I was reading this article* at lunch and now I know who to blame for the state of religion and the world view in general!! Apparently, prior to 640 BCE, the Israelites not only worshipped the God of Abraham, but also his Consort - the Goddess - yes you heard me correctly, the Goddess, Asherah. Huh? Interestingly enough, she was known as the Goddess of the Sea, or She who Walks on Water. Hmmm...that sounds familiar....
The ancient Israelites were also magnanimous enough to allow vessels dedicated to Baal, the God of the early Canaanites to be worshipped in the Temple too. Well, what do you know - religious tolerance.
Then, some schmuck named Josiah became king of the Israelites in 640 BCE and his first act was to march into the Temple and smash the statue of Asherah into dust! Dust, mind you! Hmmm...mommy issues? Research suggests that it took some serious and long term work to get the common people to stop worshipping her. After that, it was Yahweh and Yahweh only and things pretty much disintegrated from there in terms of women's place in organized religion.
*Reference: Time Magazine, "Decoding God's Changing Moods" by Robert Wright.
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