I think some information regarding Molech (Moloch) would be beneficial to help broaden the spectrum of what these people are into. These people have reinvented their Molech or Moloch to be a deity to look like an owl.
A god of the Ammonites; possibly the same as Malcam, Milcom, and Moloch. It may be a title rather than the name of a specific god. The Mosaic Law demanded the death penalty for anyone who sacrificed his children to Molech.—Le 20:2; Jer 32:35; Ac 7:43.
MOLECH
(Moʹlech) [from a root meaning “reign as king” or “king,” but with the vowels of boʹsheth, “shame,” to denote abhorrence].
A deity particularly associated with the Ammonites (1Ki 11:5, 7, 33); possibly the same as Moloch (Ac 7:43; compare Am 5:26) and Milcom. (1Ki 11:5, 33) At Jeremiah 32:35, Molech is referred to in parallel with Baal, suggesting, if not an identification, at least some connection between the two. Numerous authorities regard “Molech” as a title rather than the name of a specific deity, and therefore, the thought has been advanced that the designation “Molech” may have been applied to more than one god.
It is generally agreed that the Malcam referred to at 2 Samuel 12:30 and 1 Chronicles 20:2 is the idol image of the Ammonite god Milcom, or Molech, although the Hebrew term could be rendered “their king.” (Compare KJ; AS.) Earlier in the Biblical account the Ammonite king is referred to by his name Hanun (2Sa 10:1-4); hence, it is reasonable to conclude that the name Hanun rather than Malcam would have appeared in the Scriptural record if the king rather than the idol were intended. Also, it is thought unlikely that a king would have worn a crown weighing about 34 kg (92 lb t). For the same reason it has been suggested that David placed Malcam’s crown on his head only temporarily, perhaps to denote his victory over the false god. According to the reading of the Targum, which has been adopted by numerous translators, the crown had only one precious jewel. This has given rise to the view that it was the precious jewel, rather than the crown itself, that came to be on David’s head.
Child Sacrifice to Molech. God’s law to Israel prescribed the death penalty for anyone, even an alien resident, who would give his offspring to Molech. (Le 20:2-5) Nonetheless, apostate Israelites, both in the kingdom of Judah and in the ten-tribe kingdom, passed their offspring through the fire.—2Ki 17:17, 18; Eze 23:4, 36-39.
The ‘passing through the fire’ to Molech has been regarded by some as signifying a purification ritual by means of which children were devoted or dedicated to Molech; others understand this to mean actual sacrificing. That the Canaanites and apostate Israelites did sacrifice their children, there can be no question. (De 12:31; Ps 106:37, 38) King Ahaz of Judah “proceeded to burn up his sons [“son,” Sy] in the fire.” (2Ch 28:3) The parallel passage, at 2 Kings 16:3, reads: “Even his own son he made pass through the fire.” This indicates that ‘passing through the fire’ is at least sometimes synonymous with sacrificing. Likely, however, the worship of Molech was not always and everywhere the same. For example, King Solomon, under the influence of his foreign wives, built high places to Molech and other deities, but not until the time of Ahaz is mention made of child sacrifice. (1Ki 11:7, 8) Undoubtedly if this abhorrent practice had existed earlier, it would have been denounced along with the other forms of idolatry existing during the reigns of the various kings. For this reason some commentators favor the view that the expression ‘to pass through the fire’ originally applied to a purification ritual and later came to signify actual sacrifice.
“The passing” to Molech mentioned in the footnote on Leviticus 18:21 evidently refers to devoting or dedicating children to this false god. This text has been variously translated: “You must not dedicate any of your children to the service of Molech.” (AT) “Thou shalt not give any of thy seed to make them pass through the fire to Molech.” (AS) “Thou shalt not give any of thy seed to be consecrated to the idol Moloch.” (Dy) “You must not allow the devoting of any of your offspring to Molech.”—NW.
Ahaz and Manasseh are the only Judean kings referred to as making their offspring pass through the fire. However, with the impetus given by these two kings to child sacrifice, the practice apparently became entrenched among the Israelites in general. (2Ki 16:3; 21:6; Jer 7:31; 19:4, 5; 32:35; Eze 20:26) The children, at least at times, were first killed, rather than being burned alive.—Eze 16:20, 21.
King Josiah defiled Topheth, the chief center of Molech worship in Judah, in order to prevent persons from making their offspring pass through the fire. (2Ki 23:10-13) But this did not eradicate the practice for all time. Ezekiel, who began serving as a prophet 16 years after the death of Josiah, mentions it as occurring in his day.—Eze 20:31.
