January 15 — Fertility Goddess Ashtoreth, LDS Heavenly Mother Compared. Today ask the Mormon in your life for their opinion about their Heavenly Mother. Then ask if they’ve ever heard of Ashtoreth. Be sure you explain with demonstrative evidence (Bible and a dictionary) who this false goddess was, and why Israel was always in trouble for worshiping her. Without being judgmental towards them, ask if they see the correlation between their Heavenly Mother and Ashtoreth. To get a clear idea of who the Mormons believe she is, see our article ‘Heavenly Mother’
Also see an article Ed Decker and I wrote on the reality of what heaven would be like for anyone wanting to become a god or goddess. The Making of Mormon Spirit Babies.
Finally beloved, pray for these dear people and lovingly share the truth with them!
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Judges 2:13 “And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.” 1 Kings 11:5; “For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.”
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Mormon Doctrine, p. 40 “Ashtoreth (Ashtaroth)…See BAAL (BAALIM), FALSE GODS. As Baal was the supreme male deity of the Phoenician and Canaanitish nations, so Ashtoreth (Ashtaroth) was their supreme female deity. She was the so-called goddess of love and fertility, whose licentious worship pleased Israel in her apostate periods…”
Answers to Gospel Questions 3:142 “The fact that there is no reference to a mother in heaven either in the Bible, Book of Mormon or Doctrine and Covenants, is not sufficient proof that no such thing as a mother did exist there…. does not common sense tell us that we must have had a mother there also?”
Ensign, “The Eternal Family,” Nov. 1996, p. 65
