Beastial worship prohibition of Leviticus 20:16

[Babygirl2010]

16 And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.


The Israelites were constantly warned not to copy the religious practices of their pagan neighbors. They constantly disobeyed.
Three months out of Egypt and with Moses on Mt. Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights, they were ready to go back to pagan beast worship. Only this beast was not a living one, but one made of gold. (Exodus chapters 19-31)

Leviticus chapters 18 and 20 are mainly an address of pagan worship. It is unfortunate that when these chapters were translated from the ancient Hebrew into the English that a number of crucial Hebrew words were glossed over that would have helped people better understand what was meant in so many verses.

One word that is not only glossed over, but in a number of translations is not even included in the verse of Lev. 20:16 and that is the word approach (Qarab).
There are only 17 listings in the entire Old Testament of APPROACH and it has 3 somewhat similar meanings of a religious nature. 11 out of the 16 are found in Leviticus.

Writers of the time that this type of pagan animal worship was occurring, were themselves shocked that these priestessses were engaging in open copulation with animals.
If any Israelites were caught copying this kind of pagan worship the beast was to be killed along with the woman because the understanding was that such a monstrous birth was sure to result from the copulation were she be allowed to live.

Though there is no explicit prohibition of either religious or non-religious beastiality in the New Testament, it is taught against implicitly.

 

[sun rise]

What did you want to debate?

 

[SigurdReginson]

Um... So, it's my understanding that the golden "calf" referred in that passage would have been El, who was often stylized as a golden bull, and who was head of the then Canaanite pantheon. Which writers of those times said priestesses were copulating with bulls, and where was the understanding that it'd create some bull/man hybrid stated?

 

[McBell]

The Israelites were constantly warned not to copy the religious practices of their pagan neighbors. .

What is your source that pagans had sex with animals?

 

[epronovost]

Um... So, it's my understanding that the golden "calf" referred in that passage would have been El, who was often stylized as a golden bull, and who was head of the then Canaanite pantheon. Which writers of those times said priestesses were copulating with bulls, and where was the understanding that it'd create some bull/man hybrid stated?

To my knowlede it's well known that human sacrifice especially that of children and young women were part of the rituals of the Cananite. Sacred prostitution, which is the rites of sexual intercourse or other sexual activities in a religious context, was also very common and included both male and female sacred prostitutes. I don't think any historian of the time report acts of bestiality as part of those rituals. I would need some solid scolarly work to consider this claim seriously.

 

[SigurdReginson]

To my knowlede it's well known that human sacrifice especially that of children and young women were part of the rituals of the Cananite. Sacred prostitution, which is the rites of sexual intercourse or other sexual activities in a religious context, was also very common and included both male and female sacred prostitutes. I don't think any historian of the time report acts of bestiality as part of those rituals. I would need some solid scolarly work to consider this claim seriously.

I knew about the human sacrifices, but the prostitution is new information to me. With the sacrifice of animals in place of people, I can see how a deity like YHWH would be more palatable when compared to deities like Ba'al or Moloch.

Were any of these horrible things done in the name of El or Asherah?

 

[epronovost]

I knew about the human sacrifices, but the prostitution is new information to me. With the sacrifice of animals in place of people, I can see how a deity like YHWH would be more palatable when compared to deities like Ba'al or Moloch.

Were any of these horrible things done in the name of El or Asherah?

There were also numerous signs of human sacrifice in Ancient Hebrew practices though they indeed disapeared in favor of animal sacrifices. As for sacred prostitution, that's more complex. There are good evidences that sacred prositution was indeed practiced by Hebrews, both male and female, before being banned.

 

[Bear Wild]

16 And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.


The Israelites were constantly warned not to copy the religious practices of their pagan neighbors. They constantly disobeyed.
Three months out of Egypt and with Moses on Mt. Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights, they were ready to go back to pagan beast worship. Only this beast was not a living one, but one made of gold. (Exodus chapters 19-31)

Leviticus chapters 18 and 20 are mainly an address of pagan worship. It is unfortunate that when these chapters were translated from the ancient Hebrew into the English that a number of crucial Hebrew words were glossed over that would have helped people better understand what was meant in so many verses.

