The plan that Ves came up sounded very dumb, especially to the Larkinsons born in the Bright Republic.
Their strong secularist upbringing caused them to develop an instinctive revulsion for anything related to religion and superstition.
Idolatry was an extension of that. Even if it did not come in an overt religious coat, the extreme worship and veneration of objects and people was a kind of behavior that Brighters had learned to be wary of at all times!
It was one thing to be a fan of people like expert pilots. These hero-like figures fought hard and overcame unimaginable hurdles in order to become larger than life.
Yet to turn your brains off and accept anything dubious or harmful just because it came from the object you admired was another thing!