Originally posted by Lynda101
Originally posted by JamesMayorOfJerusalem
it's well known that idols were worshipped alongside The Lord all through Israel's history. almost every prophet in the Old Testament speaks out against it. I think it's stretching it somewhat to say that it was the norm up until the Babylonian Captivity though, or that monotheistic Jews were a special interest group... besides the prophets going back to the time of Moses, the first prophet of the biblical Nevi'im was Amos (8th century BC) and Isaiah was his contemporary, although he came later. Amos was a shephard, Isaiah was counciller to kings - men from completely different backgrounds both prophecying in the name of YHWH, warning the people to turn from idols. The Babylonian Captivity happened in 586 BC. But these higher criticsm/ feminist criticism types want people to believe, based on some inscriptions that actually confirm the biblical account, that the Israelites were basically Wiccans that became monontheists after going to a place like Babylon, known as the 'mother of harlots' in the ancient world, the birthplace of astrology and grimiores. The theory doesn't hold up well in my opinion.edit on 25-3-2011 by JamesMayorOfJerusalem because: (no reason given)
Do you know anything about Wicca - tell you one thing, Wicca teaches "be it harm none do it". If we compare that to "An eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth etc." which one do you think should be followed? I am not saying to you I am Wiccan, but unless one looks at the principles behind the different belief systems its hard to think one is 'higher' than another,
You cannot get away from archaelogical proof backing up (sometimes) what the bible has been manipulated to acknowledge but not state clearly. Asherah had statues in the temple and what she represented to the people was sacred. Mind you why should you be bothered with the feminine side of creation as you say, "feminist criticism and Harlots eh?
I don't think either should be followed. I think that 'Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you' is greater than either teaching. when I was younger I learned about Wicca through a girlfriend and a book by Ray Buckland....I got handfasted and everything. I did a lot of searching before I repented. I've always found it interesting that people tend to automatically assume someone is ignorant of other belief systems if they are Christian.
' Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hephzibah. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel. For he rebuilt the high places that Hezekiah his father had destroyed, and he erected altars for Baal and made an Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel had done, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. And he built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem will I put my name.” And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. And he burned his son as an offering and used fortune-telling and omens and dealt with mediums and with necromancers. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger. And the carved image of Asherah that he had made he set in the house of which the Lord said to David and to Solomon his son, “In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever. And I will not cause the feet of Israel to wander anymore out of the land that I gave to their fathers, if only they will be careful to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the Law that my servant Moses commanded them.” But they did not listen, and Manasseh led them astray to do more evil than the nations had done whom the Lord destroyed before the people of Israel.' (2 Kings 21:1-9)
The gender issue is a sensitive subject, and I didn't mean to offend you. It's not that I am bothered by the feminine, I love women... If there was somebody writing an article about Jesus being a Communist or something, I would have written 'higher criticism/ Marxist criticism types' but we are on the topic of God and gender so it seemed appropriate. The thing about higher criticism is that its called 'higher' because it has a low view of Scripture - the different critical schools such feminist, deconstructionist, etc. only critique in order to advance their particular agenda, not to try to understand what a thing is in itself. you can see in the quote above what the Bible has to say about the worship of Asherah. The archeological findings appear to confirm the biblical account rather than refute it, but people with a low view of Scripture interpret the evidence according to their own agenda. Also, consider that Christ was the second, spiritual Adam, whose atonement freed men and women from original sin....the commandment of God immediately following the Fall that Adam would 'rule over' Eve should be null and void in the New Covenant of Christ, as evidenced by the huge role women played in the early Church...it's really institutionalism from the early days of Catholicism that is to blame for the marginalization of women, not the Gospel of Jesus. Tolstoy wrote something to the effect that judging the Gospel by it's outward, institutional aspects (Catholicism, Eastern Orthodox, Protestant) is like judging a peice of music by watching the movements of the musicians. I hope this clarifies.
,also.... 
