IS the christian god the only one that exists? Why?

[oi_antz]

They're little more than super-powerful man-like creatures.

Would you be willing to describe this a bit more for OP and I?

 

[TheyCallMeDavid]

a. What have you done to get this information (evidence for God) ?
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YOU REPLIED : ' I don't know. The burden of proof is on the person making the claim.

If you claim that there is evidence, please present it'.


RESPONSE : You haven't even looked into the evidence then ? Is it because youre mind is already made up ? This isn't a case where the Theist needs to show the evidence ' because he has the burden of proof' ; but it is a case where you should be dutiful and honest enough with yourself to do some personal investigation since its your eternity that is at stake. If you don't want to assert yourself to look at the scientific evidence for Gods existence, then you wont want to assert yourself to seriously consider Someone else laying it on your lap. Im not willing to play the charade with you --- im looking for serious Seekers for THE most serious issue ever in since time began.

 

[ChesterKhan]

Would you be willing to describe this a bit more for OP and I?

Well, what is an angel? More powerful than I. With an intellect better than the smartest man's. With a will more powerful than a man's. Any man's. Any collection of men.

Now, in our religion, some of the angels defied God, and followed Satan. Now, we know they are not worthy of worship. But clearly they are powerful. So if they could demonstrate their power - and why not? - why would they also not ask men to worship them?

Another way to put it: Archimedes said: give me a lever big enough and I will move the world. I say: the lever on which the world is moved is the lever which men will worship. So modern men worship (I mean devote their lives to and consider all truth to come from) science, whereas Medieval men worship the God who made science. Pagans worshipped the old gods, not knowing any better who really ruled the world.

 

[oi_antz]

Well, what is an angel? More powerful than I. With an intellect better than the smartest man's. With a will more powerful than a man's. Any man's. Any collection of men.

Now, in our religion, some of the angels defied God, and followed Satan. Now, we know they are not worthy of worship. But clearly they are powerful. So if they could demonstrate their power - and why not? - why would they also not ask men to worship them?

Another way to put it: Archimedes said: give me a lever big enough and I will move the world. I say: the lever on which the world is moved is the lever which men will worship. So modern men worship (I mean devote their lives to and consider all truth to come from) science, whereas Medieval men worship the God who made science.

Thanks for that. What did you mean when you said they are "man-like" creatures?

 

[ChesterKhan]

Thanks for that. What did you mean when you said they are "man-like" creatures?

At the time I was thinking of creatures like Zeus, Amon-Ra, Aphrodite, etc. The first obvious thing I thought of was, well, corporealism. They look very human in the statues and picture books, don't they? And who knows if this is possible for Satan's angels? Maybe it is. It certainly is for God's.

But the better, more certain sense of Zeus and the other gods of the different myths being like man, certainly, is their ability to sin. Zeus is a famous adulterer, as well as a rapist. Aphrodite as well. Poseidon is wildly violent and vengeful to Odysseus. All the gods are jealous - they will harm you if you do not worship them. These are characteristics sinful men possess in common with "the gods" - vengeance, violence, lustfulness, hatefulness, jealousness, and any sin under the sun.

And this, this is why the Fathers said they are not worthy of worship. They, too, are sinners, and unable to free themselves of it. Whereas, the Fathers say, Christ is the opposite. He is the epitome of love, mercy, and also justice. His jealousy is proven to be well-founded, for He identifies with God Almighty - I Am Who Am - who would be the only being worthy of worship, for He is Being Himself. And when Jesus died, He lived to say it again, "I AM".

So I do not serve the pagan gods. I do not fear the pagan gods. But I am not a disbeliever in the pagan gods. I avoid them when I can.

 

[oi_antz]

At the time I was thinking of creatures like Zeus, Amon-Ra, Aphrodite, etc. The first obvious thing I thought of was, well, corporealism. They look very human in the statues and picture books, don't they? And who knows if this is possible for Satan's angels? Maybe it is. It certainly is for God's.

But the better, more certain sense of Zeus and the other gods of the different myths being like man, certainly, is their ability to sin. Zeus is a famous adulterer, as well as a rapist. Aphrodite as well. Poseidon is wildly violent and vengeful to Odysseus. All the gods are jealous - they will harm you if you do not worship them. These are characteristics sinful men possess in common with "the gods" - vengeance, violence, lustfulness, hatefulness, jealousness, and any sin under the sun.

And this, this is why the Fathers said they are not worthy of worship. They, too, are sinners, and unable to free themselves of it. Whereas, the Fathers say, Christ is the opposite. He is the epitome of love, mercy, and also justice. His jealousy is proven to be well-founded, for He identifies with God Almighty - I Am Who Am - who would be the only being worthy of worship, for He is Being Himself. And when Jesus died, He lived to say it again, "I AM".

So I do not serve the pagan gods. I do not fear the pagan gods. But I am not a disbeliever in the pagan gods. I avoid them when I can.

Ok, thanks for explaining that. How do you think the word "god" fits with Jesus' statement that one cannot serve God and mammon? Is mammon therefore able to be described as a god? I understand it cannot be described as man-like, but I am just trying to establish a concrete understanding of what the OP is asking, and I think this is an interesting question to ask.

