Who was the Jews' old God Moloch?

(The Legends of History) I studied EVERY mention of Moloch in the Jewish-Christian Bible. Here is the scary truth. And The God commanded us to KILL, so we had to listen or else he'd "turn his face" against us

• Who in the world is Moloch?

Tusheti: Wild and remote region of Europe

CNN News via KVIA, Oct. 10, 2022; Amber Larson, Pat Macpherson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Tusheti: A wild and remote region on the edge of Europe

A tiny wooden hut with smoke sprouting from its chimney sits at the base of a windswept hill dotted with lambs. Inside is a large iron cauldron, scuffed from centuries of use and smothered in flames.

As its interior bubbles, mountain barley and wild hops [full of estrogenic compounds] are married together to create a delightfully sweet, sour, and cloudy brew known as aludi.

Gathered around the cauldron is a group of [witchy] men who’ve stood in this very hut every year on this very day for as long as they can remember. At the helm of it all is one specially elected shulta who oversees the sacred process. Brewing aludi ale together is part of their unofficial [drunken] brotherhood and a hallowed preparation for the coming [spooky] festival.

• Why did women [and witches] stop dominating the beer industry? | History| Smithsonian Magazine
• Indigenous European Buddhism nearby in Kalmykia

Pagan traditions

Tusheti, Georgia: Ultimate Travel Guide (Big World Small Pockets)

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Soon this special brew will be used to mark the start of Atnigenoba, a two-week long festival in the northeastern Georgian region of Tusheti that’s filled with paganistic ram sacrifices, shrine worship, folk dancing, and fiercely competitive horse racing.

Tucked away deep in the mountains dividing Georgia from its Chechen and Dagestani neighbors, Tusheti is accessed only by a long, narrow gravel road that climbs 10,000 feet above the gorges below.

It’s a wild, untamed treasure hidden on the frontier of Europe.

Pummeled with heavy snow throughout long winters, the tourist season is brief, with the region only accessible about 4-5 months of the year, but it's a paradise for hikers looking to chart new territory.

Tusheti is characterized by its breathtaking landscape and lasting folk traditions, particularly in the way of art. Its strong history of shepherding means wool textiles reign supreme, especially cozy knitted house booties and elaborate carpets in bold geometric patterns.

Come October, only a handful of locals remain in Tusheti. Braced for a long and harsh winter, they’ll be entirely cut off from the outside world, completely marooned in the wilderness.

Irakli Khvedaguridze is the only licensed doctor in the region who, at 80 years old, relies solely on his wits, his horse, and a trusty pair of homemade skis to service medical needs all year round.

Medieval treasure trove

The village of Dartlo, Tusheti, Georgia (Courtesy Melanie Hamilton, CNN)

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It’s not just the locals who make a mass-exodus every fall, either. Long before the road to Tusheti was built in the 1980s, the only way in or out was on foot or horseback — a reality local shepherds have known for ages.

As winter looms, flocks of tens of thousands of sheep led by lowland-bound shepherds begin their journey south where they will graze over sunny plains through the colder months. And by the first thaw of spring, they’ll begin the annual odyssey back to their homeland.

Shepherding is not only a primary source of income for Tushetian men, it’s also a means for connection to their land and heritage. As more and more Tushetians trade the peaceful yet primitive mountain lifestyle for more modern opportunities in Georgia’s capital city Tbilisi and beyond, traditional trades like shepherding have become a point of pride.

At the heart of the region is Omalo. Crowned by the Keselo Fortress and spread across meadows dotted with horses, quaint guest houses, and the occasional screeching rooster, Omalo is the designated gateway to Tusheti.

It’s also here that many wilderness-starved hikers set off to complete one of Georgia’s most famous multi-day treks: Omalo to Shatili, a fortified medieval village deep in the Arghuni Gorge. The five-day trek connects Tusheti with neighboring Khevsureti, another isolated highland region and medieval treasure trove, via an old shepherd’s path.

Spilling out of the Pirikiti Valley onto the banks of the Alazani River, is Dartlo. Not far from Omalo, this slow and sleepy ancient hamlet is characterized by its defense towers and perfectly stacked stone houses.

On the outskirts of the village, sits a shell of church ruins with shrubs bursting from its sandstone, its cream colored facade returning to the nature from which it came.

In a small clearing behind the ruins is a peculiar-looking set of stones. Arranged in a half circle of 12, with an additional two in the center, what looks like a micro version of Scotland’s prehistoric Ring of Brodgar is actually a 15th-century courthouse.

This traditional court, known as Sabtcheo, was where accused criminals would be tried — their sentences often banishing them from the village, exiled to the Tusheti wilderness....

Few churches, many shrines

Situated on rolling green pastures with lazily grazing herds of cattle and humble homes with ornate wooden balconies, is Shenako.

Towering over the tiny village is St. George’s Church, a detail that would be easily overlooked in the lowlands, but not in Tusheti. In a region where stone shrines outnumber churches by the hundred, St. George’s feels like a rare relic.

Reached from Shenako by a winding dirt road or an overgrown footpath through the dense woods spread over a mountain or two, is Diklo. Just a couple of peaks from the Russian region of Dagestan, the village’s hilltop ruins overlook the handful of shrines, lone shepherd huts and houses peppered across the landscape.

The very last house has a chipper, rosy-cheeked woman locally known as Masho Bebo ("Grandma Masho") setting out fresh morsels of cheese to age on the rafters of her balcony.

