Looks like this is a hard question. Perhaps it would be better put under a scripture thread. I wanted a broader viewpoint, so thought it would be better put under n-c religions.
I did find some answers at
answers.com and the
jewish encyclopedia.
Just to extend this question a little, as I read the OT, I am finding questions ‘peeking through’ which I immediately suppress as* possibly dangerous to my faith* but then as I continue reading, the questions resume. It is hard to know when to stop asking hard questions and if it may be
not a good idea to question ‘too much’?. and perhaps leave the ‘thinking’ about them to others more knowledgeable than I?
For example, as I read, I ponder and wonder about Joseph, who had an important position working for pagan Pharoah and then he married Pharoah’s daughter. And then Moses who was married to a daughter of a pagan priest of Midian, the subject of this inquiry. And there were others in the bible who were family members of pagan families who worshiped many gods. Sorry but I don’t know another connotation for Pagan, not to discount or insult another human. I know back then God’s chosen didn’t have a whole lot of choice or maybe even a whole lot of knowledge of the one God. Then I wonder and ponder (before I fearfully catch myself) if they (ie; Joseph, Moses,etc) also worshiped the gods of the families they married into.
This pondering leads to questions of IF and why and how much, the pagan beliefs and worship of other gods,‘rubbed’ off on them and
mostly how much, if any, is passed down to us today because of these intermingling of pagan beliefs. And most importantly, does it really matter IF these beliefs are intermingled? Am I alone in questioning this way?
Somehow, I sense that there are no easy answers to this but I would like to hear your thoughts/expertise.
dona
