Press TV Shows:
”It felt like world abandoned us”

Mai Zaki Abdel Hamid shares her sense of isolation in standing against the Israeli massacres, expressing a deep feeling that the world has abandoned the Palestinian people.

Watch in full

#WomenofResistance

@PresstvPrograms

“Sudan will not accept help tied to political conditions”

Mekki Elmograbi states that Sudan needs support from friendly countries, but it will not accept assistance tied to political conditions.

Watch in full

#AfricaToday

@PresstvPrograms

"Is Africa a partner or is it a pawn?"

George Galloway examines whether Africa is being treated as an equal partner or merely a strategic tool in the global power struggle.

Watch in full

#HaveItOutWithGalloway

@PresstvPrograms

"Israelis are afraid from the experience with Iran and with the axis of resistance in the region."

Dr. Mohsen Saleh explains Israel's hesitation to attack Iran.

Watch in full

#IsraelWatch

@PresstvPrograms

Foreign-backed attempts to reshape Syria's leadership have left the country divided, leaving the country fragmented under rival factions and foreign influence.

Watch in full

#BlackBox

@PresstvPrograms

Resistance News - South Africa :
Martyrs in Gaza and Lebanon today from Zionist strikes.

This is the face of a cowardly army , the army of filth that can't stand against men. They kill innocent children sitting behind their screens. When you encounter these cowards that served in the IDF , they are scared ,nervous ,shaking cowards.

May the curse of God be on them!!

*Al Muqawamah Al Islamiyah *

The coward has arrived in Washington and will be meeting with the terrorist Trump at 8:30pm.

May the curse of God be on them , their allies and every Muslim leader that aligns with them and begs them for security and fighter jets whilst our people are torn apart!

*Al Muqawamah Al Islamiyah *

Yemeni Ansar'Allah:

"We targeted occupied Tel Aviv with a Drone and targeted US warships in the Red Sea"

May Allah be with you lions of God!

*Al Muqawamah Al Islamiyah *

The irony of the scene. Some Muslim media outlets are spreading this as if it is the greatest contribution to Gaza.

This is a Sheikh calling on the Muslim world to Jihad outside the *Israeli embassy in Istanbul,Turkey*

A person is lost for words. You want to incite the Islamic world while you live in a country that hosts a Israeli embassy.

The government in Istanbul recognizes Israel , facilitates Azerbaijani oil to Israel , plays sport with Israel , Turkish companies own shares in IDF powerstations.

Don't even bother about Jihad , call on Erdogan to severe ties with Israel. It would be enough

*Al Muqawamah Al Islamiyah *

"And ˹remember, O Prophet,˺ when the disbelievers conspired to capture, kill, or exile you. They planned, but Allah also planned. And Allah is the best of planners" - Surah Anfal

*Al Muqawamah Al Islamiyah *

Yemen is under the fire of American aircrafts. America sends continuous weapons shipments to Israel, America threatens Hezbollah with a major war and disarming them and Trump threatens Iran with massive strikes.

This same America has great relations with Erdogan and Turkey. This same terrorist Trump praises them and they warmly embrace him. This same Trump that starves the people of Iran through sanctions considers giving Turkey F35 jets.

Trump tells the tale about Syria. Trump doesn't befriend those that wage war with Israel , he befriends those that pay lip service and cooperate.

We thank Allah that even though our fighters and leaders were martyred ,we were not a part of the group that praised the enemy and the enemy praised them.

May Allah elevate the status of our martyrs , the principled warriors of God!

*Al Muqawamah Al Islamiyah *

Trump today in the meeting with Netanyahu:

"We are friends of Israel, and I am the best president Israel has ever known.

We will provide Israel with $4 billion a year

I like Erdogan and he really likes me."

"And whoever is an ally to them among you – then indeed, he is [one] of them" - Surah Maidah

*Al Muqawamah Al Islamiyah *

Press TV:
Al Mayadeen English (Twitter)

According to Israeli newspaper Ynet, former Shin Bet chief Yoram Cohen revealed on Monday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once requested that he revoke Naftali Bennett’s security clearance in order to block him from joining the Security Cabinet.

