It's October and I don't go looking for the occult or demonic, it's just there, and lucky you - I'm going to share it with you. Today's diatribe on paganist beliefs that can lead you straight into the bowels of hell is brought to you by Asherah. When you want your sex and religion on the same plate, Asherah is the pagan fertility goddess for you.
Asherah, or Ashtoreth, was the name of the
chief female deity worshiped in ancient Syria, Phoenicia, and Canaan.
The Phoenicians called her Astarte, the Assyrians worshiped her as
Ishtar, and the Philistines had a temple of Asherah. Asherah was a fertility goddess, and considered a high deity by the Canaanites on the level of their god Baal. God wasn't crazy about Asherah worship and warned Israel about it several times, commanding them to tear down the symbols of Asherah worship, the Asherah pole, also known as Asherim or Asherah Groves.
But thus you shall do to them: you shall tear down their altars, and smash their sacred pillars, and hew down their Asherim, and burn their graven images with fire. (Deuteronomy 7:5)
You shall tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and burn their Asherim with fire, and you shall cut down the engraved images of their gods and obliterate their name from that place. (Deuteronomy 12:3)
You shall not plant for yourself an Asherah of any kind of tree beside the altar of the LORD your God, which you shall make for yourself. (Deuteronomy 16:21)
The sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth. (Judges 3:7)
God had a reason for detesting the worship of Asherah, the rites used to worship Asherah were sexual and involved prostitution of both sexes. It appears these rites took place on hilltops beneath the Asherah poles or trees.
17 None of the daughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, nor shall any of the sons of Israel be a cult prostitute. 18 You shall not bring the hire of a harlot or the wages of a dog into the house of the LORD your God for any votive offering, for both of these are an abomination to the LORD your God. (Deuteronomy 23:17-18)
22 Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked Him to jealousy more than all that their fathers had done, with the sins which they committed. 23 For they also built for themselves high places and sacred pillars and Asherim on every high hill and beneath every luxuriant tree. 24 There were also male cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord dispossessed before the sons of Israel. (1 Kings 14:22-24)
As I mentioned, God doesn't like the worship of Asherah, and He is pretty adamant about it. In the Bible you know something is important if it is repeated, when Jesus said "Truly, truly I say to you" or "Amen, amen I say to you" depending on the bible version (John 12:24) He means 'This is the TRUTH - listen up.' and again when the angels sing that God is "Holy Holy Holy" (Isaiah 6:3) there should be no question in your mind that God is in fact Holy. So when you see that shrine prostitution worshiping Asherah is mentioned about 40 times in the Old Testament, and every single time it's in a very negative context, you know God is not happy with that idea.
From the orgies with temple prostitutes on the high places under the trees surrounding Jerusalem, in ancient times, to the sex magick promoted by modern day occultists like Aleister Crowley (known through the UK as the most evil man in history), Anton LaVey (High priest and founder of the Church of Satan) and Gerald Gardner (the inventor of Wicca), the idea of sexual activity being an important part of occult has permeated every culture since man began to congregate. In the East you have “tantric” practices in Hindu and Buddhism. Throughout Europe, you have pagan sex rituals. And in the Holy Land we've covered the Bible's warning about the temple prostitutes which permeated the land throughout history–through Babylon, Rome, and Greece. Pagan idolatry always involves sex.
So knowing that God's warning against worshiping Asherah is repeated over and over and over you would think that mankind would get the idea that worshiping Asherah is a bad idea. And if you thought that you would be wrong. If there's one thing that the Old Testament teaches us above and beyond all other lessons is that fact that People Just Don't Learn. Seriously. The one man that God blessed with power and money and family and wisdom; Solomon, guess what he did? Go on, guess.
1 King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter - Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. 2 They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. 3 He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. 4 As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. 5 He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. 6 So Solomon did evil in the eyes of theLord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done. (1 Kings 11:1-6)
How many times did God have to smack down Israel for the same thing? It always came back to worshiping false, pagan gods and Asherah was always in the top two, because you can go out and have a grand old time with a prostitute and still tell folks you were at church. God eventually had to send in the Babylonians to clean them out. Modern man is easily just as stubborn.
There are some people out there that believe that Christmas trees are modern day Asherah poles but their argument is weak. You have a better chance of making an argument that Christmas trees are neo-pagan earth worship rather than Asherah poles. Ron Garret at Ron Big Black Garrett blog makes a strong case for stripper poles being Asherah poles, and I have to agree with him. Satan doesn't have to think up new tricks when the old ones work just fine.