Dancing in the wind is a collection of colorful wool socks, hand knitted by Masho Bebo as keepsakes for tired hikers passing through the village.

Tushetian traditions and culture have been shaped by its extreme isolation and ancient superstitions. Arguably, nothing is more representative of Tushetian culture than the countless khati (stone shrines) and salotsavi ("sacred spaces" or "sanctuaries") strewn across its landscape.

Carefully laid stone piles adorned with animal skulls and long, curled, bovine horns can be found just about everywhere. Some allow women, many do not, but all are revered for the deity they symbolize.

We're Black icons in the Orthodox Church

Tusheti toes the line between Orthodox Christian and local pagan traditions with a pronounced emphasis on the departed. Near the end of August each year is Mariamoba ["Saint Mary's Day"] — a holiday dedicated to both Saint Mary and deceased loved ones. It’s a time to set the table for those no longer here, both in the recent and distant past.

A few months later in December, those brave enough to stick around will gather to celebrate Mzebudoba, the solstice and precious winter stillness that will guide them into a fertile spring.

Warmed only by their fiery hearths and crackling wood fire ovens, women across Tusheti prepare ritual cakes and breads such as kada and machkati that will serve as offerings to a medley of old gods, orthodox saints, and departed ancestors.

A single dish of khatvisi (a traditional shepherd’s dish of boiled curd and butter), coupled with a chalice of aludi, a few machkati, and a lit candle must be placed in the window that receives the sun’s first rays.

Goblins and devils

Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is cool

While often forgotten, Kdini in January is when goblins and devils wreak havoc. Not unlike Halloween and Mexico's the Day of the Dead, Kdini is a time when the veil between worlds is thinned.

But instead of carving jack-o-lanterns or creating colorful offerings, some locals take to the woods for sminaoba where they’ll eagerly listen for any familiar voices attempting to contact them from beyond. More

• Orthodox Christianity of Eastern Europe
• Dormition of Mary, the Mother of God

The-CNN-Wire. ™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. Courtesy Melanie Hamilton,

The practice of subduing demons (video)

Master Sheng Yen (GDD-1111, DVD, 1/15/17); CC Liu, Crystal Q. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

The woeful realms of hungry ghosts, demons, and evil spirits can become bothersome.

The practice of subduing demons is actually harmful to demons and ghosts

Catholic Christians want to kill and cast out.

Buddhism advocates loving-kindness and compassion (metta and karuna) in delivering all beings, rather than attempting to fight, subdue, or "defeat" demons, malevolent spirits, poltergeists, and bothersome ghosts. More online courses: youtube.com/user/DDMTV05.

Now you've really pissed me off! The haunting begins.

Getting STONED in Christianity, Pt. 1 (video)

Dhr. Seven, Pat Mapcherson, Wisdom Quarterly; Monty Python, Life of Brian; AJ Jacobs (TED)

The Bible not only provides for stoning for many offenses such as talking back to your parents and other things the late Sumerians, early Jews, and imperial Romans didn't like, it demands it! The list of stoning offenses is numerous and surprising. There are more than Ten Commandments and 700+ rules in the Bible, as the fabulous book The Year of Living Biblically [in NYC] by journalist AJ Jacobs reveals.

Then there's that other kind of getting stoned practiced by early Jews and Christians and latter day Jesus Freaks and hippies (Part 2).

WARNING: Graphic footage of violent atrocities in name of God!
It's a man's world in the Abrahamic religions of the Bible.

This could never happen today in the Christian West unless you're
Pussy Riot and Eastern Orthodox and the police own your country.

Lindsay Lohan crying, scrutiny just beginning

LOS ANGELES – A slew of Lindsay Lohan's recent drug tests were clean, but her fingernails definitely are not. The day after the actress was sentenced to serve 90 days in jail began with news outlets focused on the four-letter expletive painted on Lohan's middle fingers, which she prominently displayed during Tuesday's court hearing. Wednesday ended with the release of a court filing that detailed what's in Lohan's medicine cabinet — a mix of legally prescribed antidepressants, a powerful painkiller and heartburn medication. Neither Lohan's manicure nor her medicines figured in her upcoming return to jail, but both revelations are hints of the intense scrutiny facing the starlet in the coming months. More>>

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• Britain condemns planned Iran stoning as "medieval"
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The "God of Poverty"

In terms of questionable religious practices, nominally Buddhist Japan may now lead the pack. There is a new God of Poverty, which can be struck, kicked, and blamed for financial misfortune -- for a price. The God is willing to shoulder the blame for the current global crisis as well as individual hardships.

• VIDEO: Japan's God of Poverty & Anti-worship Works

This practice echoes the Islamic practice of hurtling stones at the devil (tossing pebbles at a wall called Jamarat during the Hajj, or annual pilgrimage to Mecca).

• VIDEO: Stoning of the Devil (Reuters)

The custom of self-mortification is not limited to the sages and seers of the East. It is still rampant in some parts of Christendom. Most notable is the annual custom of self-flagellation and voluntary crucifixion in the Philippines.

• VIDEO: Nailed to a Cross for Christ

Finally, no culture can rival India for majestic splendor and strange customs. The country hosts the largest human gathering for a single purpose (with hundred of millions attending Kumbh Mela held every dozen years). Its practices are colorful, with periodic lesser Melas every three years, and national holidays like Holi.

• VIDEO: Holi Preparations in India & Holi (BBC)

Related

• Kumbh Mela: 2010
• TIMEAsia: Photo Essay of Kumbh Mela
• The New Gomorrah (India)