The view has been advanced that the Molech to whom children were sacrificed had the form of a man but the head of a bull. The image is said to have been heated red hot and the children cast into its outstretched arms, thus to fall into the flaming furnace below. This conception is largely based on the description of the Carthaginian Cronos or Moloch given by the Greek historian Diodorus Siculus of the first century B.C.E.—Diodorus of Sicily, XX, 14, 4-6.
view the rest of the comments →
VieBleu ago
Keil and Delitzsch note in their Commentary on the Old Testament,[6] "It (the boundary of the tribe of Judah) then went up into the more elevated valley of Ben-Hinnom, on the south side of the Jebusite town, i.e., Jerusalem (see at Jos 10:1), and still farther up to the top of the mountain which rises on the west of the valley of Ben-Hinnom, and at the farthest extremity of the plain of Rephaim towards the north. The valley of Ben-Hinnom, or Ben-Hinnom (the son or sons of Hinnom), on the south side of Mount Zion, a place which was notorious from the time of Ahaz as the seat of the worship of Moloch (Kg2 23:10; Ch2 28:3; Ch2 33:6; Jer 7:31, etc.), is supposed there, but of whom nothing further is known (see Robinson, Pal. i. pp. 402ff.)." This reference in the Book of Joshua is the first mention in the Old Testament of this "Valley of the Sons of Hinnom".
This valley, as Keil and Delitzsch note, is "on the south side of the Jebusite town, i.e., Jerusalem." This valley is mentioned five times in the Book of Jeremiah (7:31,32 19:2,6 32:35) as the place in which the people would "burn their sons and daughters in the fire" as part of the worship of Moloch as noted by Keil and Delitzsch.[6]
In the Qur'an, Jahannam (جهنم) is a place of torment for sinners and non-believers, or the Islamic equivalent of Hell.[7] Gehenna, wikipedia
Child sacrifice at other Tophets contemporary with the Bible accounts (700–600 BC) of the reigns of Ahaz and Manasseh have been established, such as the bones of children sacrificed at the Tophet to the goddess Tank in Phoenician Carthage,[13] and also child sacrifice in ancient Syria-Palestine.[14] Scholars such as Mosca (1975) have concluded that the sacrifice recorded in the Hebrew Bible, such as Jeremiah's comment that the worshippers of Baal had "filled this place with the blood of innocents", is literal,[15][16] while Mark Smith has stated that in the seventh century child sacrifice was a Judean practice performed in the name of Yahweh.[17] J. Day, Heider, and Mosca believe that the Molek cult took place in the valley of Hinnom at the Topheth [18] No archaeological evidence such as mass children's graves has been found, however it has been suggested that such a find may be compromised by the heavy population history of the Jerusalem area compared to the Tophet found in Tunisia.[19] The site would also have been disrupted by the actions of Josiah "And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech." (2 Kings 23). A minority of scholars have attempted to argue that the Bible does not portray actual child sacrifice, but only dedication to the god by fire; however, they are judged to have been "convincingly disproved" (Hay, 2011).[20] The concept of Gehinnom Hebrew Bible
The oldest historical reference to the valley is found in Joshua 15:8, 18:16 which describe tribal boundaries. The next chronological reference to the valley is at the time of King Ahaz of Judah who sacrificed his sons there according to 2 Chron. 28:3. Since his legitimate son by the daughter of the High Priest Hezekiah succeeded him as king, this, if literal, is assumed to mean children by unrecorded pagan wives or concubines. The same is recorded of Ahaz' grandson Manasseh in 33:6. There remains debate about whether the phrase "cause his children to pass through the fire" meant a religious ceremony or literally child sacrifice. Valley of Hinnom, 2007.
The Book of Isaiah does not mention Gehenna by name, but the "burning place" 30:33 in which the Assyrian army is to be destroyed, may be read "Topheth", and the final verse of Isaiah which concerns of those that have rebelled against God, Isaiah 66:24.
In the reign of Josiah a call came from Jeremiah to destroy the shrines in Topheth and to end the practice Jeremiah 7:31-32, 32:35. It is recorded that King Josiah destroyed the shrine of Molech on Topheth, to prevent anyone sacrificing children there in 2 Kings 23:10. Despite Josiah's ending of the practice, Jeremiah also included a prophecy that Jerusalem itself would be made like Gehenna and Topheth (19:2-6, 19:11-14).
KittyTigerlily ago
It was and is a sick and heinous crime for someone to pass their children through the fire. I'm telling you this, Yahweh will not put up with it, period. But he will give a nation to repent of its sins. It's just right now many in this nation do not know this, however, they will know it. The people of the world will know it, and it will be a dark spot on us and those nations who did this mess. It's a horrible thing. I wish that I could explain how horrible that it is.
Here is one other way that it's horrible. I didn't do this mess, you didn't do this mess and others here didn't do it. Millions of Americans would never do this horrible and evil crap. But when a ruler of a nation rules, the sins of that ruler can pass onto the people. No joke! There would be much explain about this. The sins of our present ruler (Obama) will be over soon, 2017. That is a hugely important year because it's the last year of our unconditional blessing period that we have had for 70 years. So it happens and we will see what happens after that. While a child is not responsible for their father's sins, then it's different with a nation. This scares me knowing what I may now know.