Dictionary of Bible Themes  »  8000 The life of the believer  »  8700 Threats to the life of faith  »  8748 false religion

The worship of anything that is not God, including any form of religion that fails to do justice to the glory and majesty of God. Scripture criticises both the practices and the beliefs of false religions.

The nature of false religion

Man-made images are worshipped

Acts 17:29 See also Deuteronomy 4:28; Psalm 115:4-7; Psalm 135:15-17; Isaiah 44:10-20; Jeremiah 10:3-5; Jeremiah 16:20; Daniel 3:4-7; Acts 19:26

Created things are worshipped

Romans 1:25 See also 2 Kings 21:3 pp 2 Chronicles 33:5; Jeremiah 8:2; Jeremiah 19:13; Ezekiel 8:16

Secular authorities are worshipped

Revelation 13:4 The dragon in Revelation may be understood as the devil and the beast as the antichrist: the forces at work behind the human authorities that defy the rule of God. See also Acts 12:21-23; Revelation 13:8,12

Demons are worshipped

Deuteronomy 32:17 See also Leviticus 17:7 fn; Psalm 106:37-38; 1 Corinthians 10:20; Revelation 9:20

False religion is based on man-made traditions, myths and philosophies

Colossians 2:8,20-23; 1 Timothy 1:4; Timothy 6:20

False religious practices

Immorality

1 Kings 14:23-24 See also Ezekiel 16:16-17; Hosea 4:13-14

Human sacrifice

2 Kings 17:17 See also Leviticus 18:21; Psalm 106:37-38

False religion ensnares its adherents

It offers no help in time of need

1 Samuel 12:21 See also Judges 10:14; 1 Kings 18:29; 2 Kings 19:12 pp Isaiah 37:12; Isaiah 16:12; Isaiah 44:17-20; Isaiah 45:20; Isaiah 46:7; Isaiah 57:13; Jeremiah 11:12

It prevents people from finding the truth

Jonah 2:8 See also Matthew 23:13; Luke 11:52; 2 Corinthians 4:4

It devalues, degrades and defiles

2 Kings 17:15 See also Psalm 106:39; Psalm 115:8; Psalm 135:18; Isaiah 44:9; Jeremiah 2:5; Ezekiel 20:18

It leads to immorality

Numbers 25:1-2 See also Numbers 25:3,6-8; Romans 1:23-31; Revelation 9:20-21

It enslaves

Galatians 4:8 See also Deuteronomy 12:30; Galatians 4:3,9-10; Colossians 2:8

False religion receives the full force of God's anger

Jeremiah 16:18 See also 1 Kings 13:1-3,33-34; 2 Kings 17:18-23; Jeremiah 22:8-9; Micah 5:13-15; Nahum 1:14; Zephaniah 1:4-5

See also

4130  demons
6187  immorality
7348  defilement
7449  slavery, spiritual
8142  religion
8747  false gods
8750  false teachings
8752  false worship
8768  idolatry
8784  nominal religion
8807  profanity
8829  superstition