ANCIENT NEAR EAST - Despite the apparent peace and prosperity in the kingdom of Judah, one Israelite won't stop talking about how awful it is to keep the high places of Baal and Asherah poles in place. The narrow-minded, single-issue man has petitioned his local leaders and even the king himself to tear down the places of worship and return to serving God alone. For some reason, he thinks this one issue will make a difference.

One local Governor responded to the man saying, "I agree that Baal worship may not be the best choice for God's people, but there are other ways to combat it than just tearing down the places of worship. One chart I saw showed that Baal worship actually declined over the last ten years. Sacrifices are way down compared to under other kings."

Another leader defended the practice saying, "Just because you tear down the Asherah and destroy the places of worship doesn't mean people will stop worshipping Baal. They'll just do it in a back alley somewhere. The better option is to provide a safe place where they can worship Baal and it can be regulated by local officials."

A neighbor of the man argued, "If you don't want to worship Baal, then don't worship Baal. What difference does it make in your life if other people do?"

The arguments have apparently proved ineffective against the man as he maintains his stance and continues to base his support on this one issue.