June 30, 2009 – Although I do not watch much television, I have been loathe to even turn mine on recently. It seems that no matter where I go I am inundated with news about the death of Michael Jackson.

I was on my way to the kitchen this afternoon to get a drink and I happened to hear a snippet about how Michael Jackson had wrote a letter to Lisa Marie Presley saying he was afraid that some day he would end up like her father, Elvis.

Elvis was known as the King of Rock n Roll and he had, still has for that matter, throngs of adoring fans. Michael Jackson was known as the King of Pop, and he also had/has throngs of adoring fans.

What is it with us that we put people up on pedestals to worship them? The television show American Idol has some of the highest ratings among all the worthless trash that people call entertainment.

In an article on The Good News Magazine, Dave Register is quoted as saying, “But what is really interesting to me is there were far more votes cast for ‘American Idol’ than people who go to church on any given week in America.”

Not everyone, but some fans of these idols go to such extremes that their entire world revolves around the recipient of their worship. This is not only sick, it is against the teachings of God.

In Exodus 20, God spoke unto Moses, giving him the Ten Commandments. The first words He spoke were, “I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;” Exodus 20:2-5

I wonder, has anyone stopped to consider that the deaths of Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, and possibly even Marilyn Monroe, who many considered a goddess, came about due to the fact that we idolized them, and idol worship is a sin in God’s eyes?

It has been said that the Lord works in mysterious ways. Just maybe, the deaths of these idols are God’s way of warning us what happens when we place more value on the lifestyle of these idols, than we do on the word of God.
We would be wise to recall the writings of the Apostle Paul in the Book of Romans,

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

People constantly say God Bless America. Why should He when we have turned our back on Him and His law? We are a nation filled that worships idols, we are told to accept sin as alternative lifestyles, and we are fearful of offending someone due to our beliefs.

Didn’t Christ warn us that “But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 10:33

We ask God to bless us, yet through our ignorance and our apathy, we elect politicians who strip of us the rights that our founders considered God-given, and inviolate. These rights are ours, and no man has the right to take them from us. Yet we sit back idly while they do just that, then ask God to bless us? Something doesn’t sound right about that if you ask me.

Then we have Barack Obama, a total unknown who rose to superstar status and become our 44th president. The throngs that attended his campaign rallies were just as enamored of him as any crowd watching Michael Jackson perform.

Once again, we have placed our faith in a man to solve all our problems, when the answers are readily available if we would only turn off our televisions and seek them out. But that’s not entertaining, is it?

Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan shudders and says “OH SHIT!!…. HE’S AWAKE!!”

“Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?“

~ The Author ~
Neal Ross can be reached for comments at bonsai@syix.com. Visit Neal’s Blog at http://www.zombie-slayer.com/neal