Doesn't the Christian first commandment prove the existence of "other Gods"?

Question

The original question:
Christians: Doesn't the first commandment prove the existence of "other gods"?

I got some really nasty answers from these Christians. I lowered the "g" for Gods simply out of respect for them but it seems they've started lumping EVERYTHING into that category, including cigarettes, "booze" and golden calfs.

So I'm reposting and opening the question to All Faiths.

The commandment basically says: Thou shalt have no other Gods before me. So even God himself acknowledges his brothers and sisters.

No, I'm not talking about man-made gods like tv, or video games, and I'm not talking about demons, idols or other "false gods". I'm talking about Gods, the living, breathing, Lords of the Universe. I'm talking about the Goddess, the Universal Mother, the Commanders of Sea, Storm, Cloud and Earth. I'm talking about all the Gods ever worshipped by Man but not man-made.

Please do not answer if you cannot respect the beliefs of others

Answer 1

Actually, it does, come to think of it. Gods, by definition, are those in whom people believe. So, I suppose God originally didn't want anyone putting their beliefs in others before their belief in Him. That might conflict with us following the rest of His Commandments.

Also, Judiasm is not the first monotheistic religion. The very first monotheistic relilgion was Zoarastrianism, put forth by a man named Zoarastre. He was a philosopher who postulated that there could be one trump God, like Zeus, who made all other Gods unnecessary. Of course, that idea wasn't taken too seriously in the ancient world.

Gods are very hard to DISPROVE, especially from outside of a particular faith. I think The Christian God just decided not to wage that fight. Trying to disprove other people's deities might lead to mass genocides (like the Crusades, inquisitions, Witch-Hunts, and Conquest of the New World--all Christian-backed atrocities committed in the name of God for the sole purpose of "purging" the world of people who believe differently). Thinking about it now, I suppose all of that could have been avoided had Christians just read that very first commandment a little more closely and adopted a "live and let live" attitude.

Oh well, nobody's perfect. :)

Answer 2

No it does not, and it is not logical for there to be any other gods. An omnipotent being does not need any other gods to help Him out. And considering that this omnipotent being must be the source of everything in the universe then these other gods would have to get their power from Him, which is contradictory to the definition of a god. If all of these gods are equals then they would have had to get their power from somewhere else. And that source of power would be the real God...which takes you back to the beginning of the argument. Therefore, there can only be one God, or one omnipotent being.

Also, there are many other passages in the bible, that make it clear that there is only one God.

The first commandment was written that way because the Hebrews did believe in other gods at the time. But just because people believe in other gods, does not mean they exist, or are necessarily gods in the same sense as God. Today, "other gods" can mean things like money and power. When you consider the way some people treat those things, it's not a stretch to consider that they are gods for those people.

Answer 3

I think what what the command meant says/means is that once you believe me to be your true God don't ever try and have another God or stray from the flock so to speak of course before there was a holy bible there were many other religions in the world until he brought us his son to tell of his word the Christian god was one of many .....well that's my take anyway just from my own head without any rage or judgment to anyone else and whatever anyone believes is OK by me

Answer 4

If you look at this from a historical view it makes more sense. Before Moses and even before Abraham, the Mesopotamians and Sumerians had their own established polytheistic religions. Abraham and his descendants were the first Hebrews, but their fathers and the fathers before them worshipped other Gods. By the time of Moses and the commandments, God basically says, "this is it, now. You will hold no other Gods before me. Cast aside your past pantheons." God even says that he is a jealous God, and basically can't tolerate "sharing" the deity duties. :)

At least, that's how I see it. In applying that to today's standards...well, that's a bit harder. And, frankly, i haven't had enough coffee to tackle that yet today.

Answer 5

The Bible acknowledges that people worship other gods. It also explains that these are false gods, and in fact demons!

1 Corinthians 10:19-22 19What then do I say? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing? 20But [I say], that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with demons. 21Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of demons: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of demons. 22Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he? (Webster)

There is a scripture showing that God has searched for and found no other true gods; that he is the only true God.

This next scripture shows how many God's there are:
I am Jehovah, and there is none else; besides me there is no God. Isaiah 45:5 (ASV),

Answer 6

Even in Genesis a million, it already showedthe evidence whne introduction stated, permit "US" make guy in our very own photograph and likeness. "male and lady" He made them. those have been the 1st human beings created earlier Adam and Eve. the U. S. there does no longer inevitably propose that there have been different Gods coming up those human beings yet somewhat indicating that those human beings have been permit to ask your self who created them and so they got here out with many speculations and ideology that there is God to each factor of nature and the sunlight is the main source of existence and lightweight. That grew to become into the place all this mythologies of many countries got here approximately. Adam and Eve's introduction grew to become into for enlightenment of guy to a single God theory, a clarification why the Jews whom Adam grew to become into there ancestor are monotheists. The commandment grew to become into for the Jews, the Christians as prepared by utilizing a Roman Pagan Ruler copied that introduction because of fact of Jesus who grew to become right into a Jew and yet they injected a great number of pagan theory.

Answer 7

This is an interesting question. I know that a lot of Christians would argue that the "other gods" refers to earthly things, such as money, sex, etc. However, I have actually read that the early Hebrews were probably polytheistic, but monolatrous. That is to say, they believed that more than one god existed, but they only worshipped the god of their people, Yahweh.

Answer 8

Basically, that commandment is saying, Don't put anything higher than Me. I am the only God, and there's no one else higher than Me. As far as Christians being mean to you, they can't call themselves Christians if they can't accept someone else's opinion. Just to let you know, not ALL Cristians are like that. I don't try to "lump" anything together. I find it interesting listening and reading about other religions.

You take care.

Answer 9

The "gods" God is referring to here are not "Lords of the Universe" as you mentioned. In the verse after that, Exodus 20:4 it is written, "“You must not make for yourself a carved image or a form like anything that is in the heavens above or that is on the earth underneath or that is in the waters under the earth." (NWT) It's clear that God is referring to images, carvings, or anything that you worship or honor more than God (that includes wealth and immorality).

But God does acknowledge a god besides Him. 2 Corinthians 4:4 "among whom the god of this system of things has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, that the illumination of the glorious good news about the Christ, who is the image of God, might not shine through."

Who is this?

1 John 5:19 "...the whole world is lying in the [power of the] wicked one."

It is Satan the Devil. Think about when Jesus was on earth and Satan tried to tempt him. Satan showed Jesus “all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.” Satan then promised Jesus: “All these things I will give you if you fall down and do an act of worship to me.” (Matthew 4:8, 9; Luke 4:5, 6). Satan could not offer something that didn't belong to him.

What God requires of us is that we worship Him as the one true God. 1 Corinthians 8:5,6 "For even though there are those who are called “gods,” whether in heaven or on earth, just as there are many “gods” and many “lords,” there is actually to us one God the Father, out of whom all things are, and we for him; and there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things are, and we through him."

Isaiah 42:8 "“I am Jehovah. That is my name; and to no one else shall I give my own glory, neither my praise to graven images."

Answer 10

You took it wrong

The Creator, the God of Israel, the God of The Holy Bible, made all that exists, including all of the living or lifeless things, or mere ideas (i.e. any political philosophy that one lives by that is contrary to the Word of God, or any science that denies the existence of the Creator of all natural laws of science) that humans have made into "gods" - but which in fact are all merely objects created by the Creator.

Only the Creator has the power to be God; looking to anything, or anyone, else for salvation is literally a dead end. This includes anything that is deemed "more important right now" than worship and obedience to the only true God, or worshiping the true God in a manner contrary to His Word