SW-User
Oh, boy—another day, another ancient deity!
Today's special: Baal, the Canaanite and Phoenician god of fertility, agriculture, and weather. Also known as Ba'al, Ba'al Hammon, Baal Hadad, and a host of other names, this deity was worshipped across the ancient Middle East; particularly in Canaan and Phoenicia.
Baal isn't a great guy—he's a pagan deity, duh—with a reputation for being a pretty big jerk. Baal was a local god, with different cults devoted to him in different places. Each cult had its own take on what Baal was the god of, and his nature and name could vary considerably. Some saw him as a god of thunder and storms, while others believed he was the sun god. Still, others thought of him as a war god.
That's not very helpful, is it? Well, Baal also had some consistent traits. The name Baal, in the Canaanite language, means "lord" or "master"—a word with the connotation of ownership. Baal was also often portrayed as the enemy of Yahweh, the Hebrew God. In this respect, Baal was a fertility god, and the son of El, the chief god. His mother was Asherah, and his consorts were Anat and Ashtoreth. Baal was also sometimes referred to as a bull or ram.
Baal's big thing was fertility—he made the crops grow and helped people have children. As you might expect from a deity so focused on reproduction, Baal's worship involved a lot of sex. His worship services included ritual prostitution and, at times, child sacrifice. Not very chill. No wonder the Bible has so many negative things to say about him.
The worship of Baal lingered among the Israelites for some time. Queen Jezebel of Israel—a Phoenician—was a big promoter of Baal worship, as was King Ahab. The Old Testament has a few choice words to say about them and their idolatry. You know things are bad when Bible characters start worshipping other gods!
In summary, Baal is a bit of a chump. Not someone you'd want to hang out with.
Today's special: Baal, the Canaanite and Phoenician god of fertility, agriculture, and weather. Also known as Ba'al, Ba'al Hammon, Baal Hadad, and a host of other names, this deity was worshipped across the ancient Middle East; particularly in Canaan and Phoenicia.
Baal isn't a great guy—he's a pagan deity, duh—with a reputation for being a pretty big jerk. Baal was a local god, with different cults devoted to him in different places. Each cult had its own take on what Baal was the god of, and his nature and name could vary considerably. Some saw him as a god of thunder and storms, while others believed he was the sun god. Still, others thought of him as a war god.
That's not very helpful, is it? Well, Baal also had some consistent traits. The name Baal, in the Canaanite language, means "lord" or "master"—a word with the connotation of ownership. Baal was also often portrayed as the enemy of Yahweh, the Hebrew God. In this respect, Baal was a fertility god, and the son of El, the chief god. His mother was Asherah, and his consorts were Anat and Ashtoreth. Baal was also sometimes referred to as a bull or ram.
Baal's big thing was fertility—he made the crops grow and helped people have children. As you might expect from a deity so focused on reproduction, Baal's worship involved a lot of sex. His worship services included ritual prostitution and, at times, child sacrifice. Not very chill. No wonder the Bible has so many negative things to say about him.
The worship of Baal lingered among the Israelites for some time. Queen Jezebel of Israel—a Phoenician—was a big promoter of Baal worship, as was King Ahab. The Old Testament has a few choice words to say about them and their idolatry. You know things are bad when Bible characters start worshipping other gods!
In summary, Baal is a bit of a chump. Not someone you'd want to hang out with.
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SatanBurger · 36-40, F
@SW-User There's also different versions of the bible because it's been rewritten, yeah you can't find it in YOUR bible, that actually doesn't mean anything. On the site I gave you, it specifically list which biblical verse but you already know it has sacrificing in it don't you? You admitted it and you say you can't find anything but later you said:
Why would anyone suggest anything or make justifications for sacrificing things if it were as you say:
Then go on to say:
No one would discuss anything of the sort, after all it's not there.
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Now, onto the metaphor part. How would you know? You weren't back in that time period. The bible being several different versions, written by several different people. One person must have thought sacrifice was good, another thought it was bad and said "oops, we'll make the new testament!"
That's what happened there for sure.
But unless you were back in that time period, no one can really know for sure. All I know is that it did have sacrificing in it and Christians, seeing as how they waged holy wars, would have probably been dumb enough to do it. They would have had to, these were people who made worship of other Gods illegal.
Some have suggested that the sacrifices described in Leviticus are a metaphor for something bigger. One source I found states that: > The animal was not considered just a distant commodity as is generally the case in today’s world of corporate agriculture; rather, it was a creature that the owner raised and saw on a daily basis, and whose needs were a matter of personal responsibility and even concern.
Why would anyone suggest anything or make justifications for sacrificing things if it were as you say:
could not find any evidence that the Old Testament—specifically the book of Leviticus—advocates for human sacrifice.
