Home › Glossary › Letter I

Idol

World Religion
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An image or statue worshipped as a god; in Abrahamic faiths, a false god or any object of devotion that is not the one true God.

Detailed Definition
Idolatry is the worship of a created thing instead of the creator. In poetry, the "idol" can be a literal statue or a metaphor for anything that takes the place of God in the human heart—money, power, fame, or even a beloved person. The poet may condemn idolatry or explore its seductive power. The breaking of idols is a common theme in mystical poetry, representing the necessary destruction of all false concepts of God to make way for the true, formless reality.
Example
Example in poetry:
In biblical poetry, Idol is false god: “They made a calf of gold—forgot the living God”; In Hindu apologetic verse, murtis are not Idols but focal points: “Clay becomes Krishna—not Idol, but invitation”; In modern critique, Idol is consumerism: “Shopping malls—our new Idols, promising salvation”; Poets warn against subtle Idols: “Your phone—Idol of distraction, stealing your soul’s attention.”
Additional Notes
Idolatry is condemned in Abrahamic faiths as misplacing ultimate devotion (on wealth, power, or images); yet in Hinduism, murtis are honored as divine manifestations; poets navigate this tension—using “idol” critically (Blake’s “mind-forg’d manacles”) or devotionally (Tagore’s worship of the form as path to formless).
Also Known As
Graven Image Murti (in Hindu context) Murti
Skip to main content