The Law specified that a grove of trees was not to be near the altar of the Lord ( Deuteronomy 16:21 ). No one who erected it or who unveiled it had any idea what they were doing just as with the harbingers but they did it anyway. But she is believed to be an ancient demon. He cites the fact that major world events have happened on April 19, including the Waco Massacre of 1993 and the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. Actually, there were two gods which were essentially worshiped the same way, Baal and Ashtoreth. (emphasis added)5. God judged Israel by sending Babylon and Assyria against Israel and Judah. Along with trading goods throughout the ancient world, Phoenicia also spread its culture. Ashtoreth was the fertility goddess consort of Molech. Gay Christian 101 - Affirming God's glorious good news for all LGBTs. ), a major goddess of the Western Semites (Amorites-Canaanites, Arameans) worshiped over a wide area of the Near East (in Meso, Baal People are experiencing something. Topical Bible: Ashtoreth What Can Christians Learn From John Donne? There is almost no essential difference between the ancients and us. The priests and male prostitutes, who were consecrated to her cult were called qadesh, qedishim or sodomites. His mother had been a prostitute prior to her marriage as a secondary wife to Gilead, just as Rahab had once been a prostitute but later married Salmon. She's most famously the mother of Baal, another god who shows up throughout the Old Testament when the Israelites stray after other idols. Pagan Practices and the Holiness Code - Gay Christian 101 : A corporate logo is not a religious icon! One of the centers of Baal worship in ancient times was Palmyra, Syria. Though we ought to be afraid of and to decline all sin; yet as God hath revealed his wrath against any particular sin more than other, so every good Christian is obliged more to detest and abhor that sin. First, many people are named after fruit, e.g.,Tamarin Genesis 38:6, which means date, Tappuah in 1 Chronicles 2:43, which means apple, and [], I have to concur with Jeffrey in that I found the conclusions in this article lacking in support. History repeats itself. Many churches today take a soft stance on sin, particularly sexual sin. Astarte | ancient deity | Britannica Your email address will not be published. Easter, Ishtar, Ashtarte, and other Evil Traditions - BibleTruth.cc The early view of harlotry among Gods servants is illustrated in the case of Judah the great-grandson of Abraham. Astarte goddess - Meaning, Symbols and Worship - The Mystica Baal and Asherah - HoldToHope When Judahs friend returned to redeem the pledge, he asked in a nearby village where he could find the qedeshah (a Hebrew word most Bibles translate as cult prostitute). Whenever you read of Israels idolatry, consider where idolatry is in your own life. From Egypt there is the Astarte papyrus (19th dynasty, in Pritchard, Texts, 1718), an Egyptian recounting of the Canaanite myth of the revolt of the sea, in which Astarte is given as bride to the sea god Yamm, who is ultimately defeated. She symbolized reproductive power and fertility. Read more: This supposition is corroborated by the figure of the Aramaic goddess Atargatis, whose name results from a conflation of the names Astarte and Anath. So STAR + BUCKS equals Ashtoreth worship. BAAL . Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. Temple prostitution was used to bring honor to her. Sign up to receive our email newsletter and never miss an update. Brother Gary. A false goddess in the Old Testament, Ashtoreth was one of the many gods Israel turned to instead of YAHWEH. Zonah has only one meaning in earlier biblical Hebrew, which is prostitute. Later, it came to be used informally and loosely for promiscuity or harlotry. Its all nothing more than a head job to keep poor disenfranchised women under control. Worship to her included sexual immorality, prostitution, divination, and fortune telling. Given this cultural, historical and religious context, it becomes clear that God did not intend to forbid a loving, committed gay relationship or gay marriage between two men or two women. (De 22:20, 21) The payment that was obtained as the hire of a harlot was a disgusting thing and was unacceptable as a contribution to the sanctuary of Jehovah. As witnessed by numerous personal names, Astarte was already popular in the Late Bronze Age. 7:3, "strange gods and Ashtaroth"; Judg. She was by some ancient writers identified with the moon… It is certain that the worship of Astarte became identified with that of Venus, and that this worship was connected with the most impure rites is apparent from the close connection of this goddess with ASHERAH. Encyclopedia.com. Other names for Ashtaroth include Astaroth, Astarot and Asteroth. Ashtoreth was a fertility goddess, so there were sexual