One word that is not only glossed over, but in a number of translations is not even included in the verse of Lev. 20:16 and that is the word approach (Qarab).
There are only 17 listings in the entire Old Testament of APPROACH and it has 3 somewhat similar meanings of a religious nature. 11 out of the 16 are found in Leviticus.

Writers of the time that this type of pagan animal worship was occurring, were themselves shocked that these priestessses were engaging in open copulation with animals.
If any Israelites were caught copying this kind of pagan worship the beast was to be killed along with the woman because the understanding was that such a monstrous birth was sure to result from the copulation were she be allowed to live.

Though there is no explicit prohibition of either religious or non-religious beastiality in the New Testament, it is taught against implicitly.

What was wrong with their pagan neighbors? Certainty they had a right to exist and believe in what they believed. And how much of this was just propaganda? It sounds like an attempt to exert prejudice against their neighbors inventing lies about them. Romans once thought that Christians actually ate babies from misinterpretation or direct attempt to discredit Christians. Evidently prejudice clearly existed when this was written. Another us vs them approach to discredit the neighbors. Next is to sanitize the world by removing them of the earth. That has been attempted to many times in human history.

 

[SigurdReginson]

What was wrong with their pagan neighbors? Certainty they had a right to exist and believe in what they believed. And how much of this was just propaganda? It sounds like an attempt to exert prejudice against their neighbors inventing lies about them. Romans once thought that Christians actually ate babies from misinterpretation or direct attempt to discredit Christians. Evidently prejudice clearly existed when this was written. Another us vs them approach to discredit the neighbors. Next is to sanitize the world by removing them of the earth. That has been attempted to many times in human history.

The thing is the Israelites and the Judeans of that time were worshiping the same gods as their "pagan neighbors," only YHWH was added to the mix. YHWH wasn't worshipped exclusively until much later, since they were still very much Henotheistic at that time, and YHWH was their national god (god of the Israelites and Judeans), much like Marduk was the national god of the Babylonians in addition to the other gods.

Referring to their competition (El) as a "golden calf" reeks of propaganda when it's well known that he was often anthropomorphized as a golden bull. Why would a holy book try to employ propaganda?...

 

[Bear Wild]

The thing is the Israelites and the Judeans of that time were worshiping the same gods as their "pagan neighbors," only YHWH was added to the mix. YHWH wasn't worshipped exclusively until much later, since they were still very much Henotheistic at that time, and YHWH was their national god (god of the Israelites and Judeans), much like Marduk was the national god of the Babylonians in addition to the other gods.

Referring to their competition (El) as a "golden calf" reeks of propaganda when it's well known that he was often anthropomorphized as a golden bull. Why would a holy book try to employ propaganda?...

Holy book propaganda helps to have members adhere to groups belief in the classic us vs them separation with them no longer seen as equal. I agree that they were polytheistic originally and even after YHWH but YHWH became their nationalistic god thus monotheistic in they had a god unto themselves who only responded to them while other had their own gods/goddesses.

 

[Gargovic Malkav]

The thing is the Israelites and the Judeans of that time were worshiping the same gods as their "pagan neighbors," only YHWH was added to the mix. YHWH wasn't worshipped exclusively until much later, since they were still very much Henotheistic at that time, and YHWH was their national god (god of the Israelites and Judeans), much like Marduk was the national god of the Babylonians in addition to the other gods.

Referring to their competition (El) as a "golden calf" reeks of propaganda when it's well known that he was often anthropomorphized as a golden bull. Why would a holy book try to employ propaganda?...

Isn't any source of information that tries to teach people how to live "the right way" propaganda?

 

[Father Heathen]

Isn't any source of information that tries to teach people how to live "the right way" propaganda?

The difference is that propaganda tends to be deceitful and manipulative.

 

[Hockeycowboy]

There were also numerous signs of human sacrifice in Ancient Hebrew practices though they indeed disapeared in favor of animal sacrifices. As for sacred prostitution, that's more complex. There are good evidences that sacred prositution was indeed practiced by Hebrews, both male and female, before being banned.

Where? In what respected literature?

