When we read in the Bible about false gods, we picture weird-looking statues in a strange temple filled with fanatical, demon-possessed aborigines. False gods don't necessarily have anything to do with statues, temples, or foreign cultures. For example, secular humanism is a religion that bows down before the god of self. It has no emphasis on statues or temples. The people involved in this religion do not appear primitive, but sophisticated.

Secular humanism adores a variety of gods: the gods of sex, pleasure, money, lifestyle, military power, scientific technology, capitalism, and communism. Some secular humanists are atheists, while others even acknowledge the existence of the true God. However, for practical purposes, all secular humanists put man first and therefore put man in the place of God.

It's so easy to get involved in the cult of secular humanism. If we get caught up in it, we will go the way of all who worship false gods. We will be manipulated by Satan, become as perverse and empty as the gods we worship (Ps 115:8), and perish. The Lord is patient and merciful. He's giving us a chance to repent and get the plank out of our eyes (Mt 7:5). But we have already missed countless opportunities to repent. Time eventually runs out. Repent now.

Rescript:  †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, December 12, 2005

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