rituals involved in worshipping her. - Amos 5:25-26 and Acts 7:42-43. In ancient Israel, however, sacred prostitution was simply a synonym for harlotry. And then the moment came: to the sound of the Middle Eastern instruments, and to the applause of those gathered, the giant sheet was pulled off of the object to reveal the ancient arch looking very much the same as it would have to Baals ancient worshipers in Palmyra only now it stood in a new land America. Christianity.com is a member of the Salem Web Network of sites including: Copyright 2023, Christianity.com. The word simply means "harlot" without religious connotations. Asherah (or Ashtoreth), the Canaanite fertility goddess, was the mother of Baalthe supreme Canaanite god of fertility, sun, and storm. But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves." Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable. The inclusion of this prohibition against Molech worship here may be due to some sexual connection of this kind, or perhaps simply to the lexical link between (zera) meaning seed, semen in v. 20 but offspring in v. Of course the only true resurrection is of and through Jesus Christ, commemorated in the sacrament of the Lords Supper/ holy communion. Melech, Mo-lech, Milcom, Melkom, Moloch, Molek, Malec, Malik, Melek, Malkum, Melqart, Melkart, Milk, Melqarth, Kronos, Cronus. Lets be realistic. Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. COPYRIGHT 2023 BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY SOCIETY 5614 Connecticut Ave NW #343, Washington DC 20015-2604. This is also the symbol for the red spiral crown of lower Egypt. She was connected with both the moon and the planet Venus. That same sex religious activity is what God prohibited Israelite men to practice in Lev 18:22 and 20:13. Molech worship included sexual worship of Ashtoreth, his consort. Global cultural revolution, corporate style. In ancient times much of Israel was drawn into Baal worship. The NET Bible, not considered gay friendly by anyone, takes a strong anti-gay position on Leviticus. Dont stop now. This divinity is especially marked as a goddess of the "Sidonians" or Phenicians ( I Kings xi, 5, 33 ; II Kings xxiii, 13 ). She gives life to 70 other gods in the Canaanite pantheon. I had to wonder, as baal is sometimes represented as a bull, if there wasnt a connection. The whole area before the statue was filled with a loud noise of flutes and drums so that the cries of wailing [of the children being sacrificed] should not reach the ears of the people.. Worship of Asherah was highly encouraged by Jezebel, with the presence of 400 prophets who held a place in the court of her husband King Ahab (1 Kings 18:19 . 6 Reasons why you should not worship Astaroth - Demon or Godess? The so-called Astarte Plaques, clay figurines of a mother goddess generally associated with the fertility cults, may be another representation of the goddess. Anal sex between male and male worshipers and male and female worshipers was viewed as an offering to the goddess. Many biblical scholars have connected Ashtoreth with the worship of the moon mentioned in 2 Kings 23:5 and with the Queen of Heaven mentioned in Jeremiah 7:18. . There has long been debate whether these sacred prostitutes were Jews or gentiles. Here is where we first learn that Ashtoreth was specifically related to the Phoenician city of Sidon. up to every high hill and under every green tree to give herself like a Roderick you have puked some junk from deep inside that reveals a mighty sick soul. Not only because she is a . The Phoenicians were a loosely gathered group of people who inhabited Canaan (modern-day Lebanon, Syria, and Israel) between 1550 BC and 300 BC. Ashteroth lives at Starbucks? | Comfort for Christians An ancient altar of Baal The wicked and sickos here are YOU, not the poor women of your twisted stories. Baal worship is alive and well in America and the world though they do not call it that today. (In the Baal cycle from Ugarit, Astarte appears as the ally of Baal in his defeat of Yamm.) Think how successful this one company has been over the past few decades in promoting international cultural change. the unsuspecting Judah mistook his daughter-in-law Tamar for a veiled prostitute, Lost Roman Army Camps Discovered in Jordan, http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200001883, http://wol.jw.org/sv/wol/dsync/r14/lp-z/r1/lp-e/1200003566#h=0-1&selpar=0, http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200002413, http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200000531, Lavish New Kingdom Tomb Uncovered at Saqqara. (Jg 11:11) Moreover, he offered a sacrifice to God at the tabernacle. Since there in no documentation to indicate population distribution, there is also no way to know if he thought she was a Caananite or otherwise. Like never before in history, this is