by mkr32208 16 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
I'm just curious. I'm taking a humanities course and one of the things that keeps coming up is the snake god/goddess. Tonight I was reading about the Minoan snake goddess and the healing powers that she was suppose to have and it brought up thoughts of moses and the snake around the staff that would cure the Israelites if they looked at it. This would have been around the same time 3000ish BC?
Any of our brilliant scholars have any thoughts on this. (real scholars not watchtower "scholars")
Apparently there is a Minoan brotherhood/sisterhood which are highly secret as respects details for reasons of protecting their integrity but are linked to bisexual/gay individuals with an ethos to ensure 'Love unto all beings.' as a way to measure ones own actions and emanates from worship of the Cretan snake godess in ways I am uncertain of but they follow the full 13 cycles of the moon each year!
It is the same with Wicca for me - when they talk of godess (moon) I am unsure whethre it is the spirit of the power of the moon or the moon itself they hold in mind as a focus for their devotion. For me it would have to be the power thereof since it pulls two thirds of the surface of the Earth (Seas) as it orbits as well as the millions of gallons of water in the atmosphere with its significant gravity! Certainly it significantly effects all life therin in various ways and I hear some females mention their cycles in relation to the moon which is intriguing! Sorry for the digression but diety and how each perceives it is something I find fascinating!
I don't think that's what he asked.
They had there own goddess who was represented by a snake on a pole... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asherah
Wow what a weird response... I'm talking about the minoans who were the early inhabitants of greece not some weird new wave religion thing...
Check out my response, the hebrews had their own goddess with a snake, possibly related to the minoans.... the copper serpent moses erected was likely a representation of Asherah. And no, I'm not talking about some new agey thing.
Hi,
I don't mean to be rude but does it really matter?
The most important thing is it is symbolic of what was to come, as indeed the whole of the Israelites and their quest (and ours).
John 3:13-15 (New International Version)
13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.[a] 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
There is one was to cross the sea and that is by the miracle of God's provision. Make sure you cross over too!
All the best,
Stephen.
Especially as it relates to you, Chalam, it matters. God basically told the israelites to worship A) a graven image and B) a representation of the Israelite/Caananite Goddess. And yep, I've heard the foreshadowing allegory, but that dog won't hunt.
Yeah av it wasn't you respone I was refering to! =)
My thought was I wonder if what the bible says happened actually happened at all or if it was some sort of off shoot of the snake gods of other cultures?
I think the whole Bible is based on offshoots of pre-existing cultural beliefs and practices. The supernatural Jesus story was a rewrite of a mythological person that was supposed to have existed 500 years prior to him. The Bible is full of mythology rewritten in disguise and set in real historical places and conditions: Historical fiction. This snake goddess sounds interesting as it compares with Moses' snake god. Turn to a graven image and be healed, indeed! That is a contradiction right there.
