Destruction of Angel Worship Sites

Question

PREFACE: THIS QUESTION IS MEANT PURELY THEORETICALLY AND NOT PRACTICALLY AT ALL!!

According to Deuteronomy (12:2) idolatrous sites are to be destroyed under certain circumstances.

אַבֵּד תְּאַבְּדוּן אֶת כָּל הַמְּקֹמוֹת אֲשֶׁר עָבְדוּ שָׁם הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם יֹרְשִׁים אֹתָם אֶת אֱלֹהֵיהֶם עַל הֶהָרִים הָרָמִים וְעַל הַגְּבָעוֹת וְתַחַת כָּל עֵץ רַעֲנָן

Rambam cites this verse in Hil. Avodah Zara (7:1)

מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה הִיא לְאַבֵּד עֲבוֹדַת כּוֹכָבִים וּמְשַׁמְּשֶׁיהָ וְכָל הַנַּעֲשֶׂה בִּשְׁבִילָהּ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים יב-ב) 'אַבֵּד תְּאַבְּדוּן אֶת כָּל הַמְּקוֹמֹת' וְנֶאֱמַר (דברים ז-ה) 'כִּי אִם כֹּה תַעֲשׂוּ לָהֶם' וְגוֹ'. וּבְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל מִצְוָה לִרְדֹּף אַחֲרֶיהָ עַד שֶׁנְּאַבֵּד אוֹתָהּ מִכָּל אַרְצֵנוּ. אֲבָל בְּחוּץ לָאָרֶץ אֵין אָנוּ מְצֻוִּין לִרְדֹּף אַחֲרֶיהָ אֶלָּא כָּל מָקוֹם שֶׁנִּכְבּשׁ אוֹתוֹ נְאַבֵּד כָּל עֲבוֹדַת כּוֹכָבִים שֶׁבּוֹ. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים יב-ג) 'וְאִבַּדְתֶּם אֶת שְׁמָם מִן הַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא'. בְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל אַתָּה מְצֻוֶּה לִרְדֹּף אַחֲרֵיהֶן וְאִי אַתָּה מְצֻוֶּה לִרְדֹּף אַחֲרֵיהֶן בְּחוּץ לָאָרֶץ

To summarize: idolatrous sites in Israel must be destroyed, but in the Diaspora, one need not pursue idolatrous sites. Rather, if one controls one, he ought to destroy it.

Rambam famously rules (Hil. T'shuvah (3:7) Cf. Mishna commentary to Sanhedrin (10:3)) that angel worship is also forbidden. (Even if one only prays to angels in the capacity of intermediaries to God).

וְכֵן הָעוֹבֵד כּוֹכָב אוֹ מַזָּל וְזוּלָתוֹ כְּדֵי לִהְיוֹת מֵלִיץ בֵּינוֹ וּבֵין רִבּוֹן הָעוֹלָמִים. כָּל אֶחָד מֵחֲמִשָּׁה אֵלּוּ הוּא מִין

Would the same laws relating to places of idolatry (particularly the obligation to destroy them) apply to sits where angels are prayed to as intermediaries as well?

Clarification: The core question is whether the laws of abed t'abed apply to sites of "intermediary-worship" this may be related to the question of whether the "minut" that angel-worship constitutes (according to Rambam) is identical to idolatry.

---

Further clarifications: I realize that there may be many variables that impede implementation of this on a practical or theoretical level; I am not asking about them.

I am not asking about particular prayers of different religions and whether they ought to be interpreted as the aforementioned angel-worship. I am only asking about bona fide angel worship.

Answer 1

It seems pretty clear from the Rambam's first law of Idolatry that nearly all such worship was of angels. Idolatry is born of worshipping G-d's "entourage" because they are closer to the King, and then focusing so much on the middle-man they forget there is a G-d it was supposed to be all about.

This does appear to be historically true. The Chaldean god Kerub was a bull, who pulled the wagon carrying people's prayers up to heaven and heaven's bounty back to people. In Egypt this god was called Apis, and was worshipped in two temples-- Memphis and Heliopilis, opposite ends of the kingdom. Each with a Golden Bull. R SR Hirsch suggests that the Golden Calf was Apis worship. After all, the Benei Yisrael ask for someone to lead now that Moshe is gone -- a middleman god. Then Yeravam sets up two Temples on opposite ends of the Northern Kingdom and puts a Golden Bull in front of each. He even moved the fall holiday to the eighth month, to match Apis's. And he declares "This is your god, Israel", echoing Aharon's words then he presents them with the Golden Calf. Kerub, Apis, the Golden Calf and Rechavam's temples were all keruvim (cherub) worship.

Similarly, further down in history, thunder is a real natural phenomenon, and thus there is an angel behind it, whether that angel is worshiped as Zeus or Thor or not at all. Or Ares/Mars and War. Etc...

A non-Jew has the power to nullify the state of his idol. And thus the idol of any god that was once worshipped by non-Jews but is no longer worshiped would be nullified. We are under no obligation to destroy temples of Ba'al. (To pick an example from current events.)