Was it the Judaic-christian mission to abolish all aspects of female divinity?

Answer 1

Back when the Jews had their Temples, a statue of the female goddess Asherah stood in the Temple INSIDE the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant was, for MOST of the time the Temple stood.

King Solomon brought the practice to Jerusalem itself. Solomon "loved YHVH" but "also burned incense in high places" - this refers to the practice of burning incense to Asherah whose statues were always placed in high areas, on hilltops, etc. Solomon's heart was "not fully with YHVH" and he "went not fully after YHVH as did his father David".

He also married, for political reasons, the daughter of Pharaoh, a Sidonian Princess, and a Hittite Princess, and Daughters of the ruling elite of Moab, Ammonites, and Edomites. Many of these women came from the old pagan religions that worshipped Asharah/Ishtar, and thus the statues were allowed in the Holy of Holies next to the Ark of the Covenant.

This actually happened throughout the history of the Jewish Temples, not just with Solomon. Jeroboam did the same when he ruled, so did King Ahab who married another Sidonian Princess named Jezebel, daughter of Ethbaal, King of Sidon, in whose city the "Elath of Sidon" (statues of Asherah) had been worshipped for at least 500 years prior to that.

Then anyway, along would come another King in Israel and take the Asherah out and order that only the male YHVH be worshipped, but then after that, another King would come along and put the Asherah back in.

This ended in the Kingdom of Israel at least, when the Assyrians sacked it in 721 B.C. but there was a remnant of the Israelites who still remained behind in Samaria and tried to continue the Asherah worship along with YHVH.

But, then this fell under the axe of Joshiah, who was a great YHVH reformist who tolerated NO other worship than that of YHVH, and that was the end of the Asherah for the Jews, from then until this day even. "Joshiah destroyed the altar and the high place (bamah) that Jeroboam had made, and burned Asherah", is what is written about the end of the Asherah finally in the Israelite Kingdom.

The same thing happened in the Kingdom of Judah, but with different kings and different YHVH reformists, for hundreds of years, back and forth they went on the Asherah...

Altogether the female goddess statue of Asherah stood in the Temples thus:

1. Asherah introduced into the Temple in Jerusalem by Solomon and his son King Rehoboam, in or around 928 B.C. (the Hebrews had actually been worshipping the Asherah outside of Jerusalem along with YHVH for about 300 years prior to this)

2. The Asherah statue was worshipped in the Temple for 35 years after King Rehoboam placed it there, until King Asa removed it in 893 B.C.

3. The Asherah statue was restored to the Temple by King Joash in 825 B.C. and remained there for a full century until King Hezekiah removed it in 725 B.C.

4. 27 years later the Ashera was put back in the Temple by King Manasseh who installed it in 698 B.C.

5. The Asherah statue remained for 78 more years until the great YHVH Reformist King Joshiah removed it in 620 B.C.

6. When King Joshiah died 11 years later, the Asherah was put back in the Temple yet again where it remained until the Temple was destroyed 23 years later in 586 B.C. (the first Temple)

So, it appears that out of the 370 years that the Solomonic Temple stood in Jerusalem, the statue of Ashera was present for no less than 236 of those years and her worship was a part of the legitimate religion approved and led by the King, the Court, and the Priesthood during those times, and opposed only by a few Prophets who cried out against it once in a while at long intervals.

So it actually stood in the Temple for more years than not!

Today of course the Feminine aspect of God in Judaism is called "The Shekinah" (sheh-keen-ah) said to be God's "wife" or female side, who went with the Tribes when they were scattered around the world, She remains in exile with them until the day they are rediscovered and all brought back together again. There are many prayers in Orthodox Judaism dedicated to the rejoining of the Shekhina Bride with the masculine side of God, it is a "tikkun" a "repair" that is trying to be achieved every single day by Orthodox Jews.

Judaism believes that women are on a higher spiritual level than men actually. BUT does this mean that women are allowed to be rabbis in Orthodox Judaism? Nope. Are they allowed to wear the prayer shawls (tallit) and the straps around the arm (tefillin) that the men wear every single day when they say the prayers? Nope. Are they allowed to be a part of a minyan (a group of ten Jews that are needed for many of the prayers and ceremonies)? Nope.

The reasons given are "women are on a higher spiritual level than men and those things are for MEN'S spiritual repair so women don't need them. It would be like putting eyeglasses on someone with perfect vision."

Ahuh. Nice try. However, the Conservative and Reform sects of Judaism DO allow women to do all of those things, and hopefully the Orthodox will come around one day to it too. There are many women working on it.

As for Christianity, it appears that they just totally threw out the feminine altogether as it doesn't even have a side of God that is considered feminine, as Judaism does.

Hope this helps or at least helps to inform.

Answer 2

No, they promote Mother Mary and Mother Teresa quite a bit if you ask me?
Then there was Joan of Ark also and in America they hardly advertise anything a man likes without a woman in a bathing suit or naked next to that object.
But the serpent promised Eve she would be like a godess if she ate of this tree and we do have many people that believe in mother Nature as a godess in America along with all the other religions.

Answer 3

Absolutely.

Answer 4

The Judeo-Christian-Islamic God transcends male/female. God is Eternal Spirit.

Answer 5

No. While females didn't have a role in preaching, they were encouraged to study and teach others. There were female prophets as well. Jesus uplifted women.

Answer 6

It was #1 on their agenda!