"Thou Shall Have No Other Gods Before Me"

[SlowwHand]

Maybe, but if god got into a hissy fit back then and made a lot of noise, why don't he do it now where things are even worse ?

Don't be so sure that He's not noticing.

[DanS]

The same thing happens today as many 'Christians' include religious practices not mentioned in the Bible

Could you please elaborate on what you think these practices are?

[KrazyHorse]

I'm going to guess Confession, Mass etc.

[dannubis]

Any religion that uses fear to get results is bound to destroy the minds and lives of a culture foolish enough to embrace it.

[onodera]

I'm going to guess Confession, Mass etc.

Easter eggs, Christmas trees, fundraisers too.
Oh, and burying the dead.

[MattBowron]

I've also heard that the word Elohim, has not only been referred to as singular but plural. There are also another of older gods that began with El such as El-Shaddi, god of the Canaanites before the settlement of the Israelites. And the Ea, which were in fact god-children of the 2 force-gods in Mesopotamian myths, a religion which also has a great flood and an ark, and a man Adapa who turns away immortality by eating a fruit told to him by a snake.

[Kitschum]

I've also heard that the word Elohim, has not only been referred to as singular but plural. There are also another of older gods that began with El such as El-Shaddi, god of the Canaanites before the settlement of the Israelites. And the Ea, which were in fact god-children of the 2 force-gods in Mesopotamian myths, a religion which also has a great flood and an ark, and a man Adapa who turns away immortality by eating a fruit told to him by a snake.

Not to mention El-Lah. Oops.

[Wernazuma III]

Bad translation ?

Edit: oh, no, forgot that accordingly to Ben, the bible is translated correctly to english

"If King's English was good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for me." "Ma" Ferguson.

[BeBMan]

The usual German form would translate into something like "Thou Shall Have No Other Gods Besides Me"

Which is the correct one - FACT.

Though IIRC the original stuff was much longer, and included more specific info

[DaShi]

I'm going to guess Confession, Mass etc.

These were started by the Catholic Church and God gave the Church the right make up whatever crazy rules it wants. How else could we justify the Inquisition?

[BeBMan]

Noone expected them.

[Japher]

"Gods" should be "gods". As I understand it, it doesn't necessarily mean other deities, but any other idol or worship. Anything that you place before the one true God is thus forbidden in the eyes of God. So, if you put money before God, lust before God, Loki before God, "one more turn" before God than you have broken this commandment.

[Sava]

sounds like god is a bad girlfriend

[trev]

Will do. Am I supposed to sacrifice my first-born son or will I be provided with a ram?

A ram has been provided already and sacrificed, the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance is saying to God that the wrong that a person has been done results in the punishment of death, express sorrow over the wrong and accept that Jesus's crucifiction on the cross is the ram sacrifice required to pacify God's anger. As well it is attempting with God's help to avoid doing wrong in the future and aim to do things that God desires for your life.

[Lefty Scaevola]

But what of the last two?? "Before me."
What are they there for? Is God saying it's okay to worship other gods as long as they come "after Him," that is, as long as He's Number One?

That is exactly what they meant when first written. The ancient Hebrew for a long time tolerated the worship of multiple and local deities, as long as their national war god was preeminent. They moved more toward monotheism over a a period of centuries, a process not completed until their exile in Babylonia.

It its oldest face, that part of that "Word" (commandment) translates to "before my face", meaning the the physical symbols of other gods should be place behind his.