples or modern marketplaces—has been to exalt creation above the Creator.
Thus, from Mesopotamian idols to Roman gods to modern consumerism, a through-line remains: the worship of “more.” The outward forms change, but the inward devotion to powers other than God persists. Both Bible and Qur’an teach that this is not harmless tradition but the very essence of devil-worship. What the West calls progress may, at its root, be the oldest story of all: humanity bowing to idols of its own making, while forgetting the One who made them.