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Exodus 20:3 "Worship no god but me."

Why would he demand this if there are no other gods? How can you know that your god is the only god? How can you know that all you credit your god with has actually been done by your god? If there was another god, how could you detect the difference when another god would have all the abilities of your god. How do you know your god is good. Nothing your god has done proves goodness. Sending his only son doesn't prove it.

2007-12-11 08:49:27 · 24 answers · asked by russj 3 in Society & Culture Religion & Spirituality

All the answers so far have only touched on the first question. And I must say they all use supposition and present it as fact. Your source, the bible, doesn't support your suppositions.

If your god is infinite in his knowledge, wisdom, love and mercy, why wouldn't he give clear instructions to salvation instead of poorly worded instructions with multiple interpretations? Anyone could be forgiven for thinking he isn't really all that loving.

2007-12-11 09:00:20 · update #1

24 answers

As Hestia's Priestess PM says, the Hebrews originally felt that being YHWH's chosen people didn't mean the other Gods did not exist, only that they were instructed to worship YHWH. At the time of the Babylonian Captivity, the Hebrews were "henotheists," believing that each nation had their own God (but that the God of Israel was superior to the others). Archeological evidence also shows evidence of polytheism among the early Hebrew people (Elohim), indluding Asherah, the Hebrew Goddess, before the rise of the "Yahwist" movement, reflected in the two versions of Creation in Genesis 1 & 2.

Much of the strict monotheism and the eternal dualism of Good and Evil came out of the Babylonian Exile. Before the Exile, the people of Judea were very much henotheists. . Influenced by the Zoroastrianism of Babylonia ("A belief in one universal and transcendant God, the one uncreated creator to whom all worship is ultimately directed") Hebrew theology started claiming that YHWH was the ONLY God, Prior to the captivity, there was plenty of evidence that YHWH was not considered omnicient either--angelic agents were often placed on Earth in order to observe and report (something that an omniscient Deity would not require). That belief was carried over by Christianity and Islam. The Talmud used to day originates with the Babylonian Talmud written in Babylon during the captivity.

Regarding the latter questions, it is hard to say. Through history, many people have chosen to see their success in battle to be proof that their God was stronger. This was one of the problems among the Prophets and Apocalypticists. How to explain why, if YHWH was the most powerful (or the only God) and YHWH promised to protect the Children of Israel, did Judea get conquered by so many other nations. Perhaps the movement from henotheism to strict monotheism arises out of this--to admit other Gods would be to admit that since the followers of other Gods conquered the Hebrews, those Gods must be stronger.

This is how the belief in the coming Kingdom of God developed. There had to be _some_ reason to explain why the people of Israel were not being protected--either YHWH was not keeping his promise (unthinkable), or the fulfillment of the promise was delayed for some reason. This was a very important question by the time of Jesus' ministry, since Judea had been conquered yet again. By that time, Apocalypticists were convinced that YHWH was using these "Godless" nations as a tool through which to punish the Hebrew people for falling short of the Covenant. The Pharisee solution was to become even stricter in the Law by applying Temple Laws to daily life.

I hope this helps your understanding by putting these various beliefs in a historical context.

2007-12-11 11:01:38 · answer #1 · answered by Donald J 4 · 0 0

I'm not Christian, but I believe God (Jehovah, or Yahweh, or whatever he is called) considered all of these other "gods" to be "false gods". Basically, he didn't want people giving anything or anyone else credit for His work.

Now, I've always wondered about the King James version of the Bible (I think that's the one) where the translation that goes with this commandment uses the phrase "for I am a jealous god". I would think jealousy is a sin, or at the very least, an imperfection. How do the Christians rationalize away their God admitting he is jealous?

2007-12-11 08:55:34 · answer #2 · answered by Pat B 2 · 2 0

We can make a god out of almost anything and everyone. Take "money" for example. If we live for the money, there we go: we make a god out of money, and so on. Choosing a god depends on you personal tastes and desires.
For instance, I've chosen the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob because I felt He can fulfill my deepest desires. How I came to this conclusion, that's an other subject.
Now... about your question: I see other Christians claiming there is no other god, but I think they are only partially (in a way) right because Bible tells us something else. Yet there is only one true God.

2007-12-11 09:36:30 · answer #3 · answered by Even Haazer 4 · 1 0

There is only one God, people interpret God in different names and forms. God is the Origin and Destination of the Universe and is beyond life and death. All religions of world teach human way to get close to God. You give your Best, God will give thy Best. Ask God for help and forgive, God will help and forgive you. Pray; Worship and Thank God for everything. Remember wherever there is Happiness in Life, there will be Sorrow. To get Happiness, you must master Sorrow. For Success in Life; Believe in Self and God, Learn from Past, Concentrate in Present, Plan for Future, and remember ignorance gives failures. Have control on, be the master of, not the slave of your body, senses, and mind. Purpose of this Life is to Improve by Gaining and Sharing utmost Knowledge and Experience to differentiate and choose Best, Right, Good, Truth, God against Worst, Wrong, Bad, Untruth, Devil. Set your Desire level perfect or OK to be brave, no low to be coward, no high to be cruel. You have rights of Survival, Self Defence, and Freedom.

2007-12-12 01:52:42 · answer #4 · answered by Ravi Lohia 5 · 0 0

Yep.

We give the Almighty credit, on the words of some forty different authors, for the wonderful, awesome things He has done...O taste and see, the Lord is good!
We fear His righteous judgment, His thoughts are above ours.

The god we definitely DON'T want to follow, is the god of this present age/world....

2007-12-11 14:35:23 · answer #5 · answered by 2009 time to shine 4 · 1 0

Of course. In a pantheon of gods, the one with the most worshipers has the most power. Every god wants to come out on top, so they all state, "I'm the only real one! Worship only me!"

2007-12-11 09:00:44 · answer #6 · answered by Phoenix_Slasher 4 · 0 0

Jesus was thought to be a good man who did good things for real people in very difficult circumstances. They were monotheist but even they occasionally worshiped the god and goddesses of other religions.

2007-12-11 08:58:08 · answer #7 · answered by patrick m 2 · 0 0

At the time that was written, the Israelites were surrounded by cultures that worshiped polytheistic pantheons of Gods. This law was to make sure that they would worship their own god and not the gods of their neighbors.

2007-12-11 08:54:34 · answer #8 · answered by CRtwenty 5 · 2 0

The God of Abraham DOES admit to the existance of other Gods in this passage and others. There would be no reason for Him to oppose other Gods and warn the people of Israel to not worship them if They do not exist.

In fact, He specifically states that they are HIS chosen people, therefore implying that other Gods watch over other peoples

2007-12-11 08:57:28 · answer #9 · answered by Anne Hatzakis 6 · 4 1

Yeah - that car you spend all your time waxing every week - that's YOUR god. That big TV that your neighbor watches continuously - that's HIS god.

A god is whatever you spend all your time focused on. It's what you like to talk about when there's nothing else to talk about, it's what you like to think about when there's nothing else pressing in on your thoughts.

Sadly, these things become gods to us, but they do not qualify as a God, because they come out of the vein imagination of our hearts.

God is telling us DON'T do that. It will only kill you.

He's saying that God, alone, can save us from sin and it's eternal consequences! All these other petty little things you place as important - more important than God, in fact - will all disappear one day, and THEN where will you be?

2007-12-11 08:55:35 · answer #10 · answered by no1home2day 7 · 4 3

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