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16 Sep 09
Originally posted by FabianFnasWhat exactly is the point of this game? You make a statement, that the bible contradicts itself or the biblical writers sought to grab power, then, after you fail to give evidence, you hightail into retreat and belittle the other. Do you actually have anything with evidence?
Only one god?
There are a lot of gods, according to the bible. Haven't you read it?
16 Sep 09
Originally posted by daniel58Wasn't the point of the 'don't have any other gods before me' clause in one of the ten commandments (since there were at least two or three different versions) that god was pissed off that his followers were worshipping other gods?
Yes. NO!, Yes.
If these gods didn't exist, why bother with the clause?
16 Sep 09
Originally posted by amannion... or don't have any idols before me (who they worship as "gods"😉
Wasn't the point of the 'don't have any other gods before me' clause in one of the ten commandments (since there were at least two or three different versions) that god was pissed off that his followers were worshipping other gods?
If these gods didn't exist, why bother with the clause?
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17 Sep 09
Originally posted by amannionWell, I think the point is that while the bible might acknowledge other gods, like 'Ba'al', it is not necessarily committed to polytheism. You and I may talk about the gods Zeus and Hera, we might refer to them as gods because they had that status in classical Greek culture, but that does not mean we believe that Zeus and Hera actually exist and might strike us down with lightning. Similarly, Exodus might refer to rival gods, in the sense that some thought they existed and had divinity, but not necessarily mean that these gods actually exist.
Well there was the Canaanite god Ba'al for one. He lost out to YHWH of course, but was a god nonetheless ...
17 Sep 09
Originally posted by Conrau KPerhaps, but don't you think that the commandments seem to be explicitly designed for a people who have struggled with belief in many gods - which seems to make sense based on the historical context of polytheism in the middle east at the time.
Well, I think the point is that while the bible might acknowledge other gods, like 'Ba'al', it is not necessarily committed to polytheism. You and I may talk about the gods Zeus and Hera, we might refer to them as gods because they had that status in classical Greek culture, but that does not mean we believe that Zeus and Hera actually exist and might strik ...[text shortened]... ought they existed and had divinity, but not necessarily mean that these gods actually exist.