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wowiexist
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18 Aug 2019, 1:28 pm

Does the Bible actually say anywhere that God is the only God. I know God says “there are no gods before me “ but that almost seems to suggest that there are other gods just that they are lesser than Him.



Prometheus18
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18 Aug 2019, 1:36 pm

The shema:

Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is one.



Darmok
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18 Aug 2019, 1:52 pm

I'm not a Bible scholar, but in Genesis there are a number of places where the Hebrew word used for god is actually plural, not singular. The most notable is, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." The literal text is, "In the beginning the Gods [Elohim] created the heaven and the earth."

Needless to say, scholars and theologians argue about such things.


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Prometheus18
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18 Aug 2019, 1:54 pm

The above is a linguistic convention that doesn't literally imply plurality. It's a "plural of majesty", and found in all Semitic languages. It implies greater worth. I believe the Moslems have it in their text as well.



naturalplastic
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18 Aug 2019, 2:04 pm

The Old Testament implies that other peoples have THEIR gods, and that we Hebrews have a convenient with our one God. In Abraham's time it was other gods exist (who are worshipped by our neighbors) but we don't have any truck with them. It took centuries before it evolved from that into "our one god is the only god that exists".



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18 Aug 2019, 2:06 pm

naturalplastic wrote:
It took centuries before it evolved from that into "our one god is the only god that exists".


By basically killing anybody who dared to believe in these other gods


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techstepgenr8tion
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18 Aug 2019, 8:25 pm

From my recollection the old testament was filled with references to other gods, not that they didn't exist but that they were inimical to Yahweh. The Queen of Heaven is often mentioned, quite likely in relation to Inanna-Ishtar, mentions of Baal, Belial, etc. were also there.

In the new testament there was a mention of Pergamose having a type of abomination, I've heard people talk about that as the Temple of Zeus but I'm not 100% sure that works, especially with Zeus and Yahweh both being very Jovian characters - unless we're talking about the narcissism of small differences in which case I suppose it would make sense.


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Magna
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18 Aug 2019, 9:07 pm

Genesis Chapter 1 Verse 26 of the New American Bible: "Then God said: "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness."

Genesis Chapter 3 Verse 22: "Then the Lord God said: "See! The man has become like one of us, knowing what is good and what it bad!"

I assume the above reference to God's plurality is a reference to the Triune God of Father, Son and Holy Spirit rather than more than one separate and distinct God. Both verses are puzzling, however.



techstepgenr8tion
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18 Aug 2019, 9:22 pm

Magna wrote:
Genesis Chapter 1 Verse 26 of the New American Bible: "Then God said: "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness."

Genesis Chapter 3 Verse 22: "Then the Lord God said: "See! The man has become like one of us, knowing what is good and what it bad!"

I assume the above reference to God's plurality is a reference to the Triune God of Father, Son and Holy Spirit rather than more than one separate and distinct God. Both verses are puzzling, however.

I don't think that assumption's quite right, especially considering that the triune nature of God was a solution to a problem that didn't exist until the fully God and fully human dichotomy/paradox of Jesus had to be settled.

One likely possibility - you had loads of sevens even in Genesis, ie. the seven day week, in Zechariah you had mentions of the seven-eyed stone, and in the Mediterrenean this seems to deal with the seven planets or 'wanderers' which included everything up through Saturn (last visible planet until the 18th century I believe) and the sun and moon making up the 6th and 7th. They were collectively thought of as the 'Seven Elohim' and they seem to be, under some name or another, in most of the major polytheistic pantheons.

To that extent the 'we' could easily be referring to that seven.


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19 Aug 2019, 1:17 pm

King James Bible Answer:

Psalm 82:6

"I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High."

In Other WordS, How East Indians Still Use the Term 'Namaste' With Other Humans.

"Wrong Planet Question": "Are There Other Gods in The Bible?"

my Answer:

Holy Cow It Depends On What Parts We Consume or Throw Up;
In Other Words Humans Create Math And Add Subtract And Divide 'Cattle'.

Words Are Sacred Cows.

God Is More than Words
Any Less
is More Than One God.

Other Than That If you Believe
In Metaphors Logic Is Not Necessary at 'All' or 'the Word' 'God';

Back to the Old Testament; WHere TaKinG "The Lord's Name in Vain" Is
Calling "The Lord" Any Name At ALL But ALL in All Alpha Thru Omega A Metaphor for All too.

If Only All Of Us Will Advance to Be More Like 'Yoda' And Feel/Sense 'The Force' EverYWHere WaY ETernAlly Now Real
Then Words Become Eternally A Mute Point Now As We Become Flow Water Waves Ocean Particles Waves Field Whole;
More Than Likely The Folks Who Wrote 'Those Words' In A Old Testament Are Capable of Seeing 'The Wind' Too For Real.


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