The Conduit Paradox: Structural Contradictions Between Iconoclastic Dogma and the Institutional Infallibility of Religious Elites

This paper introduces the concept of the "Conduit Paradox" to critique the structural contradiction between theiconoclastic dogma of Abrahamic traditions and the institutionalized infallibility of religious elites. While iconoclasmstrictly prohibits the worship of finite entities, physical images, or human representations of the Divine, religioushierarchies resolve this fundamental tension through a semiotic operation: positioning themselves not as objects ofreverence, but as "transparent conduits" (or proxies) through which divine sovereignty flows unimpeded. Drawingupon semiotic theory (Peirce, Barthes) and political philosophy (Foucault, Agamben), this study demonstrates howthe claim of radical transparency functions as the ultimate ideological alibi for absolute spiritual authority. Byreducing the concept of idolatry strictly to physical statues and pagan totems, religious elites mask the emergence ofan intangible, institutional idol—namely, human-made ecclesiastical decrees framed as immutable divine law. Ultimately, this paper illustrates how the rhetoric of proxy authority serves to preserve institutional power and socio-political hegemony under the guise of absolute humility and radical obedience to God.