Cohen, who served as Shin Bet head from 2011 to 2016 after being appointed by Netanyahu, said the prime minister claimed to have received information casting doubt on Bennett’s loyalty. This alleged concern was tied to Bennett’s past removal from the elite Sayeret Matkal special forces unit during his military service.

According to Cohen, Netanyahu did not ask him to verify the allegations. “He asked me to bar him [Bennett] from participating in the Cabinet, as though he lacked security clearance,” Cohen said. “I asked him if he was serious. I questioned how something from 30 years ago could be relevant and told him I would do no such thing.”

Sarah Wilkinson (Twitter)

RT @Pal_action: BREAKING: Palestine Action target the Glenrothes office of Scottish Enterprise.

The government body funds Israeli weaponry manufacturers through public funds.

Overnight, five of their offices in Scotland and London were hit.

Sarah Wilkinson (Twitter)

The aftermath of the israeli bombing of the journalists’ tent at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, which killed 2 & left 7 critical

Hawra Naqvi:
https://x.com/HawraNaqvi/status/1909297445881708942?t=ovvF0ec3M39OH92uegtqHw&s=19

In #Gaza,
Schools turn to wards,
Wards to graves.
Birds fall,
Humans rise —
And the world just watches
With quiet eyes

#ترند_نسل_کشی

Press TV:
Sarah Wilkinson (Twitter)

Millions around the world marched today in denunciation of the ongoing israeli genocide, joining a whole day of ‘global strike’ for Gaza’s people

‌Al Mayadeen English (Twitter)

One of the activists, Ghada al-Shaarani, revealed details of the abuses, including beatings, particularly targeting women and directed at the head, as well as death threats.

#Syria
en.mdn.tv/8Ojf

Peter Pyke:
Before we get too carried away by the Western-generated (Israel) narratives that Imamoglu is a credible and "popular" Presidential challenge to Erdogan - perhaps we should dig a little deeper. Not only do the corruption charges extend to 80 of the municipality workers... there has been controversy over Imamoglu's University qualifications which, if proven, would disqualify him from running as President LOL. "Arab Spring" was always a CIA/MI6/Mossad operation. Who benefits from destabilising Turkey right now? How many foreign Takfiri elements are inside Turkey as a result of the regime change war against Syria since 2011? Millions. Who are actually on the streets? Who is funding Imamoglu and the protests? These are all questions I would be asking before drawing conclusions..


A founding partner of a private-run university in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) testified in a case against Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu in a notorious “fake diploma” investigation against the mayor.

Press TV:
‌Al Mayadeen English (Twitter)

The #tariffs imposed by #Trump send a jolt through the spine of the global economy, as investors try to balance between covering their losses using #gold and protecting themselves from further instability. en.mdn.tv/8OkN

‌Al Mayadeen English (Twitter)

Despite an intense #US military campaign, the #Yemeni Armed Forces continue to strike Israeli targets and US warships, proving the limited effect of the US aggression on the country's capabilities.

#Yemen
en.mdn.tv/8Okf

Al Mayadeen English (Twitter)

The Lebanese Ministry of Health reported that two Syrian nationals were killed and two Lebanese citizens were injured in two Israeli airstrikes targeting South #Lebanon.

One of the airstrikes targeted the Kfar Kila–Khiam road near al-Dardara, while the other hit the town of al-Taybeh in South Lebanon.

‌Al Mayadeen English (Twitter)

#BernieSanders has denounced #DonaldTrump's influence in transforming the #US into a "pseudo-democracy" with billionaires like #ElonMusk shaping the system. en.mdn.tv/8OkP

‌Al Mayadeen English (Twitter)

From empowering conspiracy theorists to making unpredictable decisions, #DonaldTrump administration's "true face" is becoming clearer by the day.

#US
en.mdn.tv/8Ojv

Megatron (Twitter)

BREAKING: 🇺🇲 Trump canceled a press conference with Benjamin Netanyahu today.

Al Mayadeen English (Twitter)

The White House said that a previously scheduled press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set to take place today was canceled.

The conference was expected to focus primarily on tariffs imposed by #US President #DonaldTrump.

No reason was provided as to why the press conference has been canceled.

However, Trump and Netanyahu will still take questions in the Oval Office from a smaller group of reporters during their bilateral meeting at 2 pm today, according to the White House.

