> A better example would be a criminals instruction to you to murder a third person, on pain of your own death, an order you'd be morally bound not to follow.
Well, the column seems to indicate that murder and worshipping an idol are the same level of evil. Thing is, the Mob holds a gun to *your* head and tells you to shoot someone else, unless you're an action hero, your options are basically limited (do it or die). But worshipping a false idol... can't ya just fake it? Would God really get in a snit if you did that to save your life, but you didn't mean it *apart* from saving your life?
In many ways, your life is not wholly your own to lose... especially if you have children dependent upon you. Fake it, get out alive, and take care of the kids.
Maybe I'm just looking too deep, though.
Not too deep, just confronting the difference between a moral or purely secular decision. I wouldn't worry much about idol worship, then again the decision is similar when faced with a demand to betray one's allegiance to the Torah, or death.