For centuries Idol Worship was extremely popular across the ancient world & even in the Jewish community. I highly doubt that all these people were busy building & worshipping statutes based solely on faith & tradition so HaShem must have allowed these practitioners to benefit from this practice. Is there any textual evidence to support this?
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4See Placebo (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placebo) and why it is effective. Also If you bring sacrifices to the Sun, it will shine every day! – Al Berko May 22 '19 at 16:17
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2Perhaps I will attempt a full answer when possible but there are many pesukim in T'nach where the prophets argue against avodah zarah based in it being ineffectual. – Yirmeyahu May 22 '19 at 16:22
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1The problem is that in Ancient times the scientific method was very unpopular and people didn't care to count the statistics and perform research. As we know from the Torah, that even G-d does not work in a strict reward-and-punishment way, it is extremely hard to compare idolatry to worshipping G-d. – Al Berko May 22 '19 at 16:23
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1You are asking for evidence that avodah zoroh is effective at a site for those who base their lives on Jewish law and tradition. Avodah zoroh is ineffective and I doubt you will get much help here. But you are right to say that it was extremely popular - so much so that Chazal prayed to remove the evil inclination for it! – Avrohom Yitzchok May 22 '19 at 17:03
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1@Avrohom Yitzchok effective =/= appropriate, so it shouldn't be relevant if the posters here are pro or anti idol worship – robev May 22 '19 at 17:25
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2I don't see how this question is on-topic. How is it about Judaism at all? – msh210 May 22 '19 at 18:50
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@msh210 Is this question fundamentally different from “Is prayer effective?” – Alex May 22 '19 at 19:11
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@Alex prayer, at least in context here, is a Jewish action – Double AA May 22 '19 at 19:42
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Isn’t there a Halacha in rambam that says that we only believe a prophet based on very specific prophecies. Despite him having performed various other miracles. Implying that he may be a false prophet and yet be able to produce miracles. – mroll May 22 '19 at 20:17
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@Alex, what DoubleAA said. – msh210 May 22 '19 at 20:45
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1I’m obviously not advocating that we should start worshipping wood & stone! I’m just trying to better understand why so many ppl during the times of the Bais did – Lages May 23 '19 at 19:17
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According to Avodah Zarah 55a, yes, Hashem allowed idolatrous practices to be effective in order to lead them astray:
א"ל רבא בר רב יצחק לרב יהודה האיכא בית עבודת כוכבים באתרין דכי מצטריך עלמא למטרא מתחזי להו בחלמא ואמר להו שחטו לי גברא ואייתי מטרא שחטו לה גברא ואתי מטרא
Rava Bar Rav Yitzchak said to Rav Yehudah, “Isn’t there a house of idol worship in our area, that when the world needs rain, it appears to them in a dream and says to them, ‘Slaughter for me a man and I will bring rain,’ and they slaughter for it a man, and it rains?”
א"ל השתא אי הוי שכיבנא לא אמרי לכו הא מלתא דאמר רב מאי דכתיב (דברים ד, יט) אשר חלק ה' אלהיך אותם לכל העמים מלמד שהחליקן בדברים כדי לטורדן מן העולם
He said to him, “Now, were I dead, I could not have told you this matter which Rav said: ‘What is that which is written (Devarim 4:19), “Which Hashem your G-d has separated them from the nations”? This teaches that Hashem separates them with matters in order to remove them from the world.’”
והיינו דאמר ריש לקיש מאי דכתיב (משלי ג, לד) אם ללצים הוא יליץ ולענוים יתן חן בא לטמא פותחין לו בא לטהר מסייעין אותו
This is that which Reish Lakish said: “What is that which is written (Mishlei 3:34), ‘If to the scoffers, He will scoff, but to the humble He gives grace’? One who comes to become impure, they open for him; one who comes to become pure, they help him.”