And Satan's even stopped trying to hide the Asherah poles as something else, now Asherah poles are in vogue on the left coast. Bars are being decorated with Asherah poles, the fad started at a fashion show where a designer used religious icons to decorate the stage and according to the article people raved about the asherah poles so much that club owners started putting them in bars. It saddens me that these people are so blinded by their ignorance that they are publicly, cluelessly worshiping Satan merely because it's hip and cool to do so.
“It represents natural religion, I guess,” says Sasha, 23, who dropped a dollar into an asherah bowl before ordering a blue-colored beverage at the bustling Octopus Bar. “It makes me feel connected to the earth and to spiritual energy. Maybe it will help me be lucky.”
And to top it all off - our Mormon friends have a special name for Asherah: Mrs. God. I'm too broken hearted to comment.
Lord in heaven, my Father and creator of all things great and small, if it is in your will please have mercy on your sick, sad, sin filled creatures. Please help those of us who know You and worship You and praise You to bring Your word to our fellow sinners. Please help us glorify You by allowing us to lead them to Your son Jesus Christ where the Holy Spirit can continue Your plan of divine salvation. In Christ Jesus name we beg of you.
Mormons certainly do not equate Asherah with anything other than what she was, a pagan idol. You have misunderstood the Mormon belief, supported by the scriptures, that if our spirits are the literal offspring of God, and he is our heavenly father, logically therefore, we have a heavenly mother. And the same familial stucture which exists in heaven was instituted by God on earth when he created Adam and Eve, the first mortal parents.
ReplyDeleteThe article you referenced says nothing even close to your incorrect assertion that Mormons somehow believe a false pagan goddess was/is our heavenly mother.
You clearly did not read the linked article. Go back and see where it says that Francesca Stavrakopoulou, a Mormon writer claims that Asherah is God's "wife"
DeleteIf you don't take her word for it, How about leading Mormon apologist C. Daniel Peterson who wrote a very scholarly article on God's darling wife Asherah
https://ojs.lib.byu.edu/spc/index.php/JBMRS/article/view/19903/18468
Yahweh needs no Asherah.
He says to none, “You complete me.”
He needs no partner.
He needs no permission.
He needs no counsel.
He needs no counterpart.
He needs no complement.
He creates, not by sexual union or cooperation, but by the effortless, self-sufficient, raw power of his word. “I am the LORD, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself.” (Isaiah 44:24)
He says, “Let there be” (Genesis 1), and there is.
“He upholds the universe by the word of his power.” (Hebrews 1:3O)
He creates, not by conflict with supernatural forces, but with uncontested authority, “hovering over the face of the waters.” (Genesis 1:2) — ready to act and completely sovereign.
Before him kings become as wild animals, and grind their teeth, and concede, “none can stay his hand.” (Daniel 4:35)
“My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.” (Isaiah 46:10)
Cut down your Asherah poles. Burn them in the fire of repentance.
The Lord God does not need a wife.
As I said, nowhere in the article does Stavrakopoulou claim that Mormons believe a pagan idol is our heavenly mother. All she says is that a statue of Asherah was found in the temple, and that it was believed that she was considered the wife of El.
DeleteThe other article you referenced also does not say that Mormons believe in pagan idols. It says Nephi saw a vision of a tree and that the tree represented the love of God. The article then makes the ridiculous and unsupported claim that the tree represents Asherah just because Nephi also saw a vision of Mary, even while quoting the exact scripture that says the tree represents the love of God.
You can't just say, "This is what the scripture clearly says, but disregard what it says while I make an illogical and irrational conclusion just because Mary is also mentioned in the vision."
And again, same as the first article, nowhere does it say that Mormons believe Asherah is our heavenly mother.
And even if either of the authors did say that Mormons believe in pagan idols, neither is a Church authority and have no authority to declare Church doctrine.
His article clearly says that El is the God of Israel - and being a Mormon apologist he is explaining Mormon doctrine.
DeleteAdditionally the Bible clearly and abundantly states that God alone created the heavens and the earth. To invent a co-goddess out of sheer supposition and deny God his rightful glory by claiming that this imaginary goddess assisted in His sole act of creation is Blasphemy of the highest order.
Being a Mormon apologist does not make him an authority on LDS doctrine. He is WAY out there in left base. The LDS people worship the God of Israel, not a imaginary goddess.
DeleteNo Diana, they don't worship the God if Israel, they worship something else. The God of Israel is an immortal spirit who created all things (Genesis 1:1) He is all powerful, all Majesty, outside of time (2 Peter 3:8) The god that the LDS worships is just some guy, not God and not a god, just a person. Joseph Smith said it out loud in 1844
DeleteI am going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea, and take away the veil, so that you may see. … It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the character of God and to know...that he was once a man like us.... (“King Follett Discourse,” Journal of Discourses 6:3-4 and Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 345-346, and History of the Church, vol. 6, 305-307)
Mormon prophets have continuously taught the sublime truth that God the Eternal Father was once a mortal man who passed through a school of earth life similar that through which we are now passing (The Gospel Through the Ages, 1945, p 104).
