If There is Only One God, Then How Do We Know There is Only One God?

[loverofhumanity]

You mean like this one?

"For the LORD is a great God,
and a great King above all gods." (Psalms 95:3)

I know plenty of verses where God tells his people to worship him instead of all the other gods, but none where God says that no other gods exist.

Can you list some verses?

Try these

Isaiah 45:5

I am the LORD, and there is no other. There is no other God besides me. I will strengthen you, although you don't know me.

"'I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me." Isaiah 44:6

 

[muhammad_isa]

...
I know plenty of verses where God tells his people to worship him instead of all the other gods, but none where God says that no other gods exist.

This refers to "false gods" .. worshipping something other than our Creator simply means that we are following something that is in error, not that a stone idol, for example, is 'a real god'

 

[Ana.J]

If one god doesn't need a creator, why would multiple gods?

I did not say they need a creator. The question is if the gods we created are correct?

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

This refers to "false gods" .. worshipping something other than our Creator simply means that we are following something that is in error, not that a stone idol, for example, is 'a real god'

The passage doesn't say "false gods".

 

[1robin]

You mean like this one?

"For the LORD is a great God,
and a great King above all gods." (Psalms 95:3)

I know plenty of verses where God tells his people to worship him instead of all the other gods, but none where God says that no other gods exist.

Can you list some verses?

I did not realize it was you Penguin when I responded. It has been a while.

Ok, no I was not referring to that verse. However if you want to investigate the proper exegesis for the verse you posted let me know.

I was referring to verses like:

1 Corinthians 8:6
New International Version
yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

And

"Hear, O Israel! Yahweh is our God, Yahweh is one!" Deuteronomy 6:4

And

"You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth." 2 Kings 19:15

And

"And Yahweh will be king over all the earth; in that day Yahweh will be the only one, and His name the only one." Zechariah 14:9

Etc..........


Points to keep in mind as we discuss this. God is one being composed of 3 persons. However we are not strictly discussing the nature of the Trinity.
Also your verse allows for many interpretations where as mine are fairly emphatic and upon this everything hinges, as in the fact that many times verses account for beliefs that an audience member has but which the bible denies the truthfulness of that belief.


Anyway good to hear from you

 

[viole]

The purpose of mortal life for the children of God is to provide the experiences needed “to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life.”

So, what happens when those children of God die before they reached their third birthday?

We have two cases here

1) they gain eternal life anyway. Even without that alleged necessary experience. Which would make that experiences not so necessary to start with.

2) they do not. They die forever, get a second try. Reincarnate. Whatever.

Your call.

Ciao

- viole

 

[Serenity7855]

So, what happens when those children of God die before they reached their third birthday?

I have not been privileged to see what happens to them. I would, however, be interested to know how you have come up with the age of three. Mormons believe that it is at the age of eight that they become morally accountable. I think that is too definite because we all reach moral accountability, to know for an absolute surety what is right and what is wrong, at different times. A difficult test in a world that teaches that which is wrong as something that is right and normal. Thank goodness that men did not have a hand in devising our morality in the beginning. if they did it would be all over now as sex relationships would bring procreation to a halt. When I grew up things were more clear cut. We knew right from wrong, which was backed up by our parents and environmental conditioning.

I do not know for a surety what happens to those who die before the age of accountability, however, I can give a reasoned guess based on my knowledge of the scriptures and the communications of the Holy Ghost, but that would be pure subjective reasoning and speculation that would no doubt induce you to critique my opinion, and rightly so as I do not possess that knowledge. It is not absolute, like the existence of God is.

Lastly, I do not feel that it is a question that needs to be asked when we considering the reason for our existence. It does not appear to have any relevance to the Plan of Salvation. To know that God lives and to know that He loves us is sufficient to know that a child who dies at age three will, undoubtedly, be taken good care of.

We have two cases here

1) they gain eternal life anyway. Even without that alleged necessary experience. Which would make that experiences not so necessary to start with.

If they die before the age of accountability, when ever that maybe, then they cannot be judged for for any immoralities as they are to young to know what they are doing. That being the case they will return to God having no blemishes on their garments. A perfect spirit having no sin. Their destiny will be eternal life, to live with God, the eternal Father, and His son, Jesus Christ.

2) they do not. They die forever, get a second try. Reincarnate. Whatever.

