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Added Biblical quotations relating to other gods.
As opposed to the true [[God]], other '''gods''' have been proposed throughout the history of mankind. The term god is applied in a general sense to any deity that is worshiped as part of a theistic belief system.
As opposed to the true [[God]], other '''gods''' have been proposed throughout the history of mankind. The term god is applied in a general sense to any deity that is worshiped as part of a theistic belief system.
== Other Gods in the Bible ==
The Christian Bible contains references to more than just the Christian God(Hereafter referred to as God with a large G to avoid confusion).
== Genesis ==
Early translations of the opening text of Genesis use a distinctly different word to describe the being responsible for enacting Creation than God, who first appears in the Garden of Eden with Adam. Attempts to translate the word literally get little more than a word approximately meaning 'The Power'.
God in the Garden of Eden often uses the plural, (Genesis 1:26) 'And God said, let us make man in our image.', (Genesis 3:22) 'And the Lord God said, Behold, then man is become as one of us, to know good and evil.' (Genesis 11:7) 'Let us go down, and there confound their language.'. This is occasionally explained as use of the 'Royal We'.
== Exodus ==
The Eygptian gods are referred to several times, never as nonexistant. (Exodus 12:12) 'And against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment.' (Exodus 15:11) 'Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods?' (Exodus 18:11) 'Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods.'. The implication is that God is greater than any single member of the Eygptian pantheon, not that the gods worshipped by the ancient Eygptians don't exist. Furthermore, the Magi, empowered by those gods, are able to produce plagues of their own.
The Commandments are the clearest: (Exodus 20:3, 5) 'Thou shalt have no other gods before me. ... Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them.' God makes it clear while other gods exist, the Israelites are not to worship them before Him, or to serve them.
Other laws also make it clear that other gods exist, but the penalties for worshipping them are harsh: (Exodus 22:20) 'He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the LORD only, he shall be utterly destroyed.' (Exodus 23:13) 'Make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.' (Exodus 23:24) 'Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.' (Exodus 23:32) 'Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.' (Exodus 34:14) 'For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.'
The strangest section on multiple gods in Exodus is this law: (Exodus 22:28) 'Thou shalt not revile the gods.'. Despite strong prohibitions on the worship, naming, or serving of other gods, one is not to revile them.
== Psalms ==
(Psalm 82:1) 'God standeth in the congregation of the mighty, he judgeth among the gods.' (Psalm 86:8) 'Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord.' (Psalm 96:4) 'For the Lord ... is to be feared above all gods.' (Psalm 97:7) 'Worship him, all ye gods.'
== Gospel Of John ==
The most interesting account of more than one divine being comes from John: (John 10:33-34) 'The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?' This is a reference to Psalm 82, which includes God proclaiming Ye are Gods.
==Notes==
==Notes==