For YOUR enlightenment, while concurrently sustaining Incurable symbol-referent Confusions among THEIR (Predominantly Illiterate) believers → there still are some few Positive facets to Idolatry ⇒ since each idol’s physical details facilitate orally transmitting aspects of that culture’s primordial ‘memories’ -and- Their associated ‘idealized life-practices advice’. Therewith, most TOXIC idolatrous aspects are tendencies imagining their idol as a Transactional ENTITY ‘who’ Causes events; thus the idol’s Desires, Anger, Benevolence, etc. Diverts idolaters (individually & culturally) from deeper inquiries into Actual Causality Mechanisms.

While every surviving ancient culture always tries to retain accumulated ‘presumptive life-practices advice’ & primeval-history wisdom ⇒ https://opentextbc.ca/indigenizationresearchers/chapter/indigenous-ethics-and-mindset/; Our Jewish Ancient antecedents (certified by Mishnah & Talmud) acknowledge Avruhum Avinu A”H keeping ALL Torat Moshe (status) Mitzvot – even though living hundreds of years pre-Sinai: his ultra-sensative awareness of Kedusha & Taharah (definitions in https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/mitzvah-the-concept/) allowed him to choose from (and if-necessary appropriately perfect) life-technologies (already) discovered or invented, then appreciated & transmitted from Long Before. 

NOW: Kindly ‘contemplate’ YOUR ‘personal’ G?D? conception-abstraction(s).

THEN: see “Note” in https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/mishnah-tehillim-gd-and-our-now/

HaRav A.I.Kook A”H wrote “From time to time there is exposed an admixture of the pure belief in one God with the obfuscation of ascribing corporality to Him, and whenever an aspect of anthropomorphism falls away, it appears as though religion itself has fallen. Soon, however, it turns out that religion has not fallen, but has become clarified. In the recent turn of the human spirit toward pure faith the last subtle shell of anthropomorphism is giving way, which consists in ascribing the attribute of general existence to God, for truly whatever we ascribe to the term existence is immeasurable remote from the divine. This denial has the sound of atheism. It is, however, the highest expression of religion when it becomes well clarified, and the human spirit grows accustomed to hearing the message of religion in terms of actions and influences, the phenomena of existence and the phenomena of the Torah and of morals – the recognition that the divine is the activating influence on existence and is, therefore, obviously above existence. What looks like atheism, cleansed of its defilement, thus returns to the highest realms of pure religion. But this denial of existence [in God], which is a return to the vision of God as the source of all existence and to the most ultimate essence of the majesty of all existence, requires the most scrupulous understanding. Each day it must be traced back to its authentic purity.” (translation: B.Z.Bokser©1978)

Unfortunately, using the HaShem ‘word’ completely disintegrates ideational perspective-distinctions between Torat Moshe’s precisely articulated G?D? (related) ‘words’; thereby risking existence-ENTITY misconceptions. 

Anthropomorphic G?D? as (an) existence–ENTITY was significantly Diluted by OUR Avot -and- at Sinai; EXCEPT for ‘therapeutically’ residing among children, unenlightened-unlearned adults, many self-actualizing individuals (aspiring to........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)