Is Technology an Idol?

What Is an Idol?

First, we need to understand what an idol is. An idol is anything that takes the place of God. This is a very big deal because having an idol violates the first of the Ten Commandments. God specifically says, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3).

Anything we put in the place of God could be an idol, including technology. We ought to love God with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength (Matthew 22:37). Anything that takes us away from that can be an idol.

Is Technology an Idol to You?

To figure out if our technology use is an idol, we need to examine how we are using it.

Suppose you use a phone to call your grandparents who live two states over. Is such a use idolatrous? Absolutely not. God wants us to have good relationships with our families, as much as it is possible (Romans 12:18). But if you spend hours and hours each day on video games, causing your schoolwork and relationship with God to suffer, then technology has become an idol.

The thing about technology is that it is generally morally neutral. Similarly, a knife can be used to cut an apple or to injure someone. And some drugs have medicinal benefit in certain doses, but they can be addictive or even deadly in larger doses. It is how we make use of them that matters.

Technology, thus, can be beneficial, harmful, or even idolatrous. What matters is the intent of our heart and how we use it.