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When the Sefer Torah is brought out of the ark, everyone stands up and kisses it. On occasions such as simchat torah and hoshana rabbah people dance around the Torah.
To an outsider these actions can seem like plain idol worship. Why is there no concern with idol worship when it comes to dealing with the Sefer Torah?
As the Rambam codifies in Hilchos Avoda Zara 3:5, only four activities are "objectively" idolatry when done in honor of something other than G-d, and forbidden to do to any idol. 1) Prostration, 2) Animal Sacrifice, 3) Incense burning, 4) Libations.
Outside of those four things, it is only idolatry if done as part of the normal service of the idol. So an idol who's practice is to dance around it, or kiss it, or whatever, it would be idolatrous. However to do that to something else, even an idol would (at least) not be a capital crime, unless it is part of the way in which the idolatry is set up to be worshiped.
So just like there is an idol where the practice was to defecate in front of it (or on it), this doesn't prohibit going to the bathroom on a toilet.
There is probably no human function that hasn't been done in the service of an idol at some point in history, but that in and of itself doesn't affect what constitutes appropriate Jewish practice.
There is a difference between respect and worship. Respect means that you are honoring something because it is important to you, and worship is when you perform a service to something that has power so that you will receive something in return.
I was taught (Conservative) that the Torah has several of the attributes of a person, and is only one step below God in authority. I tend to provide the same respect to the Torah as I would a flag officer.