Mormon doctrine clearly states that mormons are "eternal, uncreated spirits who became the literal offspring of our Heavenly Father and Mother" If you insist on claiming that the mormons worship the God of Israel then to stay true to that claim, the only female goddess mentioned in the scripture of Israel is Ashera - who was more spawn of hell than goddess.
And one last point - being a Mormon apologist actually does make him an authority on LDS doctrine, that's what an apologist is, that's what the word means. You really need to study the LDS doctrine, it's all there in black and white in multiple books.
And as you do study that doctrine please keep in mind Proverbs 30:5-6 and Revelation 22:18-19
Diana,
DeleteDoug is 100% on target with the god of Mormonism. Mormonism's god lives on a planet out near the star Kolob, and he was once a man who earned his way to godhood. The God of the Bible has always been God, and created man! And He is a spirit, never a man.
Okay, I've read the articles. First, I must have missed where it says Francesca Stavrakopoulou is a Mormon writer. She claims to be an atheist. And there was really nothing in that article to suggest that Mormons had anything to do with Asherah.
ReplyDeleteThe Mormon "apologist" had a whole lot of drivel by so-called scholars which had Israel worshiping a whole different God than the one of the Bible, and had more speculations about who Asherah was, but no facts -- only assumptions and assertions (sort of like the writers supporting evolutionism). Peterson only speculates as to what the BOM meant, and declares that his research proves that the BOM is a true ancient Semitic text. But he really doesn't claim Asherah IS God's wife.
First, the BOM has been proven too many times to be just a story made up by false prophet Smith, with close to half of it being nothing more than plagiarized KJV. Second, even if Peterson declared the Asherah was God's wife, he has no authoritative standing to do so for the LDS.
The LDS doctrine does NOT have Asherah being the wife of God. They do say God is married (with multiple wives, actually), but not to Asherah. I have to agree with D. Porter here.
I'd recommend the removal of your last sentence prior to the prayer.
Look at her Twitter account she claims atheism and yet sends blessing from guess who?? goddes Asherah... ugh.....
DeleteI watched her documentary and got such a weird vibe from her. Researched her and I truly think she has more in her history and believe her view point is highly antisemetic. But I’m no scholar... just a person after the truth and I see no truth In her.
Agree don't that Mormons do not equate Ashtar to being the wife of Heavenly Father. Ashtar having beginnings in paganism, we identify with monotheists who know there is one creator of all in the universe. The fringe idea that there must be a mother in heaven, is more of a follow-on to a truth that rings true to us: that if we existed before his life we must have had parents before as we do now. Which makes sense to us that there could be a benevolent loving partner of God.
ReplyDeleteNo, despite what you get told by antagonists to Mormonism we believe in core Christian tenants that God is our Father, Jesus is his son born of the Virgin Mary and that only by Jesus' grace are we saved despite any effort man may make
Foolhearty to take the above as authoritative reference to what Mormons believe, instead, ask a Mormon
I generally ask their opinion on Proverbs 30:5-6
DeleteThey never come back
Phil,
DeleteMormons are NOT monotheists because they have multiple gods, and will have multiple gods in exaltation.
Having a mother in heaven is NOT a fringe idea, it is the logical result of a "Father" in heaven who sires spirit children.
No, Mormons do NOT believe in the core tenants of REAL Christianity. You use the same words but with different meanings. I not only have dozens of official LDS material in my library, I am also an ex-Mormon. So you can't buffalo me with your Mormon deceptions.
Your god is an exalted man who earned his way to godhood, while the God of the Bible is the ONLY God and has always been God and is a Spirit. Your Jesus was born by sexual intercourse between your god and Mary ("she's a virgin to mortal man" is how they get her being a virgin). Your Jesus cannot atone for all sins as does the Biblical Jesus. And you cannot be saved by a false Jesus. And your god literally sires spiritual babies who have to come to earth to do good works to earn their own way to godhood -- none of which is found in the Bible.
I could spent lots of times demonstrating the false gospel of the LDS, and the false prophecies which were made by your false prophets, but I've done all that on my blog:
http://watchmanvlds.blogspot.com
God wasnt alone in creating humans go back the begenning of the bible where it says let US create them in Our image
ReplyDeleteThat's because God is a Trinity: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
DeleteYou are absolutely right, and the bible makes that very clear. John 1:1-3 says
DeleteIn the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing came to be.
