If it can be, how can the "Absence of Evidence" be "Evidence of Absence?".

According to one source (KJV), Jehovah is supposed to have said:

quote:

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Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

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Perhaps this is an acknowledgement that there are other gods besides Him, and all that matters is that His chosen people remain clear about the pecking order for those other gods relative to This One.Perhaps Jews, Christians and Muslims should likewise acknowledge the existence of Zeus, Thor, Shiva, Ra and all the rest, making sure to attribute some lesser status to them all.I don't know how this ought to play out in terms of day-to-day religious practice. Presumably, since Jehovah cites His Own jealousy explicitly, less acknowledgement of other gods is better, but I don't see any basis for one who believes in Jehovah to deny the existence of those others.Edited by Otto Tellick, : fixed phrasing in last paragraph

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autotelic adj. (of an entity or event) having within itself the purpose of its existence or happening.

Any specific references or citations you can point to on that? Did He really provide "evidence of absence" for these other gods, or did He just assert His own superiority over them? (If the latter, that sounds to me like a pretty positive admission of their existence.)And how about all the gods that are never mentioned by name in the Bible? Jehovah never said anything about besting the Norse gods, so perhaps it should be assumed possible that they may exist, and if so, the first commandment simply makes sure that they must take their place in line somewhere other than the front.

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autotelic adj. (of an entity or event) having within itself the purpose of its existence or happening.