One of the ten commandments says...?

Question

"Thou shalt not worship and other god before me." Does this mean all the gods are in a competition for universal control?
That should mean that over 2,500 gods exist.

Answer 1

It means that whomever wrote that was polytheistic. That was written when they were trying to convince people to be monotheistic.

Answer 2

Yes, loads of "gods" exist. They can be in multiple forms, because the word "god" means any deified being, person or object. A person can be idolized, and many different things are worshipped in this world. However, the point is that God, our Creator and Sustainer, is the Only God worthy of our worship (nothing else needs that much of our devotion, because they do not have the power to Create, nor do they have the ultimate powers that God does.) The word God came just a few hundred years ago, but the God of the major monotheistic religions is called by a different name in their original languages. (That name means the Ultimate - one and Only - Deity.)

Answer 3

I could mean that. In Judaism, God was merely the god of the Hebrews, while the Egyptians had their god etc, so there could have been some war of the deities going on. Maybe one killed all the others? I know the Norse god's were mortal.

It could also mean that you can worship Athena, and Freya, as long as YAHWEH comes first in the Pantheon. Strangely enough, most polytheistic religions do have one god that is above all the others.

Answer 4

In the ten commandments it says 'Thou shalt have no other gods before me' king james version in Exodus20:3. There is only one God. greek gods are false teachings and are not true.Heaven is a real place and so is Hell if you dont except Jesus Christ as your savior you will forever be in hell. If you decide to except Jesus Christ as your savior read Acts10:43" That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus ,and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" ....... Romans10:9,13 "For whosoevershall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." any other ? email me or my sis at [e-mail] ////// [e-mail]

Answer 5

It means any false god, also anything you worship, money, power, a good looking person of the opposite sex etc. Why all the anger? What does this accomplish?

Answer 6

Every religious group wants their god to be the chief god, which seems to me that other gods exist. Which means, of course, that all religions are false.

Answer 7

Note the lower case "g" in "other gods".

I've always interpreted the 10 commandments are instructions...as "universal laws" that humans need to follow to avoid unhappiness and pain...sort of like the list of "don't" in the instruction manual for any machine (like don't blowdry your hair while bathing...zaaapppp).

This commandment tells us not to worship other gods..not .to put them ahead of the one true God, the creator of the universe. People can give many things worship...they can elevate even a golden cow statue to the status of god. We make something a god when we strive to be like it, when we seek advice from it, when we follow the instructions it gives us and when we give it credit (gratitude) for the positive outcomes in our life. People do this with all sorts of things...statues certainly, but today people are more likely to elevate money, science, their own mind, and even their own body to the status of god. We listen to the advice money hands out (through our experiences with it)...we pursue it and place great value on it. We give ourselves credit when we can do great things and basically deny God's involvement in our life when we do this.

...and when we give something else "god" status in our life, we are likely to follow its advice instead of God's advice...this is the danger God was warning us about when he told us not to put other gods before him. He created us and he knows how we "work"...it would be quite stupid (and possibly quite dangerous) for me to seek advice about operating my BMW safely from the owner's manual for my refrigerator.

Answer 8

Yes .... but christians will say otherwise. They will say this is their god's commandant that there should be only one god, their jewish god .... which incidentally looks after the jews only, gentiles not included.

Answer 9

He is referring to man made and false gods. You can make anything into a god (notice the lower case g). Money is a god to some. Science is a god to some. To me God is God.

Answer 10

Before I go in-depth on your question, let’s include some more of this particular commandment, for it is worth mentioning too.

Exodus 20:3, 4: “You must not have any other gods against my face. “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. You must not bow down to them nor be induced to serve them, because I Jehovah your God am a God exacting exclusive devotion.”

Today, there are thousands of gods; more than the 2,500 that you numerically mention. When we see the word gods, we automatically think of some sort of deity or divine being. However, some of the things we enjoy this very second could be considered a god.

For instance, we all enjoy having money. Second, we like having nice clothes. There is certainly nothing wrong with having money or having nice clothes. However, it is the love of money and materialism to a point where this is what our life is centered around. Remember, what you devote your life to is considered a form of worship. Even something simple as the flag salute is a form of worship. You are worshiping what that flag stands for. Your trust is in the government, in politics and earthly organizations that profess to bring world peace. People spend lots of money gambling in casinos or in the lottery, hoping to win millions. One has to spend thousands or perhaps millions in their lifetime to win that lottery, even though the odds to win such are slim to none. Should that form of worship really be taking all of your money? Something to think about.

Let’s think about that commandment and the words written therein. It says, “thou shalt not have other gods before me.” Stop. “No other gods against me.” Who is “me?” This is telling you right there in black and white print that there is only One true God. Almighty God Jehovah is the one speaking. After all, these are his commandments. Yes, that "me" in that commandment is the Only true God, Jehovah God. God's personal name Jehovah is found in Psalm 83:18.

Yes, the same God that delivered the Israelites across the Red Sea. No other god can claim that. Not money. Not materialistic possessions. Not Satan the Devil (a “god” [2 Corinthians 4:4] who, although powerful, but not more powerful than Jehovah). Not Allah. Not Jesus Christ. Not the sun, moon and celestial gods. Not Buddha. Not Joseph Smith. Not Pharaoh. Not even human governments and kings that existed in that time. Not the Catholic Pope. Not a clergyman. Only Jehovah, whose name means, “He Causes To Become” parted those waters so his people (his servants, the Israelites) can cross the Sea, whereas Pharaoh and his army drowned. Pharaoh could not prevent his death. He was the ruler of Egypt, but yet, his power was futile. Jehovah is indeed Almighty. Yes, Jehovah deserves exclusive devotion. No one else. It is not me telling you this; it is in the Bible in varying places.

The commandment also says not to make a carved image or a form like anything that is in the heavens above or that is on the earth underneath or even in the waters underneath the earth. Think about that for a second. Answer this question: When you enter a Catholic Church (or any other church), what do you see (either inside or outside the facility)? Perhaps you see The Virgin Mary, which is a carved image. Perhaps Jesus in a manger, another carved image. Perhaps you see Jesus Christ looking like a helpless person, usually carved in some form. Already, a violation of the first commandment before you even meet the preacher/pastor/reverend. Are they above the Law of Jehovah God? I did not even talk about the false teaching they preach to their congregation. Some of those who belong to such churches have carved images of crosses either inside or outside of the church. Some even have carved images of crosses, Jesus Christ on a cross, or the Virgin Mary (carved) and then wear them around their neck. That scripture says not to be even induced to serve these carved images. In fact, why wear these images to begin with.

Take yourselves a field trip to the nearest Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Take a look on the outside as well as the inside. Look carefully now. Not one carving of Jesus, The Virgin Mary or a cross. Those affiliated in the congregations do not have necklaces of any carvings of Jesus, Mary, a cross or anything of that sort. The women may have a necklace with some nice designs and that’s it.

Our buildings are built by the Witnesses themselves. Our buildings are not thousands of feet up where we show off the building. They are modest places. All of our buildings, no matter what Kingdom Hall you come across say the words, “Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses” (In English or perhaps another language if it meets at that particular facility. It is Jehovah’s House. Our purpose is not to show off by building Kingdom Halls that can be seen for miles on end. We owe our lives to Jehovah, the very Sustainer of Life.

Answer 11

1 Corinthians 8:5-6
(5) For though there are those who are called gods, whether in Heaven or in earth (as there are many gods and many lords),
(6) but there is to us only one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we by Him.