I do not believe in reincarnations and I do not believe in any second chances. God does not even insinuate any second chances, indeed, the opposite is true. This is it. This is our time to prove ourselves worthy to live with God or to be given place in one of the lessor kingdoms of God where our progression will be dammed.[/QUOTE]

 

[ronandcarol]

There is no evidence that any god exists.

Either evidence of God is all around us OR we all did evolve from a pool of sludge! I will go with a creator God. He knit us together in our mothers womb, all unique. Next time you go to your eye Dr. for an exam, take a close look at the cross section diagram of the human eye. All what you will see could not have been haphazzardly evolved together into a functioning eye. There is evidence of the One True God all around us in everything we do. (except when we are being bad in sin) But He is ready to forgive us if we repent of that sin.

ronandcarol

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Next time you go to your eye Dr. for an exam, take a close look at the cross section diagram of the human eye. All what you will see could not have been haphazzardly evolved together into a functioning eye.

- Evolution isn't any more "haphazard" than water running downhill is.

- The mere fact that you can't see how something evolved doesn't mean it didn't. Your lack of imagination is not an argument.

- The evolution of the mammalian eye is well-established.

Edit: but to bring this back to the topic of the thread...

If the mammalian eye is evidence of one god, then presumably, the octopus eye is evidence of a different god. Both do the same job, but they have different structures and were "designed" according to different design philosophies.

 

[The_Fisher_King]

Next time you go to your eye Dr. for an exam, take a close look at the cross section diagram of the human eye. All what you will see could not have been haphazzardly evolved together into a functioning eye. There is evidence of the One True God all around us in everything we do

Even if we accept your argument that evolution cannot possibly have resulted in the human eye (and that it must have a supernatural origin), how is that necessarily evidence of One God (or for that matter, the One True God)? It could be that more than one deity (or spirit) collaborated to create the eye. Or one deity, but not the One True God.

 

[Sand Dancer]

He/she sure is having a hard time making that "fact" known.

 

[Notanumber]

If he could do such a good job with our eyes, why did he fail miserably with the minds of some of us?

 

[Thief]

in the scheme of superlatives....there is only ONE
Almighty

 

[Jeremiahcp]

If there is only one god, then on what grounds, if any, can it be claimed there is only one god?

BONUS QUESTION: Are there any good arguments for the existence of multiple gods? If so, what are they?

The idea of one god or multiple gods is just an anthropomorphism. That is how we tend to think about beings, so that is how we tend to thing about gods.

 

[Sleeppy]

The universe expanded from a single source. It's physical laws, etc. all derive from one source.

 

[godnotgod]

in the scheme of superlatives....there is only ONE
Almighty

For there to exist an 'Almighty', there must also exist an 'Alweakling'. Otherwise, how would you know that the Almighty is who he is?

(you're swimming around in duality again, Thief)

 

[Thief]

For there to exist an 'Almighty', there must also exist an 'Alweakling'. Otherwise, how would you know that the Almighty is who he is?

(you're swimming around in duality again, Thief)

your still imposing your terms of opposites.....again

there are only a few billion shades of grey

 

[godnotgod]

in the scheme of superlatives....there is only ONE
Almighty

"In weakness is our strength'
Tao

your still imposing your terms of opposites.....again

there are only a few billion shades of grey

When you invoke the value of 'almighty', you have automatically but unwittingly invoked its opposite, the 'not-almighty'. You want there to be only the absolute of 'the almighty', but the almighty cannot exist without the background of non-existence called 'the not-almighty'. You have therefore created a duality but then you deny it even though it stares you right in the face. You claim that you have no dogma, but your dogma is clearly 'the almighty', of which you are enamored in the sense of it being idolatry as it fills you with egotistical affirmation which you think is 'love', and relieves you of metaphysical anxiety over an afterlife destiny that is a total mystery to you.

 

[Thief]

"In weakness is our strength'
Tao


When you invoke the value of 'almighty', you have automatically but unwittingly invoked its opposite, the 'not-almighty'. You want there to be only the absolute of 'the almighty', but the almighty cannot exist without the background of non-existence called 'the not-almighty'. You have therefore created a duality but then you deny it even though it stares you right in the face. You claim that you have no dogma, but your dogma is clearly 'the almighty', of which you are enamored in the sense of it being idolatry as it fills you with egotistical affirmation which you think is 'love', and relieves you of metaphysical anxiety over an afterlife destiny that is a total mystery to you.

the question....is there one?

yes