Is Your God Better Than Another?

It depends. For, contrary to the politically correct vision of religions, not all faiths and deities are equal. Take, for example, the sixth Biblical commandment: "You shall not murder"(Exodus 20: 13) . I believe that this central pillar of the Judeo-Christian heritage reflects the essential fact that the Biblical God is superior to many other deities. What is the evidence for this sort of claim? Well, think for instance of the terrible rituals of human sacrifices that were part and parcel of the religious traditions in the ancient Near East. The Aztecs in America also practiced sacrificial killings. They believed that the Sun God Huitzilopochtli needed human blood to keep the sun from dying. Many might point out, of course, that the Bible Itself is filled with violence and gory stories. The Book of Judges relates that Jephthah made a vow of a burnt offering to the Lord that led to the unforseen and tragic sacrifice of his only daughter. Genesis also includes the story in which Abraham comes close to sacrifice to God his only son, Isaac. However, the Bible does not really contradict Itself. Deuteronomy 12: 31, for example, clearly condemns child sacrifice. "The Lord hates… Worshipping other gods…They do all kinds of Detestable things…They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods." The Bible is often filled with violent stories and wars that mirror historical conditions and events in the ancient Middle East. However, the fundamental message of the book concerns the solution to end the bloodshed, the misery and the human suffering described in it by following a way of life prescribed in the commandments.