The first of the Ten Commandments seems simple and straightforward enough. “I am the Lord your God, you shall not have other gods before me.”

In the cultural context that this commandment was given we probably realize that having “other gods” could easily take the form of any number of the other “deities” that people worshipped in the territories that the ancient Hebrews found themselves. Many of these are referred to specifically by name in the Old Testament — the god Baal for example (see Elijah’s confrontation with the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18).

Often as well, breaking this commandment could take the form of being a part of one of the many polytheistic religions which were prevalent at the time. God’s commandment was meant to keep the Hebrews from practicing idolatry through the worship of any of these false gods and instead to keep their devotion centered on Him alone.

While the context can seem quite different for us today, this commandment is as relevant as ever for us.
Certainly, our modern world offers us many opportunities to fall into “idolatry” — and we are probably well aware of some of the usual suspects: wealth, material possessions, power, prestige, etc.

Really the heart of this commandment is about keeping God first in our lives — even among many other good and important things.

Looking at it one way, it could be said that every sin we commit is in some form or fashion a breaking of the First Commandment. That is simply because every choice to sin is to ultimately put preeminence on someone or something other than God.

Perhaps I choose to listen to my own desires instead of what God has said. Perhaps I choose to listen to the voice of someone other than God. In any case, every sin in some way communicates that God or what God has said should be set aside.

Nevertheless, while we can make that connection between the First Commandment and sin in general, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church points out, there are several particular transgressions that have a more direct connection to this commandment (2083-2132).

Among those mentioned by the Catechism are the many different forms of doubt. As with all sin though, there is a choice involved. Therefore, it is speaking of the kind of doubt that is consented to or fostered.

This is different than simply struggling with our faith from time to time or wrestling with some aspect of Church teaching. These kinds of doubt are not really what the Catechism is getting at in terms of breaking the First Commandment.

Most of us, if not all of us, will have some struggle with the faith somewhere along the way. It might be something minor, or it might persist for a long time. Such struggles are normal and may actually be an opportunity for growth in faith.

Sometimes uncertainties can cause us to search for the answers, and that search can bear great fruit in our spiritual lives. Sometimes little doubts can help a person eventually develop an unshakeable faith. But that assumes that one seeks persistently to find the answers, and doesn’t simply grow comfortable or content with the doubt.

When the Catechism speaks of doubt, it’s really getting at what can happen when someone does begin to reject belief — either in God, or His revelation, whether that be in the form of Sacred Scripture, tradition or Church teaching. This kind of doubt is a much more serious thing.

There are numerous forms it can take — from atheism to divination to heresy to any number of other things. Because there are so many examples, and because the First Commandment is so central to the rest of the moral life and the moral teachings of the Church, I will be dedicating several future columns to exploring some of the more common ways the First Commandment can be broken.