Other Religions
If you have been reading your Bible, you have noticed that God takes a dim view (to put it mildly) of other religions that don’t acknowledge him as the one true God. One of the Ten Commandments spoke against 'other gods.' And whenever the people of Israel encountered foreigners who worshiped idols, God instructed them to use harsh measures when dealing with them.
As you read passages like Joshua 10-12, where Joshua and the people of Israel conquered city after city, killing all of the inhabitants, you may wonder, 'Why is God so intolerant? Why is he so rough on lifeless idols and the people who believe in them?'
Admittedly, such harsh measures seem strange to us, unaccustomed as we are to these cultures and their worship rituals. But God had good reason for wanting Israel to avoid these religions. First, some of these religions included child sacrificing in their worship ceremonies (see Deut 12:31)—a practice that disgusted God.
Second, God knew what prolonged contact with people who practiced these religions would do to his chosen people. It was like being exposed to a fatal virus. Because of God’s concern for his people, he told them to eliminate the source of the disease as radically as a surgeon removing a malignant tumor. Though painful and costly, it was necessary for survival. If they failed to remove the cancer—as they often did—it would grow back and threaten to destroy them. Then it would be up to God to do the 'surgery' himself, which he did in the form of persecution and exile. It was far better for Israel to do it right in the first place.
While some Christians struggle with the temptation to try other religions (Buddhism; Hinduism), many more struggle with worshiping 'idols.' Our 'idols' today—money, sex, status, alcohol—don’t look much like the idols the Israelites encountered. But they are just as real and just as dangerous as those others. Wouldn’t you agree?
If you have been reading your Bible, you have noticed that God takes a dim view (to put it mildly) of other religions that don’t acknowledge him as the one true God. One of the Ten Commandments spoke against 'other gods.' And whenever the people of Israel encountered foreigners who worshiped idols, God instructed them to use harsh measures when dealing with them.
As you read passages like Joshua 10-12, where Joshua and the people of Israel conquered city after city, killing all of the inhabitants, you may wonder, 'Why is God so intolerant? Why is he so rough on lifeless idols and the people who believe in them?'
Admittedly, such harsh measures seem strange to us, unaccustomed as we are to these cultures and their worship rituals. But God had good reason for wanting Israel to avoid these religions. First, some of these religions included child sacrificing in their worship ceremonies (see Deut 12:31)—a practice that disgusted God.
Second, God knew what prolonged contact with people who practiced these religions would do to his chosen people. It was like being exposed to a fatal virus. Because of God’s concern for his people, he told them to eliminate the source of the disease as radically as a surgeon removing a malignant tumor. Though painful and costly, it was necessary for survival. If they failed to remove the cancer—as they often did—it would grow back and threaten to destroy them. Then it would be up to God to do the 'surgery' himself, which he did in the form of persecution and exile. It was far better for Israel to do it right in the first place.
While some Christians struggle with the temptation to try other religions (Buddhism; Hinduism), many more struggle with worshiping 'idols.' Our 'idols' today—money, sex, status, alcohol—don’t look much like the idols the Israelites encountered. But they are just as real and just as dangerous as those others. Wouldn’t you agree?