Who or what is The Word? That mystery is cleared up in the same chapter. John 1:14 states:
And the Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us,
and we saw his glory,
the glory as of the Father’s only Son,
full of grace and truth.
Jesus is The Word, and being The Word, Jesus made all things for God.
The ridiculous concept of the trinity was fabricated at the Council of Nicaea by evil men to obfuscate the plain and simple truths of the scriptures.
ReplyDeleteThe Bible is clear that there is a Heavenly Father, who sent his Son to atone for our sins, and the Holy Spirit who testifies of them. They are obviously three separate and distinct beings.
If not, then at Jesus' baptism who spoke from heaven saying that he was well pleased with his son, and who descended in the form of dove? Obviously Jesus was in the water, the Father spoke from heaven, and the Spirit was manifest in the form of a dove. Three separate beings.
And to whom was Jesus referring when he said his father sent him? He sent himself?
And to whom was Jesus speaking while on the cross when he asked why his father had forsaken him? He forsook himself?
And to whom did Jesus commend his spirit? Himself?
And to whom was Jesus referring when he told Mary that he hadn't yet ascended to his father?
And to whom was Jesus referring when he told the apostles that after he was gone the Spirit would testify of Him?
There are many more examples, but it is clear that Heavenly Father, Jesus, and the Spirit are three individuals who are one on purpose.
Just like the scriptures tell us that husband and wife are to become one. Does that mean that a man and woman are to literally fuse into one person? Of course not. It's easily understood that they are to become one in purpose and love, just like the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
It's very simple, and the idiotic nonsense of the trinity is just one of Satan's many attempts to defile basic truths and lead people away from Christ.
Thank you so much for your input on the "ridiculous concept of the trinity was fabricated at the Council of Nicaea by evil men to obfuscate the plain and simple truths of the scriptures"
DeleteUnfortunately for you, this blog discusses the true and theologically sound doctrine of the trinity (and not the ridiculous concept of the trinity you espoused). The Trinity was not invented, debated, or discussed at the Nicean council, the Trinity was a theological doctrine that had been well established over a century before Nicea by scholars including Polycarp, Ignatius, and Justin Martyr.
The problem with the doctrine of the trinity is that less than educated people like Joseph Smith, Charles Taze Russell, Brigham Young, Joseph Franklin Rutherford injected their own prejudices into the clear word of God and satan's plan to undermine the Gospel spread
You're correct, the illogical falsehood of three different beings physically being one, even though they themselves continually refer to each other as separate beings, was derived from pagan concepts well before Nicaea when Constantine, a pagan emperor, held a council to vote on various doctrinal questions including the divinity of Christ and the nature of the Godhood.
Delete(Coincidentally, the pagan origins of the false doctrine of the trinity lies with Asherah/Ashtoreth, the subject of the article above, when she declared that her son, Tamuz, was the reincarnation of his father Nimrod, and that they were all one being.)
It is historical fact that there was debate and discussion regarding the trinity and other topics, and the concept of the trinity was finalized at the Council of Constantinople in 360 AD.
The scriptures are very clear that there is a Father, a Son, and a Holy Spirit. It's very simple, fathers and sons are obviously different people.
Peter declared, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Mathew 16:16. He didn't declare, "You are the Christ, kind of the Son, but the same as the Father, who is the same as the Spirit, and somehow you're all one being."
We could discuss history and scripture all day, but I'd simply ask you to answer any or all of the questions I posed above. Or at least answer the easiest one; who said from heaven that he was pleased with his son when Jesus was baptized?
God the Father was pleased with his son Jesus. But doesn't your bible contain the book of John?
DeleteIn the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.(John 1:1)
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
"I and the Father are one." (John 10:30)
9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father '? 10 "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. 11 "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. (John 14:9-11)
Why do you think that the Jews wanted to kill Jesus? Not because He argued with them, the Pharisees lived for argument, they asked him tons of silly little meaningless questions like the ones you posted above. Not because He claimed to speak for God, speaking for God is called prophesy and Jesus was never accused of being a false prophet.
They wanted to kill Jesus because He Claimed To Be God, and that is where the doctrine of the Trinity came from the mouth of Jesus Himself. To deny the Trinity is to deny what Jesus said.
And by the way, the Council of Constantinople did not finalize the doctrine of the Trinity, it brought up the question if Pneumatomachians (those who adhere to Macedonianism) were heretics because the Doctrine of the Trinity had been in place for almost 2 centuries at that point. This debate was finalized in the Council of Constantinople in 381)
D. Porter:
ReplyDeleteDoug is 100% correct that the Trinity did not originate from Nicea. But you believe the lies spewed by the LDS. The whole LDS faith is built on lies and fabrications by Joseph Smith, and has lived on lies ever since. Without lies the LDS would cease to exist.
