One-Post Wednesday: On Other Gods

I teach part time at a private school as the chapel teacher. Today we studied a passage from Deuteronomy that warned the Jews against turning away to 'other gods'. One girl, who is not Christian or Jewish (but rather some non-Hindu Indian sect of which I know nothing), was upset by this pronouncement. I proceeded to make the following points:

1) In this passage, at least, God was not deriding other 'gods' but rather warning the Jews against TURNING TO other gods. Often missed by many people is the simple fact that through much of the Bible the existence of other gods is assumed. Psalm 82 is a prime example. The existence of other gods is not questioned until deep into the prophetic period and even then, not universally (Micah doesn't seem to doubt their existence). Yahweh was believed to be of a higher order of being than other gods, and the Hebrews were His special possession. They are warned to worship no other god, not to doubt their existence. The message was specific to the Hebrews, and about their relationship with Yahweh. It is not about humanity in general nor about the validity of other religions.

2) The kinds of religions that existed in Canaan at the time were far different than the great rational religions of our day. At the time, the general ethical dimension of religion had not been universally applied. Religion was not primarily about right or wrong but about appeasing a particular god which manifested a particular impulse or need. Child sacrifice was commonplace among Canaanites. God's view of the world softens, and God seeks a relationship with all of humanity, in part because humanity's view of God changed. The idea of a single unified God, with primarily moral concerns, became widespread. The idolatry of the past is different than the religions of today.

3) I personally believe that all religions point to the same God, or are trying to reach the same God. Yet their vision of God, their model of what God is, does differ, and those differences can be vitally important. Obviously, I think my own vision of God is the right one...I believe Christianity is the truest of all religions, and gives the most accurate picture of God. If I did not believe this, I would not be a Christian. But in the end I don't think all other religions are simply idolatries. 

4) It is as important to emphasizes the differences among religions as it is to emphasize the similarities. We do no one any good by glossing over the actual content of what they are saying. Differences matter.

...so, how'd I do?