The Bible is full of gods -- hundreds of gods. How did we get so many gods? It began with Adam and Eve; their basic/original sin was to replace the One True God with the "god of self" -- to replace the Creator-God with gods that had been created. All this was encouraged by Satan.
Several hundred years later, the Creator-God appeared to Abram; and the One True God made a covenant with Abraham: "I, the party-of-the-first-part will be your God; I will guide you and guard you; I will provide for you and protect you from your enemies; I will deliver you from the forces of Chaos and Darkness that might destroy you. I will also make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make you a blessing to all peoples. I will look with favor on all those who honor and respect you; but I will curse and destroy all those who oppose you. I will honor my Covenant/Contract with you for all eternity." "You, the party-of-the-second--part will be my chosen people; you will love Me and serve me only, and you will follow My commandments."
First Commandment! "I Am the Lord your God. If you truly love me, you will have no other gods before Me; no other gods who are in opposition to Me and are at war with Me -- for I will not tolerate any rivals to My authority and rule! Plus, you shall not make any images of these lesser gods; nor shall you worship them nor serve them -- for if you do, I will pour out My divine wrath on you!"
Why do you think God made this his first Commandment? His top priority? His major concern? Because these lesser, created gods would stand between us and the One True God!
Why, then, are we tempted to worship and serve these lesser gods?
1). We can easily control and manipulate these lesser gods; through offerings and sacrifices we can make the lesser gods do our bidding.
2). The lesser gods don't place any restrictions on what we want to do.
3). The lesser gods provide a protective barrier between us and the One True God; if we worship and serve the lesser gods, we can ignore the Real God. That's why people outside the Covenant-relationship with God do NOT like the Ten Commandments: A) They remind people that there is a God above all the lesser gods; B) That all peoples are created by God and are accountable to Him; C) That there are rules that govern life and apply to all peoples, everywhere, for all time; D) That there are Divine Truths ( physical, moral and spiritual) Laws that apply to everyone, everywhere, for all eternity. SO, out-of-sight, out-of-mind.
We, as Christians, are God's chosen people, in a Covenant-relationship with the One True God. IF we love the Lord God, we will keep His Commandments and obey His Rules. We've got the best deal ever -- all we have to do is follow the Commandments and we are guaranteed life at its best; plus, the assurance that nothing will ever keep the Lord God from loving us! Life doesn't get any better than that!
Dr. Don Kuehle is a retired United Methodist who lives in Jackson.
Religion on 09/03/2015