Read the Catechism in a Year
Day 253 - What are "Strange Gods"?
The First Commandment: I am the Lord, your God. You shall not have strange Gods before me.
Can people be forced to believe in God?
No. No one may force others to believe, not even one’s own children, just as no one may be forced to be an unbeliever. A person can make the decision to believe only in complete freedom. Christians, however, are called to help other people, by word and example, to find the way to faith.
Pope John Paul II said, “Proclaiming Christ and bearing witness to him, when done in a way that respects consciences, does not violate freedom. Faith demands a free adherence on the part of man, but at the same time faith must also be offered to him” (Encyclical Redemptoris missio, 1990, no. 8).
“You shall not have strange Gods before me.” What does that mean?
• to adore other gods and pagan deities or to worship an earthly idol or to devote oneself entirely to some earthly good (money, influence, success, beauty, youth, and so on)
• to be superstitious, which means to adhere to esoteric, magic, or occult or New Age practices or to get involved with fortune telling or spiritualism, instead of believing in God’s power, providence, and blessings
• to provoke God by word or deed
• to commit a sacrilege
• to acquire spiritual power through corruption and to desecrate what is holy through trafficking (simony). (YOUCAT questions 354-355)
Dig Deeper: Corresponding CCC section (2104-2114) and other references here.
No comments:
Post a Comment