happening today. On discovering the full facts, Judah did not excuse himself for his act with a supposed harlot, but he said regarding Tamar: She is more righteous than I am, for the reason that I did not give her to Shelah my son. He excused Tamar for thus acting to have offspring from Judah after Judah had failed to give her to his son Shelah in order that brother-in-law marriage might be performed toward her.Ge 38:6-26. If you should want, I will personally mediate a conversation between your family for a reasonably low cost. The more you educate yourself about whats come before, the more youll recognize the connections. After reading that the demon Baal was the one possessing the child in Mark 9, I tried to find a reference where Jesus said only prayer and fasting could get rid of this demon. Encyclopedia.com. Encyclopaedia Judaica. Objection 3: Having a logo on your cup does not mean you are giving honor to Ashtoreth, Conclusion - A comment from Matthew Poole, http://www.gaychristian101.com/Molech.html, Starbucks: The Unofficial Office for Social Change, A morning in Waterbury, CT waiting for the train, The Son of God Goes Forth to War - Reginald Heber. He is a male figure named after the Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar.2. Easton's Bible Dictionary says she represented "the passive principle in nature." She was also seen as a goddess of fertility, sexual love, and war. ), M.A. The name Baal (bl) is a common Semitic appellative meaning "lord" that is used as a proper name for the West Semitic storm god in ancien, Yahweh It is eerily following the judgment template of the harbingers and the footsteps of ancient Israel as it headed to destruction. This was viewed as an offering to the fertility goddess. The religious Canaanites worshiped a fertility goddess named Ashtoreth. But if Baal, then follow him and go to hell! You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. Many modern Hebrew scholars believe that Ashtoreths name shows Gods contempt for Israels dalliances with false gods, as the Bible is the only place that refers to this goddess Ashtoreth. Asherah poles were also known in Scripture as the "high places." This is likely due to the connection of worship upon hilltops and mountains. Dig into the illuminating world of the Bible with a BAS All-Access membership. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. This plate was on the ground near the arch. Both Ashtoreth and Astaroth are associated with sexual practices condemned by the one true God. Not every person or thing that is set apart is set apart for a sacred purpose. And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore. Ashtoreth - Christian Classics Ethereal Library Having one gives people a feeling of safety, comfort and hope. Some 1450 years after Leviticus, the Apostle Paul references pagan worship in Romans 1:26-27, when he blasts the same kind of fertility goddess worship in first century Rome. His wife Jezebel was a Phoenician princess. She was connected with both the moon and the planet Venus. II Kings 23:7 definitely mentions the practice of male cult prostitution (qedesh) connected to the worship of Asherah being carried out in the temple itself! prostitute to other gods." April 19 is the first of a 13-day period of time known as The Blood Sacrifice to the Beast and the Feast of Moloch, an ancient Canaanite god. In Ashtoreth's worship services, male worshipers had anal sex with priests and priestesses of the goddess. Prostitute. The question as to the origin of the Worship of Ba'al among the Hebrews can only be settled by tracing it among the Semites in general and especially among the Babylonians. Worship of Asherah was noted for its sensuality and involved ritual prostitution. It seems doubtful that he participated in any other sacred rites, as she wasnt actually a shrine prostitute, though he may have as she may have been a part of a series of observances (remember that the Bible, while authoratitive is not exhaustive), this may have been enough of an observance in that the prostitute would be a collection point for offerings. To translate, the logo is being promoted at the executive level as a force for cultural change. What evidence is there that the type of prostitute that Judah had (wrongly) assumed wasnt in reference to a sacred or shrine prostitute as the NIV puts it? (1 Corinthians 10:20), William Smith. So her family is ok because he was the one who had to leave family . (1 Kings 4:29-31). The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. Retrieved April 27, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/ashtoreth. As the goddess of reproduction, her name became a common noun meaning "increase [of the flock]" in Deuteronomy 7:13; 28:4, 18, 51. He said Baal worship goes back to Babylon and Nimrod in the Bible.
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