Then go on to say:
On the contrary, several sources I found explicitly state that human sacrifice is prohibited.
No one would discuss anything of the sort, after all it's not there.
------
Now, onto the metaphor part. How would you know? You weren't back in that time period. The bible being several different versions, written by several different people. One person must have thought sacrifice was good, another thought it was bad and said "oops, we'll make the new testament!"
That's what happened there for sure.
But unless you were back in that time period, no one can really know for sure. All I know is that it did have sacrificing in it and Christians, seeing as how they waged holy wars, would have probably been dumb enough to do it. They would have had to, these were people who made worship of other Gods illegal.
SW-User
@SatanBurger Uhm, bible not MINE,(agnostic to the core🤷), but put it simply, sacrifice has been a part of life since the beginning of time. According to "the Bible", God demanded sacrifice from his people as soon as Adam and Eve had sinned and needed to make amends. Initially, this took the form of obedience and physical offerings.
let's talk about some other cultures and their take on sacrifice.
Aztecs
The Aztecs were big on sacrifice, performing gory rituals in which victims—often captured warriors or slaves—had their hearts ripped out. They also practiced ritual cannibalism. Fun!
Aztec sacrifice was a ritually complex process and considered a necessary form of payment or repayment to the gods. Without these offerings, the sun would cease to rise and the world would end. Human sacrifice was also a political tool, used to intimidate enemies and showcase power. The scale of these rituals was unprecedented, with hundreds or even thousands of victims sacrificed each year.
But it's important to note that sacrifice went beyond human victims. Animal sacrifice was also common, and the Aztecs bred dogs, eagles, jaguars, and deer for this purpose. They even had specific gods for whom certain animals were an offering, such as the cult of Quetzalcoatl which required the sacrifice of butterflies and hummingbirds.
Maya
The Maya of Mesoamerica also performed human sacrifices, alongside the Toltecs and Purépechas. Like the Aztecs, their beliefs centred around the need to nourish the gods with human blood and hearts. The Maya also believed that human sacrifice could bring rain during times of drought.
Other Cultures
Let's not forget the Romans, Greeks, Japanese, Chinese, Africans, Andeans, and Egyptians—all of whom also performed human sacrifices. In fact, some of their methods make the Aztec rituals described seem like a walk in the park. The ancient Greeks immolated humans during the Trojan War, and the Romans crucified countless people, including Christ. The Chinese buried servants alive to accompany their rulers in the afterlife, and the Assyrians liked to flay people alive. The Inquisition used some pretty barbaric methods of torture, and Vlad the Impaler was famous for his violent impalements.
Some cultures placed little value on human life, conducting sacrifices on a massive scale. The Aztecs, it seems, were not unique in their love of sacrifice—just exceptionally good at it.
let's talk about some other cultures and their take on sacrifice.
Aztecs
The Aztecs were big on sacrifice, performing gory rituals in which victims—often captured warriors or slaves—had their hearts ripped out. They also practiced ritual cannibalism. Fun!
Aztec sacrifice was a ritually complex process and considered a necessary form of payment or repayment to the gods. Without these offerings, the sun would cease to rise and the world would end. Human sacrifice was also a political tool, used to intimidate enemies and showcase power. The scale of these rituals was unprecedented, with hundreds or even thousands of victims sacrificed each year.
But it's important to note that sacrifice went beyond human victims. Animal sacrifice was also common, and the Aztecs bred dogs, eagles, jaguars, and deer for this purpose. They even had specific gods for whom certain animals were an offering, such as the cult of Quetzalcoatl which required the sacrifice of butterflies and hummingbirds.
Maya
The Maya of Mesoamerica also performed human sacrifices, alongside the Toltecs and Purépechas. Like the Aztecs, their beliefs centred around the need to nourish the gods with human blood and hearts. The Maya also believed that human sacrifice could bring rain during times of drought.
Other Cultures
Let's not forget the Romans, Greeks, Japanese, Chinese, Africans, Andeans, and Egyptians—all of whom also performed human sacrifices. In fact, some of their methods make the Aztec rituals described seem like a walk in the park. The ancient Greeks immolated humans during the Trojan War, and the Romans crucified countless people, including Christ. The Chinese buried servants alive to accompany their rulers in the afterlife, and the Assyrians liked to flay people alive. The Inquisition used some pretty barbaric methods of torture, and Vlad the Impaler was famous for his violent impalements.
Some cultures placed little value on human life, conducting sacrifices on a massive scale. The Aztecs, it seems, were not unique in their love of sacrifice—just exceptionally good at it.
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ImperialAerosolKidFromEP · 51-55, M
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