# Ancient Goddesses and the Virgin Mary



## Pergamum (Jul 31, 2018)

Hello,

I am studying the lineage of ancient goddesses (Inana, Isis, Ishtar, Cybele, Diana) worshipped by the ancients, and how the Virgin Mary seemed to replace these.

Is there something in the pagan mind that gravitates towards a female deity? Does one of Satan's chief fallen angels have a particular talent to deceive the masses through a female deity? Is there something in the human psyche that wants such a deity such that if they cannot have Ishtar any longer then they will replace these with the Virgin Mary? 

How do Catholics explain the close similarities between their view of Mary and these past goddesses in the past?


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## arapahoepark (Aug 2, 2018)

Hi Perg,
I have yet to go through this but it is undoubtedly helpful to answer your questions. https://www.amazon.com/Mary-Through-Centuries-History-Culture/dp/0300076614
As for Schaff, I think he mentions some stuff about it.


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## Dachaser (Aug 3, 2018)

Pergamum said:


> Hello,
> 
> I am studying the lineage of ancient goddesses (Inana, Isis, Ishtar, Cybele, Diana) worshipped by the ancients, and how the Virgin Mary seemed to replace these.
> 
> ...


My understanding is that the Church of rome adopted pagan days into the celebration of say Christmas and Easter, renaming and Christianizing them, and also brought over pagan godess as to now being represented by Mary?


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## lynnie (Aug 3, 2018)

Hi Perg, how are you feeling?

The worship of female deities was frequently if not always associated with fertility. The goddess worship was supposed to help with fertility of women, animals, and the land. 

I also think, strictly my opinion, that the worship of goddesses and Mary was partly an excuse for p0rn. I remember visiting the Art Museum at Princeton, and oil painting after oil painting was of a big busted mother Mary nursing baby Jesus with her nakedness well exposed. If you look at ancient statues and frescos and paintings, naked women is endemic. Probably it was a good excuse for the guys to label it as religion, when all it really was is staring at naked women.


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## Pergamum (Aug 4, 2018)

I am toying with the idea that: (1) There are hierarchies of angels and demons. (2) Just like people, angels and demons have personalities and particular duties. (3) Some high-ranking demon might be behind these fertility goddessses. Such things might be their specialty and Ishtar/Isis/Cybele/Diana/The Co-Redemptrix Mary are all different variations of the same tactic.


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## Tom Hart (Aug 4, 2018)

Pergamum said:


> I am toying with the idea that: (1) There are hierarchies of angels and demons. (2) Just like people, angels and demons have personalities and particular duties. (3) Some high-ranking demon might be behind these fertility goddessses. Such things might be their specialty and Ishtar/Isis/Cybele/Diana/The Co-Redemptrix Mary are all different variations of the same tactic.



I'd lay the blame more on the human imagination than anything else.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Tom Hart (Aug 4, 2018)

The similarity of representations of Venus and Mary have been noted, and suggestions of such a religious syncretism do not seem at all far-fetched to me. Roman religion has been syncretistic wherever it has gone.

Reactions: Like 1


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