 

[exchemist]

16 And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.


The Israelites were constantly warned not to copy the religious practices of their pagan neighbors. They constantly disobeyed.
Three months out of Egypt and with Moses on Mt. Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights, they were ready to go back to pagan beast worship. Only this beast was not a living one, but one made of gold. (Exodus chapters 19-31)

Leviticus chapters 18 and 20 are mainly an address of pagan worship. It is unfortunate that when these chapters were translated from the ancient Hebrew into the English that a number of crucial Hebrew words were glossed over that would have helped people better understand what was meant in so many verses.

One word that is not only glossed over, but in a number of translations is not even included in the verse of Lev. 20:16 and that is the word approach (Qarab).
There are only 17 listings in the entire Old Testament of APPROACH and it has 3 somewhat similar meanings of a religious nature. 11 out of the 16 are found in Leviticus.

Writers of the time that this type of pagan animal worship was occurring, were themselves shocked that these priestessses were engaging in open copulation with animals.
If any Israelites were caught copying this kind of pagan worship the beast was to be killed along with the woman because the understanding was that such a monstrous birth was sure to result from the copulation were she be allowed to live.

Though there is no explicit prohibition of either religious or non-religious beastiality in the New Testament, it is taught against implicitly.

What about men shagging animals, though?. I bet that was a lot more common. It’s always the poor women that are singled out.

 

[stvdv]

16 And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

Many men have been behaving worse than animals/beasts. Does this apply also in these cases?
Maybe it was a good verse at the time, to make people aware to choose wisely

Sometimes writers miss out on the clue of figuratively meant verses
Maybe here it means you go against your conscience (kill it) with such behavior

 

[Gargovic Malkav]

The difference is that propaganda tends to be deceitful and manipulative.

Propaganda is meant to get people to think and act in a certain way. So in that sense it is indeed manipulative. Whether it's deceitful or not depends on what your beliefs and intentions are. Even if you follow the instructions of a book that is considered sacred or rational, or a popular opinion that is being parroted everywhere that encourages people to think for themselves and make their own decisions is propaganda. Because it still encourages you to think and act in a certain kind of way.

 

[ChristineM]

16 And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.


The Israelites were constantly warned not to copy the religious practices of their pagan neighbors. They constantly disobeyed.
Three months out of Egypt and with Moses on Mt. Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights, they were ready to go back to pagan beast worship. Only this beast was not a living one, but one made of gold. (Exodus chapters 19-31)

Leviticus chapters 18 and 20 are mainly an address of pagan worship. It is unfortunate that when these chapters were translated from the ancient Hebrew into the English that a number of crucial Hebrew words were glossed over that would have helped people better understand what was meant in so many verses.

One word that is not only glossed over, but in a number of translations is not even included in the verse of Lev. 20:16 and that is the word approach (Qarab).
There are only 17 listings in the entire Old Testament of APPROACH and it has 3 somewhat similar meanings of a religious nature. 11 out of the 16 are found in Leviticus.

Writers of the time that this type of pagan animal worship was occurring, were themselves shocked that these priestessses were engaging in open copulation with animals.
If any Israelites were caught copying this kind of pagan worship the beast was to be killed along with the woman because the understanding was that such a monstrous birth was sure to result from the copulation were she be allowed to live.

Though there is no explicit prohibition of either religious or non-religious beastiality in the New Testament, it is taught against implicitly.

Is there any prohibition on men getting it off with animals?

Evidence of pagan animal sex required please, otherwise it sounds like the bible is just s propaganda machine.

 

[Rival]

I'm honestly surprised folks don't know this. Lev 20:15,

“If a man has sex with an animal, he must be put to death and you must kill the animal."

 

[eik]

What was wrong with their pagan neighbors? Certainty they had a right to exist and believe in what they believed. And how much of this was just propaganda? It sounds like an attempt to exert prejudice against their neighbors inventing lies about them. Romans once thought that Christians actually ate babies from misinterpretation or direct attempt to discredit Christians. Evidently prejudice clearly existed when this was written. Another us vs them approach to discredit the neighbors. Next is to sanitize the world by removing them of the earth. That has been attempted to many times in human history.

Check out the Ugaritic Narrative Poetry. Ba'al got up to many naughty things.

 

[Babygirl2010]

Is there any prohibition on men getting it off with animals?

Evidence of pagan animal sex required please, otherwise it sounds like the bible is just s propaganda machine.

Check out 'Book of Histories 2' [sections 46-50] by Herodotus.