Persistence of Idols: A lesson from the Book of Exodus

"I Am That I Am" (Don't label me!) God admonished Moses who had dared to ask the name of this new deity.

But that did not work. It never does. Israelites could not resist their labeling urge so they made an abbreviation of the original no-name status of God, which itself became the name. Thus the name Yahweh eventually struck so much fear and awe in those ignorant people,  they trembled to utter it. This shows how the harder we try to discard the  image in our minds, the stronger it becomes.

Byzantine Christians removing images from the Church.
Valiant but useless because idols are all in the believer's minds.

By Chludov 9th century - Detail of , Public Domain, Link


This is the problem with iconoclasm. Iconoclasts (idol breakers Christian, Islamic, Jewish...) fiercely propagate their "no-image" version of God, as the real idol grows diabolically stronger in their minds, consuming them, inflaming them. This equally applies to the  newest brand of iconoclasts, the"militant atheists."