Khamenei Media (Twitter)

Unprecedented in history

In the history we’ve witnessed or read about, we cannot recall a case where around 20,000 children were martyred in a military conflict in less than two years!

Imam Khamenei
March 31, 2025

#Gaza #Palestine

Al Mayadeen English (Twitter)

The Yemeni Armed Forces spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree announced that the YAF's UAV unit carried out an attack on an Israeli site in the occupied city of Yafa.

The YAF also carried out a missile and drone attack on enemy naval vessels in the #RedSea responsible for the aggression against #Yemen, the spokesperson added.

This comes as the #US continues to attack Yemen, killing and injuring civilians and destroying civilian infrastructure.

Sarah Wilkinson (Twitter)

The people of Bangladesh turned up in their multitudes for Palestine and Gaza condemning the israelis, declaring that ‘we are one Ummah’ | we are

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are being withdrawn from the Sheikh Maksoud district in Aleppo, located east of the Euphrates, under the control of the new Syrian government’s Ministry of Defense, according to Syrian SANA news agency.An agreement has been reached between the new Syrian administration and the SDF. Under this agreement, forces stationed in the Sheikh Maksoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods of Aleppo will be transformed into Public Security Forces and integrated into the Autonomous Administration.Additionally, 170 SDF prisoners and 400 prisoners affiliated with the Syrian government and its allied groups will be released.Adding from today:Yemen's Ansar Allah (Houthis) reports an attack on the US aircraft carrier "Truman" in the Red Sea, with several hours of combat between the two forces."Our forces struck American warships in the Red Sea with cruise missiles," the movement claimed.In the last 24 hours, Yemen's forces also intercepted two airstrikes that the US was preparing to launch on it, according to the movement.

*The International Monetary Fund (IMF) overhauls balance of payments standards to integrate Bitcoin and digital assets*

Updated: March 22 2025
https://www.cryptopolitan.com/imf-revises-standards-to-include-crypto/?utm_source=CPTelegram

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) *has updated its payment standards to incorporate cryptocurrencies.*

The BPM7 manual grouped digital assets according to whether or not they have a corresponding liability.

The IMF also acknowledged the complexity of staking and the essential role of validators in confirming transactions.

In the newly released seventh edition of its Balance of Payments Manual (BPM7), the agency introduces comprehensive guidelines for the first time, *integrating digital assets into GLOBAL statistical frameworks.*
*------------------------------------*
IMF is an international organization that aims to promote GLOBAL economic stability, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty.

*The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has a total of 191 member countries. Here's a list of some of the member countries:*

- *Africa*: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, *Nigeria,* Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, São Tomé and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
- *Asia*: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Cyprus, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao PDR, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen
- *Europe*: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom
- *North America*: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, United States
- *Oceania*: Australia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu
- *South America*: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela

the framework of ideas and practices
Fertility of agriculture, of edible animals, and of the human population was a paramount factor in the life and religion of the ancient Middle East. The forms that the fertility rites assumed varied from region to region, depending on climate and geography. Rain and dew were all-important in Canaan but of little significance in Egypt. In both areas water was crucial, but the source of the life-giving water was entirely different. The agricultural year varied in the two regions. In Egypt the year was divided into three seasons: inundation, sowing, and harvest. In Canaan there were two seasons: the winter, characterized by rain

The population desired the normal pattern of times and seasons, so that “seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22). But since the seasonal pattern is not dependable, the need for order evoked a system of cycles, notably the sabbatical, or seven-year, cycle. The sabbatical year was the seventh year, and the jubilee year followed seven sabbatical cycles. This was a pervasive system in the ancient Middle East. A Ugaritic liturgical text specially designed for this phenomenon aims at terminating a sabbatical cycle of privation and ushering in one of fertility by celebrating the birth and triumphal entrance of the deities Shahar (“Dawn”) and Shalim (“Dusk”), whose advent brings an abundance of food and wine.

