15 Thus they were a very indolent people, many of whom did worship idols, and the curse of God had fallen upon them because of the traditions of their fathers; notwithstanding the promises of the Lord were extended unto them on the conditions of repentance.
(Alma 17:15)
Idleness and idolatry are correlated. Worshipping the true God requires a lot from us – in fact, it requires all that we can give. Worshipping a false god is relatively easier:
“It is a characteristic of our age that if people want any gods at all, they want them to be gods who do not demand much, comfortable gods, smooth gods who not only don’t rock the boat but don’t even row it, gods who pat us on the head, make us giggle, then tell us to run along and pick marigolds.” (Jeffrey R. Holland, “The Cost–and Blessings–of Discipleship,” General Conference, April 2014)
Whether the false gods are physical objects made of stone or wood or whether they are simply misrepresentations of the true God, we must recognize that a conception of God which lets us off the hook and makes our life easy is a false conception. When we worship the true God, it spurs us to action and to continual improvement.
Leave a Reply