I was wondering what, exactly, a Billiken was after some years of seeing St. Louis play basketball in the NCAA.
The billiken has been around for over one hundred years. A good luck charm. In short: It is an idol.
Are idols a good thing? No, they are not. Why are idols not good? Because they take our attention and worship away from the true God. Once that happens, God begins to allow us our false idol, or false god, worship. This is not harmless fun.
"The Billiken was elephant-like with pointed ears", claims Wikipedia, "a mischievous smile and a tuft of hair on his pointed head."
"Billiken is known as "The God of Things As They Ought to Be." "
"To buy a Billiken was said to give the purchaser luck, but to have one given would be better luck... After a few years of popularity, the Billiken faded into obscurity."
So we can see that the seemingly cuddly Billiken mascot, like many others used in sports, is a picture of a demonic spirit. We sit in front of the television or computer, "rooting" and cheering on some level for this and other spirits. The players are representing these spirits. We believe we are simply supporting and entertained by the games. But there is more to it.
The Billiken didn't fade away after all, because a university uses his image. They have invoked the spirit behind that old fad. They kept it alive, in a sense.
You say "We don't worship mascots and we don't call them gods." Most simply: It's about to whom and what you give your time. For example, if you are bothered when you can't see that one team play, you are an idolater. If you are emotionally invested in wins and losses, even if you claim "I don't have a favorite team," you are an idolater.
Ladies and gentlemen, there is a real devil. Yes, the devil is real. He is not just a force. He is not a myth. He is much more powerful and smarter than us puny people.
The world, doubting, always paints the devil as a cartoon. But there is scripture for that. Check 1 Samuel 2:13 for the possible origin of the pitchfork!
People always say "there's evil in the world" but most stop short of adding the "d" to the beginning of that word: DEVIL. The devil is the source of evil.
The Billiken represents the flesh, which the devil wants you to indulge. Billiken represents people who have opinions, not convictions. "How things should be." Basically, anything goes. There's a statue at St. Louis and other spots of this cherubic demon. People will exalt anything at all...
1 Corinthians chapter 8 tells us that an idol is nothing in the world, which means it is powerless ultimately, except for the power that the idolater gives it. "There is none other God but one." [1 Cor. 8:4]
Why do so many sports teams honor this fallen being we call the devil with mascots and logos? At the same time, claiming that the Holy Bible is at best a book with some good principles, and at worst all a joke to be ignored? Because Satan blinds the world and the unbelieving.
