The LORD commands His people to forsake this strange god!ìAnd Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do
return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the
strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your
hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver
you out of the hand of the Philistines. Then the children of Israel
did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only.î
1 Samuel 7:3-4
However, King Solomon (the son of King David and appointed by the LORD to
be king over Israel) did just the opposite, and forsook the God of his father to
follow Ashtaroth.
ìFor it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned
away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with
the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. For
Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and
after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. And Solomon
did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the
LORD, as did David his father.î 1 Kings 11:4-6
Following the pattern begun for Christmas, the date for the so-called Christian
celebration of Easter was also taken from pagan festivals. The Greek god Attis
was another form of Tammuz and closely tied to the god Pan.
ìNow the death and resurrection of Attis were officially
celebrated at Rome on the 24th and 25th of March, the latter
being regarded as the spring equinoxÖî 6Also in the same vein as Christmas, much of the Easter celebration is aimed at
children. The Easter Bunny, egg hunts, baskets full of candy and new clothes are
something children look forward to every year. But the brightly colored eggs, so
much a part of the celebrations, are also from ancient pagan rites.
ìIn ancient times eggs were used in the religious rites of the
Egyptians and the Greeks, and were hung up for mystic
purposes in their temples.î 7ìThe ancient Druids bore an egg, as the sacred symbol of
their order.î 8