The Ten Commandments: No Other Gods (Revised)

"Thou shalt have no other gods before me."  Exodus 20:3

"Exodus, the original Mission Impossible."

The exodus was already in progress. The Israelite nation had been freed from the slavery of Egypt, their cruel masters had been drowned in the depths of the red sea, and now they were being lead to Canaan, the land of their inheritance.

Their leader was a man named Moses. In the past, he had been a mere shepherd, but God had bigger plans in store for him. He saw the presence of God within the burning bush, he talked to God face to face, like one man speaks to another, and he unleashed God's wonders on the land of Egypt. His mission was simple, he was supposed to bring the children of Israel home.

Then one day, Moses received an incredible message from God Himself. "I come unto thee in a thick cloud," He said. "...that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee forever." This news must have excited Moses. Finally, they would know for certain that he had seen God. "I will visit them in three days." God continued. "Go unto the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes. And be ready against the third day: for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai."

And He sure did. On the third day, God descended on the mountain and it caught fire. Moses brought his people to the base of Mount Sinai, where they saw God's eternal glory. They knew now, without a doubt, that God was their leader. "I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage." He said. "Thou shalt have no other gods before me."

And so it began. God wanted to transform a congregation of slaves into a nation worthy of representing His name. That change could only come from new-found wisdom, and so, God revealed The Ten Commandments. These Commandments were designed to uplift and strengthen mankind, to lead their civilizations, and guide them home to God's presence.

Who is God exactly?

God, very simply, is the Father of all Mankind. He created man in His own image and He views us with a paternal regard. He is unchanging and trustworthy, and His objective on this earth is "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."

One belief that is fairly common is the belief in the Trinity, which is that God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are the same being, just with separate roles and forms. I find this doctrine hard to relate to. If God and Jesus Christ are the same being, why is Christ always praying to Himself? How can The Holy Ghost descend upon Himself while the voice of God the Father declares that He is His Own Begotten Son? Either God is a incomprehensible being with no sort of relation to mankind or we should trust the words of God Himself when he declares that Jesus Christ is His Son.

The commandment to have no other Gods before Him, means to place our loyalties in God. When He appeared to Moses and the Israelites on Mount Sinai, they knew without a doubt that their God was The True and Living God. From that point on, God made a promise with His people. If they would obey His Commandments and worship Him, He would make them a holy nation and give them eternal life. In essence He said, "Follow Me, and I will make you my children." Later on, when Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to the earth, He repeated that same Commandment, "Follow Me." The Holy Ghost also gives us that same commandment, "Follow Me." Having no other Gods before Him, means to follow His example and dedicate ourselves to Him.

How Should We View Other World Religions?

I believe that the worship of God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost is the center source of truth in this world. Through Jesus Christ and His teachings we can enjoy all of the attributes of godliness, happiness, and peace. In addition to Jesus Christ and His servants, there are many other religious figures on this earth who taught their people principles of love and godliness. They wanted to bring brighter color to their cultures. I believe that these men were taught true principles directly from God himself. I believe that any serious differences between faiths were started by men long after these leaders had lived and died. 

Once we have gained a testimony of Jesus Christ, we are expected to devote ourselves to him. I believe that in the last days, many people of all nations, cultures, and faiths will be brought to Jesus Christ by the principles of righteousness that they already follow. This is what I feel that God expects us to do concerning other beliefs. He wants us to befriend them, honor and defend their true principles, and invite them to learn of Jesus Christ. Perhaps the biggest blessing from following this commandment is that we won't have to compromise either our faith or our learning. We will be able to learn of other faiths and consider their truths from a perspective founded on Jesus Christ and his Atonement. We will understand how these religions fit into God's plan for His Children and we will be able to coexist with them.

"Looking for God? Maybe he's in His house!"

Ideas To Live This Commandment

Pray for a Testimony of Jesus Christ
Once we know that Jesus Christ is the savior, we receive direct access to the source of all truth. We can receive that testimony through prayer. I personally feel that The Book of Mormon explains the process best, "I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." (Moroni 10:4-5)

The Ten Commandments: The Name of God

"Thou Shalt Not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain." Exodus 20:7

"It's not God's fault if you stub your toe."

As God continued to reveal The Ten Commandments, He shifted his focus from who his people worshiped to how. As their law giver and Father, God instructed the Israelite people not to use His name lightly, with the ominous warning that those who did would not be held guiltless.

Jesus Christ further explained this Commandment during His Sermon on the Mount. Referring to practice of swearing by God's name, He said: "Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool... Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil." Matthew 5:33-37.

Today, it is growing more and more difficult to find somebody who won't take God's name in vain.

Why Is It So Bad to Disrespect God's name?

What we say changes who we become. It influences our behavior, our feelings, and our thoughts. The words somebody could say about us may upset us and bother us, but the things we say about them can affect us so much more. As the Savior once said, "...that which goeth into the mouth [doesn't defile] a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man." We can defile our opinion of others with sarcasm, criticism, and speaking badly of them. This is why I feel that this commandment is so important.

God wants to have a loving relationship with us. He wants us to not only obey Him, but to love Him and be loved in return. When we say disrespectful things about God, we damage our relationship with Him. We hinder our desire to know Him and to follow Him. A lack of respect for God's name makes every single commandment more difficult to obey, and so we often loose the blessings we should have received!

