Material and formal idolatry

The sin of superstition is also committed by giving divine honour to false gods. This is done by idolatry, divination, vain observance, and magic.

By material idolatry divine worship is given to a creature through fear or for some other reason merely externally, without any intention of honouring it as God. It is a grave sin, for it is directly against the obligation of making external profession of the faith, and contains the grave malice of a lie in matters of religion.

Formal idolatry is perfect or imperfect. The former consists in honouring a creature as God, falsely thinking it to be God. The latter knowingly honours a creature as God, without any excuse of ignorance, out of hatred towards him, or wishing to obtain something thereby. Both are grievous mortal sins, but the latter is the more grievous on account of the greater knowledge and malice.

503. Divisions. 1. Idolatry is either material (simulated, external) or formal (internal).

The former is done only externally, from fear, command, or other motives, without a man inwardly willing to adore the creature; for example, when a Christian, from horror of torture and death, burns incense before a pagan idol, but inwardly despises the idol. The latter is done with the true internal intention of adoring a creature, for example, if someone with full deliberation adores the devil.

2. Formal idolatry is divided into perfect and imperfect.

The former is the adoration of a creature rendered by one who truly thinks that this creature is God. Such idolatry is always joined with infidelity, and even today exists among many pagans. Perfect and formal idolatry is also committed by those who, from hatred of God or from obstinate infidelity, worship the demon through so-called "black or diabolical Masses" or through other wholly wicked modes. Likewise, all who deny the existence of a personal God and nevertheless perform diverse acts of worshiping a fictitious divinity. The latter idolatry, namely, imperfect idolatry, is committed by one who, clearly knowing that no divinity is present in the idol, nevertheless renders divine worship to it from a depraved affection (for example, from hatred of God or from a desire to obtain something from the demon). This imperfect idolatry in one sense is a graver sin than perfect idolatry, since the latter is joined with ignorance that is more or less invincible, whereas imperfect idolatry proceeds from the mere malice of the will.

S. Th. II-II, q. 94.

774. Idolatry (afgoderij) etymologically is divine worship exhibited to an idol or image of a false god, whether the image itself is worshiped as god, or he whom it represents. Whence that word has been received to designate the supreme worship of divine reverence exhibited to any creature whatsoever.

One kind is merely internal, by which merely internal worship is attributed to a creature; another is merely external or simulated, by which someone, without internal affection, seriously and advertently exhibits external adoration to a creature, for example, from fear of death, as certain Christians did in persecution; another is internal and external at the same time, or true, by which external worship is attributed to a creature from the soul. This again is twofold: perfect or imperfect, according as worship is attributed to a creature with persuasion of its divinity, and this proceeds from culpable ignorance of the intellect; or without persuasion, and this proceeds from malice of the will, as from hatred of God or excessive affection toward a creature, for example, from affection for knowing from a demon (a. 1).

775. Idolatry is a mortal sin from its whole genus. - For even the least idolatry exhibits to a creature the supreme reverence owed to God alone, compares it to God, and thus does the greatest injury to God; but if it is simulated, it is a most pernicious lie, very injurious to God, and for the faithful it is against the precept of faith to be confessed externally (a. 2). Indeed, on the part of the object it is the gravest sin. For although sins directly opposed to the theological virtues are the greatest of all, and therefore idolatry considered abstractly and formally, insofar as it is only the worship of a false god and is opposed only to religion, is less grave; nevertheless, if it is considered in the concrete, it supposes and includes at least the external malice of infidelity and hatred of God, because it is a protestation of both, and adds something (the worship of a false god) to them, and thus is graver than they are,¹ so that the greatest idolatry viewed objectively is graver than the greatest infidelity and the greatest hatred of God. For just as in a republic it seems most grave that someone pay royal honor to another than to the true king, so in sins against God it seems most grave that someone pay divine honor to a creature, because, so far as in him lies, he makes another God in the world.

¹ "One worshiping idols, so far as in him lies, takes away from God His singular excellence, by which God alone is God; but this is His deity, which pertains to hatred of God. And he denies this singularity, which pertains to infidelity; and through this it is a graver sin than those according to itself: if idolatry is merely external, it does not lose the fact that it is a protestation of interior infidelity." Cajetan on this place.

Yet on the part of the sinner other sins, such as heresy, are often graver, because they are done with greater knowledge or contempt. In this way imperfect idolatry is graver than perfect idolatry (a. 3).

776. The cause of idolatry is twofold: 1. One dispositive cause on the part of men, who were disposed to it in three ways: a) from an inordination of affection toward parents, children, kings, ancestors, etc., they exhibited reverence and divine honor to them; b) from the delight which they naturally perceived from representation, the unlearned worshiped expressive images as gods; c) from ignorance of the true God, they exhibited divine worship to creatures on account of singular virtue or beauty.

2. The consummative cause is on the part of demons, who exhibited themselves to men as to be worshiped, by giving answers in idols and doing certain marvels (a. 4).