FROM NORTH KOREA TO AMERICA: when idols appear, cults are exposed

Let’s begin with the obvious point that many commentators seem to be missing.  The issue is not about President Donald Trump putting up a statue of himself on his own private golf-course.   The issue is about those who sanction it – the religious leaders who praise it and bless it.  The issue is not the object but the CULT that elevates it.  The golden statue is only the SYMPTOM of a far greater spiritual challenge facing America at the moment.

Around the world, the leaders who build statues of themselves—or have them built to glorify their rule—tend to come from authoritarian or totalitarian systems, where power is centralized and dissent is dangerous. These statues are not simply art; they are tools of political mythology, meant to project permanence, divinity, or inevitability.  These are the symptoms of an advanced cult that has become unstoppable in its support for its leader

Throughout Christian history, practices that elevate political leaders into objects of devotion have been condemned in the strongest possible terms as religious idolatry. The Church has consistently warned that when human power is wrapped in sacred language, sacred symbols, or sacred emotion, the result is not worship but distortion.

That long and clear tradition held firm—until Wednesday, 6 May 2026.

EXAMPLES OF IDOLS AND CULTS

North Korea is the most famous modern case. The Kim dynasty—Kim Il‑sung, Kim Jong‑il, and now Kim Jong‑un—has filled the country with massive monuments portraying the leaders as near‑divine figures. These statues are part of a broader “cult of personality,” enforced through propaganda and ideological control.

Turkmenistan under Saparmurat Niyazov (also known as Turkmenbashi) built one of the most surreal examples: a revolving golden statue of himself that always faced the sun. His rule was marked by extreme personality worship, including renaming months after himself and his mother.

Iraq under Saddam Hussein erected numerous statues and portraits of the leader across the country. These were designed to reinforce his absolute authority and the fear-based loyalty that sustained his regime.

The Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin produced an estimated 6,000 statues of him across the USSR and Eastern Europe—one of the largest self‑monument projects in modern history.

China under Mao Zedong also saw widespread construction of statues, many of which still stand. Mao’s image became a central symbol of the state, embedded in public squares, schools, and propaganda.

Across these examples, the pattern is consistent: statues of living leaders appear where power is unchecked, criticism is dangerous, and the leader’s image becomes a political weapon.

ENTER THE USA

On Wednesday 6 May, America became the first Christian nation to follow suit.  A towering gold statue of Donald Trump was unveiled at the president’s golf course in Doral, Florida, during an emotionally charged ceremony attended, and blessed, by a number of Evangelical pastors and Christian and Jewish leaders.

Placed on a pedestal in a clearing of palm trees, the nearly 7 meter gold colossus depicts the president thrusting his fist into the air, echoing his defiant gesture after the attempt on his life in Butler, Pennsylvania.

At Wednesday’s dedication ceremony, the sculpture was draped in white and blue fabric, resembling a Greek toga. It was encircled by a few dozen Christian and Jewish leaders seated in chairs, as Pastor Mark Burns — a member of Pastors for Trump — spoke at a podium.

The ceremony drew praise from supporters and sharp criticism from opponents, many of whom compared the spectacle to religious idolatry.  And while those comparisons are not exaggerated, there is one greater threat to American Christianity that seems to evade most observers – the CULT it represents.

We should remember this: Idolatry is only the symptom of a greater sin.  Idols always seek shelter, and it most often finds it, in the safe, unquestioned haven of a cult.  The challenge is not the golden statue of Donald Trump, it is the cult that carries it, the Christian leaders that blesses it, the movement that covers it and the supporters that defend it.

SO, WHAT IS A “CULT”

The word “Cult” is a loaded word. It is often misunderstood because it carries the sense of insult and shame.  It is understood as referring to a group of people who are blindly following a leader without the ability to evaluate their own ignorance and gullibility.  But that is not how psychologists, cult researchers, or experts in high‑control groups use the term. They are not talking about one strange belief or one passionate opinion. They are talking about patterns—recognizable, measurable, repeatable patterns that show up whenever a leader or a group begins to control people instead of forming them.

