Apologetics: Should We Destroy Idols?

Recently, a video went viral on X of a pastor in Texas rewarding kids for memorizing Bible verses by letting them smash statues of Mary and angels. The pastor in question is a dude named Jonathan Shelley, who leads Steadfast Baptist Church, and he has rightfully drawn the ire of Protestants and Catholics for this act.

However, upon looking at his X account where he goes by @bannedpastor, this guy is worse than the Mary video would have initially suggested. For one thing, he is a shameless antisemite, saying that Hitler’s hatred of the Jews made him popular because everyone hates the Jews for their “usury, blasphemy, incest, and fornication,” and believes the Jews caused 9/11. He also believes that women should never call the cops on their husbands if they are being abused (as in the case of one woman who called the cops on her husband after he slapped her for allegedly cheating on him), seems to believe that marriage gives men a license to essentially rape their wives, and that women should be treated as property. He also has said that he wants Muslims, Hindus, and Jews out of the United States, and has ripped up the Quran during sermons. He’s also said that he wants to destroy a Jesus statue, for no other reason than it’s Catholic.

In other words, this nutcase is the definition of a false teacher, a wolf among sheep, and he is going to have much to answer for come Judgement Day.

However, besides the overall insanity that this guy teaches from the pulpit, it does bring up an interesting conversation: should Christians be destroying idols? Regardless of if the object is actually considered an idol or not (as in the case of the Mary statue), or if it’s simply something that may effectively be an idol to a non-Christian (i.e. the Quran), as followers of Christ, should we destroy those things?

The answer is yes and no.

In some cases, destruction of those objects might be necessary. For example, earlier this year, David Wood from Apologetics Roadshow started the Quran Demolition Ranch and destroyed thousands of dollars’ worth of Qurans as a deterrent for Muslims wishing his family harm. The premise was, “You dox my family and send us death threats? How do you like it if we destroy your sacred book?” It worked to a degree as a deterrent.

However, while in some cases it might be necessary, that doesn’t mean that we should be destroying things willy-nilly. While we might not agree with everybody’s beliefs, that doesn’t mean that we should walk into a Hindu temple and start vandalizing it. Not only is that illegal, but it doesn’t help bring anyone to Christ. It just makes you look like an obnoxious jerk.

Ultimately, this is all to say that in your ministry, you should treat others how you wish to be treated. If you wouldn’t like it if people came into your church and started destroying things, don’t do a similar thing to them. It only hurts your witness.

But what if you’re a convert to Christianity from a religion like Hinduism, Wicca, or something else. What if you have things in your house that are idols or were treated like idols?

In that case, since it’s your stuff that you own, you’re absolutely at liberty to do whatever you want with it. If you want to destroy your idols and throw them out, do so. If you want to put them in a bin and stow them away somewhere in your house where they may be forgotten, do that. In the case of my family, after we got out of the New Age and the New Apostolic Reformation, my mom put a bunch of her old books in a bin downstairs dubbed “the heresy bin.”

Until next time,

M.J.