Modern Christianity is full of sacred cows, aka baalim (plural baal). If you follow Jesus the Christ for long this is going to become more and more clear. Following after the true Elohim (plurality for “God”) of Scripture, YHWH (“Yahweh” or “Jehovah” – there are different ideas about how to pronounce this ancient Hebrew name), begins to reveal what is false worship. You cannot be in the Light and it not reveal the works of darkness to you. You cannot be in Christ and not begin to know the Truth, for Christ is Truth.
All religions have their sacred cows, so to speak, including Christianity. Did you know that Christianity was not founded by Christ or his Apostles of the first century? At least not “Christianity” as we know it today. In fact, if you read the accounts of the ministry of Jesus on earth, in the first four books of the New Testament of Scripture, you will not find Jesus attempting to form new religiousness.
There came a time when Jesus was even asked about worship in the religious, dogmatic sense. His response was that the Father (Most High God) desires people to worship in Spirit and in Truth, not by ritualistic religious dogma.
Any form of outward religious worship tends toward dogmatism and the crafting of sacred cows. The reason people do this is simple, really. The true God is unable to be caught, tamed, caged in, domesticated, calmed down, made safe, made understandable, made fathomable, made like humanity or creation, etc. If you look back in the Old Testament when Israel was brought with Moses before a powerful manifestation of this Creator God, you will see the description of the events to be frightening, and the people were very afraid. They were unsettled.
While Moses and Joshua were up on the mountain communing with God through the mediator angel and glorious manifest Presence of God, the people left below, for forty days, became restless. They were not interested in exploring what seemed dangerous, to approach God and commune with him like Moses and Joshua. In fact, the Scripture says they specifically requested that Moses no longer let God speak to them from out of the cloud with lightnings that was upon the mountain, but that he should speak to God for them, and relay his messages to them.
In other words, they did not want the personal relationship with him themselves. They wanted Moses to have the relationship with God and take all of the risk, and just relay his Word to them, keeping the untamed God at a safe distance from their flesh.
Understand, coming into proper relationship with God, in Christ, is going to require the crucifying of your flesh. Jesus said it this way:
Mat 10:38-39 AMP And he who does not take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conforming wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also] is not worthy of Me. (39) Whoever finds his [lower] life will lose it [the higher life], and whoever loses his [lower] life on My account will find it [the higher life].
Because of the fear of death that holds natural people in bondage (Hebrews 2:15), they will not approach the unsafe God. His holiness could strike out and kill their flesh over a little stumble (sin) on his holy mountain, as Israel was afraid of. It was a terrible sight to them, that mountain covered with the glory of God, with the thunderous voice and flashing lightning.
So, while Moses and Joshua are up on the mountain spending time with God and receiving his Word, the people put Aaron, the priest, up to the task of building them a golden calf. They melted down gold jewelry and artifacts to get enough gold and Aaron worked it into the form of a cow. They called this cow YHWH who brought them out of Egypt.
Notice the psychology, so you can see how it still works in people today. They could not approach the real YHWH because of fear of death, because he is untamed and dangerous to the flesh, so they fashioned their own idol, put his name on it, and worshiped their sacred cow instead of the real God. This golden calf was domesticated, castrated, safe, etc.
People are still doing this, even among Christians and Jews. Even those called by HIS name are still doing this as their forebears did in the wilderness after being delivered from Egypt. How do Christians do this today? They formulate a safe idol through intellectual reasoning of doctrine, some taken directly from Scripture, some from traditions of men, and some from imagination, and they mold these sacred cows so they are safe and comfortable to people who will bow to them.
Notice that the purpose of a sacred cow is to give the people comfort while thinking they worship God, instead of the cross-carrying true following of God. The real God is an all-consuming fire, as Scripture states. He’ll burn that flesh up, burning up the love of the world and all other sinfulness, and it will not be comfortable to the carnal nature. Well, we can go through this now and be purified or we can wait until the second death. Whatever your choice, realize that at some point you are going to have to go through the all-consuming fire and it will not be comfortable. I say, get it over with – take up your cross and follow Jesus now, so you can also start experiencing his Life in his Glory now!
Sacred cows make people feel comfortable. The true God when he really shows up scares the hell out of people, but most want to hold onto hell instead of letting go, and dying to self. Those of us who die to self, taking up the cross to follow our Lord, no longer find God scary when he shows up. We, like Moses and Joshua, have access to his holy hill, and go right up boldly to commune with him, getting to know him and his heavenly realm more. But again, it requires a willing death to do this.
Rom 6:2-9 AMP Certainly not! How can we who died to sin live in it any longer? (3) Are you ignorant of the fact that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? (4) We were buried therefore with Him by the baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious [power] of the Father, so we too might [habitually] live and behave in newness of life. (5) For if we have become one with Him by sharing a death like His, we shall also be [one with Him in sharing] His resurrection [by a new life lived for God]. (6) We know that our old (unrenewed) self was nailed to the cross with Him in order that [our] body [which is the instrument] of sin might be made ineffective and inactive for evil, that we might no longer be the slaves of sin. (7) For when a man dies, he is freed (loosed, delivered) from [the power of] sin [among men]. (8) Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, (9) Because we know that Christ (the Anointed One), being once raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has power over Him.
There is some fun to be had after partaking in his death, taking up our crosses to follow Him. There is much to receive from him including fullness of joy and heavenly bliss at his right hand forevermore. In addition, there is the bonus of getting to go sacred cow tipping! These sacred cows don’t moo or do anything else when we tip them, because they aren’t alive, but the people who fashioned them sure do a lot of hooping and hollering, and that can be entertaining! 
Don’t feel bad about upsetting the religious crowd who throws a fit when you tip over one of their sacred cows. Like Scripture teaches, everyone is going to have to truly bow before the real and unsafe God one day, and everyone is going through the all-consuming fire at some point. They aren’t going to get to keep their false comfort for long anyway, so no harm in upsetting their false comfort now. In fact, it could do some good, as some will wake up and realize they’ve been involved in false religion and worship of a safe and tamed dead god that cannot save them like they hoped, and they will turn to the true and living God who is unfettered and unable to be caged in or controlled by man.
Blessings to the overcomers in Christ who take up their crosses and explore a real relationship with God and his heavenly realm of glory!
