Is there only one God or only one true God (which)
One of the main problems that we have with the present day Bible is a result of many years refinement and changes. Both the world of Judaism and the world of Christianity have had a long time to study and implement those changes and to turn the Bible into a format which suits them and their intentions better, and they have been busy, busy bees.
Christianity claims that it is a monotheistic religion. It believes in one God. Other religions are not too bothered about declaring a belief in a multiplicity of gods (I think that I am correct in saying that the Hindu religion accepts the worship of millions of different gods), but not so Christianity. For them there is only one God, the same God of the Old Testament that led Israel through the wilderness, the very same, the one and only Jehovah.
Well, you have got a problem, because if there is one thing that you cannot do is claim that the people which made up Biblical Judaism were ever Monotheistic. You don't have to be a Hebrew scholar to work it out, just the ability to read will do. And all that you have to do is read the accounts as they are presented to you in the Bible.
In the King James Version of the Old Testament the word "God" is presented to us a lot of times. I have just had a very quick look and the approximate results are as follows. Please note that these figures are approximate! I just can't be bothered to count them all over and over again to make sure that the figure is absolutely correct.
El - Mighty one - Translated as "God" at least 225 times
elah - an object of worship - translated as "god" at least 89 times
Elohim - god, gods, objects of worship - translated as "god" at least 2200 times
Jehovah translated as "god" at least 296 times
eloah - objects of worship translated as "god" at least 57 times
And there are others but these are the main ones.
Unfortunately to add even more confusion to an already confused situation the word "Lord" which is interpreted from the word Adonai and means "He who is" and is usually derived from the word Yahweh occurs so many times that I would hate to count them, certainly numbering the many many thousands.
From their very beginnings and right through their history up until very late on, the race of people called the Hebrews were not monotheistic. They did not worship Jehovah as the one and only true God. They worshiped an assortment of gods, goddesses and deities. Jehovah was just one of the deities that they believed in and prayed to. The evidence is clear that the main top four gods that they worshipped were El, Jehovah, Ashtoreth and Baal, although not necessarily in that order of importance. They did build idols and plenty of them! And worshipped them as well!
The Old Testament is a continual stream of information concerning this, and to suggest as many do that these are merely temporary blips when a few of the people wandered off is to totally ignore the facts. We are continually assaulted throughout the whole of the Old testament with the history of a continual and incessant worship of different gods.
The Old Testament contains an almost continual stream of information, and I have absolutely no intention of listing them here. Go and read it for yourself and do your own homework. You will find numerous instances such as -
"And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree. And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger:
For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing. Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.
Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God. And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them.
And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.
And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. 2 Kings 17:10 - 18
Throughout their history there was a continual battle among the priests of
the various gods for supremacy among the people.
[SIZE=3]so what do you believe and why[/SIZE]
thanks in part to gospel2000
One of the main problems that we have with the present day Bible is a result of many years refinement and changes. Both the world of Judaism and the world of Christianity have had a long time to study and implement those changes and to turn the Bible into a format which suits them and their intentions better, and they have been busy, busy bees.
Christianity claims that it is a monotheistic religion. It believes in one God. Other religions are not too bothered about declaring a belief in a multiplicity of gods (I think that I am correct in saying that the Hindu religion accepts the worship of millions of different gods), but not so Christianity. For them there is only one God, the same God of the Old Testament that led Israel through the wilderness, the very same, the one and only Jehovah.
Well, you have got a problem, because if there is one thing that you cannot do is claim that the people which made up Biblical Judaism were ever Monotheistic. You don't have to be a Hebrew scholar to work it out, just the ability to read will do. And all that you have to do is read the accounts as they are presented to you in the Bible.
In the King James Version of the Old Testament the word "God" is presented to us a lot of times. I have just had a very quick look and the approximate results are as follows. Please note that these figures are approximate! I just can't be bothered to count them all over and over again to make sure that the figure is absolutely correct.
El - Mighty one - Translated as "God" at least 225 times
elah - an object of worship - translated as "god" at least 89 times
Elohim - god, gods, objects of worship - translated as "god" at least 2200 times
Jehovah translated as "god" at least 296 times
eloah - objects of worship translated as "god" at least 57 times
And there are others but these are the main ones.
Unfortunately to add even more confusion to an already confused situation the word "Lord" which is interpreted from the word Adonai and means "He who is" and is usually derived from the word Yahweh occurs so many times that I would hate to count them, certainly numbering the many many thousands.
From their very beginnings and right through their history up until very late on, the race of people called the Hebrews were not monotheistic. They did not worship Jehovah as the one and only true God. They worshiped an assortment of gods, goddesses and deities. Jehovah was just one of the deities that they believed in and prayed to. The evidence is clear that the main top four gods that they worshipped were El, Jehovah, Ashtoreth and Baal, although not necessarily in that order of importance. They did build idols and plenty of them! And worshipped them as well!
The Old Testament is a continual stream of information concerning this, and to suggest as many do that these are merely temporary blips when a few of the people wandered off is to totally ignore the facts. We are continually assaulted throughout the whole of the Old testament with the history of a continual and incessant worship of different gods.
The Old Testament contains an almost continual stream of information, and I have absolutely no intention of listing them here. Go and read it for yourself and do your own homework. You will find numerous instances such as -
"And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree. And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger:
For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing. Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.
Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God. And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them.
And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.
And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. 2 Kings 17:10 - 18
Throughout their history there was a continual battle among the priests of
the various gods for supremacy among the people.
[SIZE=3]so what do you believe and why[/SIZE]
thanks in part to gospel2000