As for the Trinity, it is easily found in Scripture. It isn't titled that, of course, because no one thought to give the idea a name. But I can prove by logic and the Bible that the Trinity was taught throughout the N.T.:
https://watchmansbagpipes.blogspot.com/2010/09/trinity-proven-by-logic.html
Great article Glenn! Sadly I truly doubt Mr/Ms D. Porter will look it up and read it. I'm going to repost it right now, maybe Mr/Ms D. Porter will open his/her heart to the Gospel Truth
DeleteHe appears to be a typical deceived Mormon who refuses to accept facts.
DeleteThere is not a single scripture which teaches that God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are one physical being, which of course is impossible, but there are dozens of scriptures, stories, analogies, and parables, let alone logic and common sense, which declare that we have a Father in Heaven, he sent his Son, the Spirit testifies of them both, and they are all one in purpose. I don't see what's so difficult to understand about that.
ReplyDelete"I am in the Father and the Father is in me", and all the other verses in which Jesus declares his oneness with the Father, all clearly demonstrate that the Father and the Son have the same purpose and the same love for us.
Still waiting for answers to the questions in my post. I would honestly like to understand who you think Jesus was speaking to when he addressed his Father or any of the other questions I asked.
I've already answered the questions you asked by republishing this:
Deletehttps://watchmansbagpipes.blogspot.com/2010/09/trinity-proven-by-logic.html
The blog only contains a list of syllogisms which restate the obvious. I'm interested in specific answers to my questions and a citation of the verses which state that the Father, Son, and Spirit are one physical being.
DeleteIf your questions are looking for a verse that states the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are one physical being it's abundantly clear that you have absolutely no understanding of the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit. Only the son, Jesus, is a physical being.
DeleteAsking if the Holy Spirit is a physical being shows an utter misunderstanding of the English language. We use the term "Holy Spirit" because the Holy Spirit is not a physical entity. If you need help with this concept I'll be more than glad to help.
As for God the Father, the Bible makes it abundantly clear that God is not a physical being. John 4:24 clearly states "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." Yes the bible does use anthropomorphisms to convey some of His attributes but Numbers 23:19 makes it abundantly clear that God is not a physical being:
"God is not a man, that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, that He should repent;
Has He said, and will He not do it?
Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?"
1 Samuel 15:29 also conveys the fact that God is not a physical being:
"Also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind.”
To try to consider God as a weak, pitiful, physical being is to miss the entire glory of God. And the Holy Spirit is not a physical being either, if he was a physical being He wouldn't be called the Holy SPIRIT.
Being spirits by nature, God and his Holy Spirit are not bound by your preconceived notions of personhood. Should you think clearly on this using the biblical descriptions of God, your question should be "How could Jesus, being a physical being, be part of a trinity made up of spiritual beings" and when you're thinking clearly the answer becomes very obvious.
Once you understand that God is spirit any questions raised in Genesis 1:26, our being made in God's image, suddenly become very clear
D. Porter,
ReplyDeleteNo one has even suggested that God the father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are one physical being. So you've raised a straw man.
Cool, then we all agree.
DeleteSo you DO agree that the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are one eternal spiritual being! Our work here is done. T didn't think he'd make the connection, did you Glenn?
DeleteOf course, they're all eternal and one in spirit and purpose. I'm still confused about the trinity concept though since I haven't seen an answer to any of my questions yet.
DeleteTo repeat one of my questions, who was in the water, who was speaking from heaven, and who descended in the form of a dove at Jesus' baptism?
I don't think he truly makes the connection.
DeleteGod
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteSorry Unknown, no anonymous posts are allowed here
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteDear Unknown
ReplyDeleteYour concept of there being a holy mother that is both man and woman has no spiritual context, it's just a man-made myth invented to contradict the actual word of God. If this concept was indeed in "original scrolls and writings" and is "not difficult to understand" why is it too difficult for you to to quote?
As for the Trinity being a form of pagan lunch meat - again it's just something you made up. If God is both masculine and feminine why is He only referred to in the masculine in holy scripture? If you really put some brain power behind your imaginary rants you would have considered John 4:24 when God's own son declared God to be Spirit, so he could easily be neither. Of course you didn't bother to consider John 10:30 when you made up your concept about Jesus lack of deity.
Of course you don't understand masculinity, a Man would have had the courage to sign his name to his beliefs. Come back when you have the guts to put a name to your convictions. Until then, Mr. or Miss Unknown, you have been Moderated.