In addition to God's name, we should be very cautious in using biblical terms such as Damn or Hell. If we use these words to condemn others, how can we expect God to not use them to condemn us? We must also never use vulgar terms which degrade the Human body, for when we do, we are also degrading God's body in our eyes. In short, we should avoid saying anything that can create disrespect towards God, our body, or our fellow man.

"You said what? To whom? That's Disgusting!"

Ideas to Follow This Commandment

I wouldn't recommend starting a swear jar. That leads to an awkward moment when you're able to pay off debt because of the money you saved swearing like a sailor.

Give Ourselves time to think before reacting
Sometimes swearing comes in when we react to something, like a stubbed toe. If the time comes when we find ourselves on the verge of dropping bombs, we need to clamp our mouths shut. If we can give ourselves at least five seconds to think about what we're going to say, we'll be able to correct our language before it escapes our mouths.

Think about what we're actually saying
I think a lot of the time, we use swears "just for emphasis" without actually considering what we're saying. If we think about our language, we may realize that we've been saying some creepy, gross stuff. That horrible realization alone could straighten up our talk.

The Ten Commandments: Any Graven Image

"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image..." Exodus 20:4

Imagine this plated in gold. Would you worship it?

Immediately after explaining Israel's obligation to worship Him, God decreed that they should avoid idolatry at all costs. Even as He declared the commandment, He knew that the future history of Israel would be stained by the evils caused by idolatry. Kings would fall, rebellions would arise, abominations would cover the land, and in the end the kingdom of Israel would collapse because of it. He knew and solemnly warned the people that Idolatry would bring destruction to their descendants who continued to practice it. His warnings were solemn and final.

However, it didn't take long for Israel to falter. Moses, who was God's representative, left them alone for forty days. By the time he had returned to their camp, they had already invented a golden calf to worship. Moses was furious. He invented the expression to "break the commandments" by smashing the tablets God had given him against the ground. He then proceeded to destroy the idol in the most extravagant method possible. "And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it." Exodus 32:20

Does This Commandment Even Apply Anymore?

How it applies depends on the culture. Some faiths involve special shrines or images that they worship. They could represent God or an ancestor. However, even in cultures without this form of worship, idolatry is still one of the most common practices around. The problem hasn't changed, but its form sure has. Idolatry has gone digital!

It only takes a single search on Google Images to see that Idolatry is alive and well. Celebrities have ascended far beyond healthy fame to become world-wide obsessions, fictional characters have become more influential than many real life people, and the name of Jesus Christ has become hidden behind heroes who imitate His feats without any sort of saving power. Idolatry used to be limited to certain religions, but in this digital age, idolatry is everywhere and almost nobody is exempt. Today, the challenge isn't avoiding Idolatry, it's getting out of it!

So yes, this commandment still applies; it's one of the most overlooked and yet, one of the hardest to live.

What Is Modern Idolatry?

This is how I would explain Idolatry. God has his own personal throne in all of our hearts where He helps manage our lives (not a literal throne, don't be so silly). Everything's fine until something or someone boots God out of His seat. God is our Heavenly Father, so when a idol replaces Him, that becomes our father! Many of the bizarre and disturbing problems in this world (people who think they're dogs or cats, for example) come from idolatry changing their perspective of who they are. If you want a powerful example of this, consider pornography. This poisonous cocktail of lust and idolatry will stain every aspect of life with darkness. People have already observed that most of the crime in the world begins from normal people viewing pornography. Gambling and hoarding also come to my mind as prime examples of how frustrating and addictive idolatry is.

The key to all of this is that throne in our hearts (the metaphorical one).Who is sitting there? If God is already sitting there, we need to keep Him there. If He's not though, we need find out what is on His throne and boot it off! But how do we do that? How can we possibly overcome ingrained idolatry? The solution might actually be simpler that we think.

Whenever any form of image or sensory enters our brain, our brain initially believes it, and then labels it as either real or fictional. Thus, even if we know something isn't real, it still has an effect on us. We can literally change who we are by changing what we view. Changes as simple as viewing more images of God and reading the scriptures more often can slide Him back onto His throne and restore our perspective. We can break free from the sorrows of idolatry and enjoy the company of "The True and Living God, Jesus Christ"

Ideas To Live This Commandment

Don't let Idolatry distract us from what matters most in life.

Watch out for Repetition
Usually when something becomes an idol to us, we end up viewing or using it over and over. Let's take Facebook for an example. Ever had those days where you checked your Facebook over four times in a half hour? Nothing is different, but you just have to check! The best way to escape the idolatry loop is to step back and take a break. Do something you haven't done in a while, like reading a book or visiting with your family.

Participate in more Spiritual Activities
We can place God back on His throne by spending more time with Spiritual Activities. This is how I look at it, the more time we give God, the happier we'll be during our remaining time. Activities like fervent prayer, scripture study, and church attendance bring us closer to God and place Him back on His Throne in our hearts. We will have a happier thought process and receive the constant blessings of loving God more than Idols. We will see ourselves as Children of God with divine potential rather than as servants to vain fantasies.

Consider all of the Consequences
If we're struggling with Idolatry, we can increase our desire to escape it by considering the consequences that come from it. Am I willing to create tension in my family, just to play this violent game? Am I willing to sacrifice the peace in my family, just to do meth? Usually when we consider the consequences, we discover that Idols cost far much more than they're worth. This method can help us keep our lives from being thrown out of balance by Idolatry.