No Other Gods But Me

Within the Mosaic Law, we find an absurd ordinance.  In fact, this illogical ordinance surfaces frequently in Biblical literature. Throughout the Bible, we read that when this asinine ordinance is disobeyed, it angers the “Lord God of Israel”. We read of the Judeo-Christian god being provoked to anger and becoming jealous when this ordinance is violated. We read of the “God of gods” rendering jealousy for jealousy by making his people, the “children of Israel”, jealous by putting another people over them for committing this horrendous crime.

This ordinance is so important to the Hebrew god that it takes preeminence over all other commandments.  The “Ten Commandments” begin with the first commandment-“Thou shalt have no other gods before me”. This means that this commandment is of great importance. By no means, are the “children of Israel” to worship other gods; this is a major offense to the god of the Bible because the “Most High God” has feelings, too. Just as he experiences anger, he experiences pain and humiliation. If any of you ever had an unfaithful spouse, more than likely, you empathize with the god of the Bible; he likens the worship of other gods with adultery.

But what makes this commandment ridiculous? What makes this ordinance stupid? How does this commandment expose the god of the Bible as a powerless god? Naturally, any god would not like the idea of competition. This is what the Israelites’ god is doing-he is enforcing that he gets all the recognition and his competition gets as little as possible. He is acknowledging that there are other gods, just don’t go worshiping them. Now this is where the problem emerges, reader.  Ask yourself this rudimentary question, “If I was the God of gods, would I allow other gods to exist?”

This is what makes the god of the Bible a joke. This is what makes the god of the Bible powerless.  The accepted maxim concerning this god is that he’s Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent. How is a god that is “all-powerful” incompetent of destroying inferior deities? Oh, yes, you’re right! He wants to test Israel’s faith! If you’re insisting that the “Almighty God” allowed these inferior gods, who “are no gods”, to exist because he wanted to test Israel’s faith, you need to be drug tested.

The reality of the matter is this: if you’re the Supreme Being that is all-powerful, you’re not allowing any other god to exist. PERIOD! If you’re all-knowing, that means that you know when someone is fashioning an idol and you have the power to either destroy that person or that idol. Case closed. As a defense mechanism, you’re probably thinking, “What about Zeus and the other gods of Olympus?” You forgot one thing: the other gods of Olympus are Zeus’ kin. What’s the god of the Hebrews excuse? Instead of zapping Baal, Molec, or any god of the nations, he gives them a pass, but punishes Israel. In Deuteronomy 7:5, the god of Israel instructs his people to utterly destroy the idols of seven nations. If the “God of Israel” was truly the “Almighty God”, why not show his might and eradicate these gods himself? Within Bel and the Dragon , we read of a ping pong match between Daniel and king Astyages on whether or not Bel is a living god. Couldn’t the “Lord God of Daniel” have destroyed Bel, its temple along with its priests, to definitively show Astyages who was the mightier God? There are endless scenarios in Biblical literature where the “Almighty God” does not show his power concerning idolatry. Why go through the emotions and stress worrying about other gods getting their props when he can easily obliterate these inferior gods? It doesn’t make sense.