The key idea is this:

A cult is not defined by what a group believes, but by how people are manipulated into believing it. For that reason, cult researchers do not begin with doctrines; they begin with patterns—predictable behaviours that appear across high‑control groups, regardless of ideology.

One of the first patterns is grandeur: the elevation of a leader who presents himself as uniquely wise, uniquely powerful, and uniquely capable of saving a desperate situation. Over time he becomes untouchable—above correction, above accountability, above ordinary human limits. He taps into people’s fears and longings and positions himself as the only answer.

A second pattern is manipulation. Anyone who questions the leader is shamed, ridiculed, or dismissed. Outside information is rejected, not because it is false, but because it comes from “them.” The leader becomes the sole interpreter of truth.

A third pattern is silencing opposition. Dissent is treated as betrayal. Criticism is condemned before it is even heard, labelled as fake news, evil plots, corrupt predecessors, or dangerous enemies. The leader’s authority must never be challenged.

A fourth pattern is divinity. The leader begins to speak of himself as chosen, anointed, or divinely appointed. His role becomes sacred; obedience to him becomes obedience to God.

A fifth pattern is elevation. The leader thrives on attention—excessive attention. Praise becomes a currency, and the group learns that devotion is measured by how loudly and publicly they honour him.

A sixth pattern is isolation. Those who question or hesitate are cut off “for the good of the group.” Fear becomes a tool for loyalty. Shame becomes a tool for silence. The world is divided into insiders and enemies, and everyone outside the movement is cast as a threat.

A seventh pattern is information control. The leader filters what the group may read, hear, or watch. Only sources that reinforce his narrative are permitted.

An eighth pattern is punishing dissent. Those who disagree face consequences—social, emotional, financial, or spiritual. Fear of retribution becomes the foundation of obedience.

These patterns are not random. They are measurable, repeatable, and recognizable. They appear whenever a community stops forming people and starts controlling them.

Alongside this, a constant message hums beneath the surface: the world is collapsing, everything is at stake, and only one person, one party, one movement, or one tribe can save you. That is not healthy. That is not freedom. And for Christians, it is certainly not discipleship.

GOD AND STATUES

Exodus 20:3 -5 “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of ANYTHING in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God.

The issue is not the statue.  The issue is the bowing down

God is not against statues.  The command in Exodus 20:3 is not “You shall have no other statues before Me.” It is “You shall have no other gods before Me.”   The context of this command is part of the moment at Sinai where God establishes Israel’s covenant identity:  God’s covenant with man demands exclusive loyalty, no rival allegiances and no blending of worship

Right after “no other gods before Me,” God says: “…for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God…”  This is not petty human jealousy, but God’s fierce, covenant‑protecting love.

When Christian leaders gather around a statue of a human being and pledge their loyalty, allegiance and devotion, it is not the statue that becomes detestable in the eyes of God but the people who are supposed to pledge exclusive loyalty and devotion to Him and Him alone

JESUS AND CULTS

Jesus never asked anyone to surrender their conscience. He never demanded blind loyalty. He never taught people to ignore what they see with their own eyes. He said, “The truth will set you free,” and truth does not require you to defend behaviour you would condemn if it came from the other side. Truth does not need excuses. Truth does not need fear.

When a movement trains people to protect the leader at all costs, to excuse behaviour they would never tolerate elsewhere, to fear outsiders, to reject correction, and to call accountability “persecution,” we are no longer dealing with ordinary politics or ordinary disagreements. We are dealing with captivity—mental captivity, emotional captivity, spiritual captivity. The kind where people insist they are free while defending the very thing that is controlling them.

If that sounds dramatic, pause before reacting. Set aside the feelings, the team loyalties, the familiar excuses. Look at the pattern. Not the rhetoric. Not the branding. The pattern.

Because when loyalty becomes louder than truth, when allegiance demands more from you than integrity, when defending the leader becomes more important than discerning the truth, you are not being faithful. You are being controlled.

And naming that is not an attack. It is an invitation back to freedom.