Why God Does Not Destroy the Idols of the World

Philosophers asked the elders in Rome: If it is not the will of the Holy One, blessed be He, that there be other gods, why does He not abolish them? They said to them: If people worshiped something the world has no need of, He would abolish it. But behold, they worship the sun, the moon, the stars, and the constellations. Should He destroy His world on account of fools? They said to them: If so, let Him destroy the thing the world has no need of, and leave the thing the world does need. They said to them: If we did that, we would only strengthen the hands of those who worship these, for they would say, Know that these are divine, since these were not abolished while those were. A certain philosopher asked the elders in Rome: If it is not the will of the Holy One, blessed be He, that there be other gods, why does He not abolish them, and so forth. Should He destroy His world on account of fools? Rather, the world goes according to its custom, and the fools who corrupted themselves are destined to give an accounting.