Sports as idolatry

Personally, though I do enjoy sports, I have often seen people sometimes too involved in sports. Not just playing it, which at least provides exercise, but mostly with people watching sports "religiously" (you like that play on words). I find that people let sports take over their lives. "Oh sorry, I can't do that, the football game is on today." But it's not just "today" it's "everyday."Over the last twenty years or so, professional sports has gained a lot of popularity. And, since then, studies actually show that 20 percent of Americans ‘claimed they had no religious preference,’ compared with an unaffiliated population of 8 percent in 1990. Sports may actually be a religion for many people. NOwadays, instead of people naming their kids important names in their religion (MOses, Abraham, Aaron etc...), some people have actually named their kid after famous sports players. Without mentioning names of course, I actually know someone who was named like this. This summer, the Archdiocese of New York is expected to outline plans to close or merge some of its 368 parishes; 26 Catholic schools in the archdiocese have ceased operation. By contrast, the city and the state of New Jersey spent hundreds of millions to build new baseball and football stadiums.” Many Jewish kids on college campuses are attending football games rather than synagogue. Just a thought

The trinity

I did some research on the Trinity and I still don't fully understand it. Does anyone? What I think I understood is that Christians believe in ONE god yet it is represented in three different ways, which seems to be idolatry since, at least it seems so, there are three separate concepts of this deity. Verdict=AVODAH ZARA

Biblical Idolatry

The Bible also forbids any Israelite to even mention false gods by their names "Pay attention to all that I have said to you, and make no mention of the names of other gods, nor let it be heard on your lips" (Exodus 23:13). This makes me wonder about us, in 2014, using words such as "idols" even in a context that has nothing to do with idolatry. I've wondered about the Television show "American Idol" due to its usage of the word. Maybe we can't watch it. Maybe we can't even say it. Interesting. Very interesting. Furthermore, maybe even if they're not other physical things such as idols, one cant even have the concept of another god as it says "You shall have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3).

Types of Idolatry

Straight from the Bible, it seems as though idolatry is simply the making of "graven images" of anything. "Therefore take good heed to yourselves. Since you saw no form on the day that The Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, beware lest you act corruptly by making a graven image for yourselves, in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, the likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth" (Deuteronomy 4:15-18). Just taking the verses for what they're saying, idolatry seems to only be the worship of physical objects or images.

Sikhism

I have recently done some research on Sikhism and as to whether it is considered to be Idolatry or not by Jewish standards. Idolatry is mostly understood as polytheism or the worship of a physical idol. Sikhism is a monotheistic religion, a religion that believes in one omnipresent god above us all. From this understanding alone, Sikhism would seem not to be idolatry, though many of its customs vary from Judaism.

I have finally found my topic. I will be tracing the notion of "idolatry" from the times when it was first recognized (at Sinai, presumably) until the present day. I will investigate whether the definitions of idolatry by scholars has changed over time and whether there really still is "idolatry" today. I will continue conducting my research and I am ecstatic about doing this project.

So I have yet to have a topic to do this project on but I assure you, my audience, the day is near. I was thinking along the lines of "the evolution of music" and  HaRaw HaGaon Jake Bear-Cat  suggested comparing the evolution of music throughout the world. Interesting. I  did some research and I couldn't find anything too intriguing. I'll keep looking and hopefully I will have found my topic.