Thanks for reading, and yes, I’ve written some about that too — how Asherah (Astarte, Ishtar, Inanna) is mentioned in the bible something like 27 times and about how hard it was to get the people, including some of the royalty, to give up her worship but it needed to be stamped out in order to take over the power and influence that was associated with her temples and worship.

When Sex Was Sacred

“Dismantling the temple systems of the Queen of Heaven also gave the men who did so the power of their assets and influence. Demonizing sacred sexuality meant that those who supplanted its practitioners could themselves become the center of the community, the keeper of the records, and the place where people turned for help and healing.”