THOU SHALT HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME.

In his book, Your God is Too Small, J. B. Phillips describes some of the common gods that people manufacture. One is the grand old man god, the grandfatherly, white-haired, indulgent god who smiles down on men and winks at their adultery, stealing, cheating, and lying.

Then there is the resident policeman god, whose primary job is to make life difficult and unenjoyable, and the god in a box, the private and exclusive sectarian god.

The managing director god is the god of the deists, the god who designed and created the universe, started it spinning, and now stands by far away watching it run down.

God is not pleased with belief in any of these idolatrous substitutes.