Idolatry

Idolatry is the belief that a statue or idol is a god, and should be worshipped. Shintoism? is a Religion which practices idolatry. Hinduism, which is widely accused of practising idolatry, actually simply uses idols to represent God the way Christianity use icons and paintings in churches.

One way of viewing idolatry is as a form of animism which expresses the belief that all objects in the world are alive, and thus have indwelling souls, and thus should be worshipped.

A contrasting view of idolatry is that the statue or idol is the physical form of a god who holds power over some aspect of the world, such as a particular stream of water or rain in all its forms.

Worship of idols generally occurs in temples, although many adherents have small shrines in their homes or places of business.

Jewish people and Christians do not practice idolatry as it is specifically forbidden in the Second Commandment of the Old Testament of The Bible.