Is my hobby becoming an idol?
Question:
Dear Sir,
I have a question about an issue I have been having and can't figure out how to handle it.
I have been doing a creative hobby, but I wasn't doing it alone; I used AI. So it took up a lot of time and became unhealthy because I kept doing it excessively and used AI a lot, so now I am concerned about idolatry. I have decided to correct my behavior and stop using AI because of this concern. But I am wondering whether it is still okay to do this creative hobby without AI, and what the problem might be. Was the problem that I was overly dependent on AI, or did the creative hobby itself become an idol?
I have two opinions: I don't really want to stop it completely because doing so would feel like bottling up my thoughts and feelings, and it is hard for me to keep everything bottled up without an outlet, so that is why I am asking. But more importantly: I want to be repentant and make sure God is first place for me, so if this creative hobby is not something I should be doing any further, I will accept it and move on.
Answer:
As explained in "What Is Idolatry?", just because you strongly like something or spend time doing something doesn't make it an idol. Idols are worshiped, served, and followed. If your hobby is controlling your choices in life, then there may be a problem. AI is just a tool. It can speed some things up, but it isn't perfect. It makes frequent mistakes.