 

[GenetoJean]

Why would God put "You shall have no other gods before Me" in the 10 commandments if there were no other gods? He could have just as easily say that there are no other gods.

 

[ChesterKhan]

Ok, thanks for explaining that. How do you think the word "god" fits with Jesus' statement that one cannot serve God and mammon? Is mammon therefore able to be described as a god? I understand it cannot be described as man-like, but I am just trying to establish a concrete understanding of what the OP is asking, and I think this is an interesting question to ask.

According to this article, there may have been a god called "Mammon".

But I don't understand what quite you mean when you ask :

Is mammon therefore able to be described as a god?

It can be worshipped as a god, or as God, if that's what you mean.

 

[oi_antz]

According to this article, there may have been a god called "Mammon".

But I don't understand what quite you mean when you ask :

Is mammon therefore able to be described as a god?

It can be worshipped as a god, or as God, if that's what you mean.

Very interesting, thank you. I had only known of mammon to describe lust for possession (material and power). Do you think a god is always regarded as something with consciousness? Therefore, some sort of being that can act?

 

[ChesterKhan]

Very interesting, thank you. I had only known of mammon to describe lust for possession (material and power). Do you think a god is always regarded as something with consciousness? Therefore, some sort of being that can act?

To be honest, I don't know. I am only a layman, and these are only my opinions - even if they seem rather logical.

I think it is a question of what defines a god. God is definitely a god while also being God. The Hebrew and Greek seem to make that clear. But unlike the other gods, He is "perfect", a word which we don't fully understand the scope of. Not yet.

But when I think of what I have read - they worship idols made of gold and silver, that cannot breathe, nor hear, nor speak, and all their worshippers shall come to be like them - I do not think people generally worshipped anything that was not considered a god, and I do not think they worshipped anything that was not superior to them. That would be silly.

We don't think an atheist or materialist really worships his car, or his job, or his dog, or his family, or even himself. The phrase "He is a god in bed" is not to be taken literally. I don't think a god could be anything less or equal to a human, in power and intellect, anyway. I think even a Roman who worshipped at the shrine to Peace would have had a god/dess in mind, and not merely the vague sentiment.

But I am only a layman, with no research or knowledge of the subject. Only opinions.

 

[oi_antz]

To be honest, I don't know. I am only a layman, and these are only my opinions - even if they seem rather logical.

I think it is a question of what defines a god. God is definitely a god while also being God. The Hebrew and Greek seem to make that clear. But unlike the other gods, He is "perfect", a word which we don't fully understand the scope of. Not yet.

But when I think of what I have read - they worship idols made of gold and silver, that cannot breathe, nor hear, nor speak, and all their worshippers shall come to be like them - I do not think people generally worshipped anything that was not considered a god, and I do not think they worshipped anything that was not superior to them. That would be silly.

We don't think an atheist or materialist really worships his car, or his job, or his dog, or his family, or even himself. The phrase "He is a god in bed" is not to be taken literally. I don't think a god could be anything less or equal to a human, in power and intellect, anyway. I think even a Roman who worshipped at the shrine to Peace would have had a god/dess in mind, and not merely the vague sentiment.

But I am only a layman, with no research or knowledge of the subject. Only opinions.

Well, thanks for sharing your opinion. This answer makes good sense to me, and seems consistent with what I think a god is perceived to be by those who believe in them. I think this should help OP understand the topic a bit better

 

[ChesterKhan]

Well, thanks for sharing your opinion. This answer makes good sense to me, and seems consistent with what I think a god is perceived to be by those who believe in them. I think this should help OP understand the topic a bit better

I think the first instinct of Christians is to say, "No, there is only one God, and that's God." And while that is very kind, it misunderstands what God is, and what He would be in relation to the pagan gods. Frankly, I think flabby theology and flabby Christian brains on this subject are partly to blame for questions such as this.

The Fathers of the Church - they know so much. They are well worth a read for anyone looking for answers about questions such as these. Of course, you don't usually just go looking for such answers. It's kind of like the bargain bin at the hardware store. You go through the books, and you find answers to questions you'd never thought of before, or never expected to find. And not just the Fathers. Aquinas. C S Lewis. G K Chesterton. Many others. We stand on the shoulders of giants. Seek, and ye shall find.

 

[oi_antz]

Frankly, I think flabby theology and flabby Christian brains on this subject are partly to blame for questions such as this.

What can be done about that?

 

[ChesterKhan]

What can be done about that?

People just need to ask more questions about their faith, and not be afraid to do so. Perhaps they need to be convinced that this is worth their time. Questions like this, people like this, who don't know the faith, ought to be convincing enough - especially when you can't answer their questions, either!

What got the ball rolling for me was listening to Catholic talk radio - there's tons of stations online - and eventually reading resources they cited, like "The Fathers Know Best" by Jimmy Akin, and then reading the sources those books used, such as St. John Chrysostom's homilies, or St. Justin Martyr's "First Apology", etc.