sashang

In the bible (Exodus 20:4-6, Joshua 24) it says that God will be jealous if you worship another god. If there is only one God in existence then what would that God have to be jealous of? It seems strange that God would be jealous or hateful of people worshiping something that doesn't exist. So that leads me to question how do the modern day Christians know that there is definitely only one God in existence. It seems as if they've taken the command 'you shall have no other God before me' to imply that there is only one God in existence. Ancient Jews, on the other hand, probably believed that their God was better than any other god, but not that there was exactly only one God.

Demigawd

Bingo!

You've touched one of the most potent weapons religions, particularly Christianity historically speaking, have. Taken into account that others have beliefs in their own gods, those said deities are reduced to the status of demons and devils in the opposing religion's dogma. Many were the sermons I've endured in which the other divinities in the Bible were explained away as incarnations of Satan.

Al Kafirun

I share the theory that the religious intolerance started with that, an interpolation from the Yahwhist who adopted Judaism late into its tradition. What better way to boast a religion than to claim every other one is false or evil?

JoeBaseball

I have always wondered about this jealousy thing.

Isn't Envy (Jealousy) one of the supposed seven deadly sins? So if god is a jealous god, does that mean god has sinned? and if god has sinned, doesn't that mean god is not perfect?