But in fact they promise much more. And that's where the connection between technology and idolatry gets interesting. That's how they become idols. Though the details are lost to history, at some point sky-god figurines did seem to deliver what they promised. We see this dynamic clearly in the case of the small-scale, personal idolatries known as addictions.
Every addict knows that the habit initially delivers everything it promises and more.
The idolater gets a bit nervous. Perhaps the idol just needs a bit more loving care. Thus begins a spiral that is all the more demonic for its subtlety. For the answer to that question, consult anyone whose vintage-1989 personal computer is now serving as a doorstop. The truth is that we Western idolaters already tolerate a great deal of unfulfilled promises from our technology.