Related Topics: Mesopotamian religion ancient Egyptian religion ancient Iranian religion Syrian and Palestinian religion Anatolian religion
It was only natural that fertility rites should include sexual myths that were acted out dramatically. The Ugaritic text just alluded to describes El, the head of the pantheon, copulating with two human women. This has echoes in Hosea and Ezekiel where God, as in the Canaanite literary tradition, is referred to as having a love affair with two women, symbolizing Judah and Israel. The Hebrews, however, eventually eliminated sex from their official theology as well as from their religious practices. Up to the time of King Josiah’s reform (621 bc) there was a women’s cult of Asherah (under qedeshim auspices [consecrated for fertility practices], according to 2 Kings 23:7) in the Jerusalem Temple, alongside the male cult of Yahweh. Asherah’s devotees considered her the chief wife of Yahweh, even as she was the wife of El, head of the Canaanite pantheon, for in the Bible El is identified with Yahweh. But Josiah eliminated the cult of Asherah, and official Judaism has since then left no place for other gods, which meant the elimination of every goddess. Popular religion, to be sure, persisted in the female fertility principle until the destruction of the Temple in 586 bc. In Judaean excavations Astarte figurines were found in private homes down to that time. Further purification of the Hebrew religion, which was intensified by the catastrophe of 586, put an end to the practice of pagan fertility rites, including the use of goddess figurines. Without goddesses there could be no sexual activity in the pantheon, and thus Judaism has developed without a divine mother figure.

The ancient Middle East made a place for homosexuality and bestiality in its myths and rites. In the Asherah cult the qedeshim priests had a reputation for homosexual practices, even as the qedeshot priestesses for prostitution. Israel eventually banned both the qedeshim and qedeshot, while in Ugarit the qedeshim and kohanim were priestly guilds in equally good standing. Baal is portrayed in Ugaritic mythology as impregnating a heifer to sire the young bull god. The biblical book of Leviticus (18:22–27) bans homosexuality and bestiality expressly because the Canaanite population had been practicing those rites, which the Hebrews rejected as abominations.

Phoenician/Punic sites include an area called the tophet that contains large numbers of infant burials. One explanation of the tophet is that it reflects a major aspect of a fertility cult in which the first-born child belonged to the deity. The deity rewarded the parents who had sacrificed their child with future fertility. In the Hebrew Bible, just as the firstfruits of the harvest belong to God, so do the first-born of the people and their domestic animals (Exodus 13:1, 12–13, 15).

The actual cases in the literature do not always specify infant sacrifice. The Bible describes how King Mesha of Moab sacrificed his crown prince to avert a military disaster (2 Kings 3:27). King Ahaz of Judah sacrificed his son in pagan fashion (2 Kings 16:3). King Manasseh of Judah sacrificed his sons by fire (2 Chronicles 33:6), filling Jerusalem with innocent blood.

The Jewish practice of redeeming a first-born son at the age of one month (Numbers 18:16–17) appears to be a milder substitute for the practice of child sacrifice. Another alternative to sacrificing a child was to dedicate it to the service of God. Hannah, by fulfilling her vow to dedicate her first-born, Samuel, to God’s service (1 Samuel 1:27–28) was rewarded by the birth of five other children whom she and her husband could keep for themselves (1 Samuel 2:20–21).

According to ancient views, the myth came first, and the rite imitated or reenacted it. This sequence, however, is not necessarily the order in which religion develops. Rites can be very tenacious, and when the origin of a rite has been forgotten, a myth has often been invented to explain it.

Types of religious organization and authority
Religion occurs at different levels of society: personal, familial, local, national, and international. At the personal and international extremes there is need for but little organization. And yet in religion, as the people of the ancient Middle East saw it, there was a progression from one stage to the next. In the early myths of Genesis, God and Noah have direct personal relations. This leads to a covenant between God and all who went out of the ark: birds and beasts as well as mankind (Genesis 9:9–10). Through the sons of Noah and their descendants, who form the nations of the world (Genesis 10), there is a theoretical progress to international religion. This scheme of the relations between God and mankind, from the personal to the universal level, mirrors the historical record of religion. Judaism (followed later by Christianity and Islām) traces “the Religion” back to Abraham, who had personal and direct relations with God, as was customary in the ancient Middle Eastern milieu. Abraham’s intimacy with God is similar to the intimacy between Odysseus and the Greek goddess Athena. The next step is a covenant between a particular deity and a particular person, binding the two together in a contractual relationship for all eternity from generation to generation. Such covenants were not rare; the Hittite King Hattusilis III made such a covenant with Ishtar. Abraham’s covenant is unique simply because it was the only one destined to last in history.

The descendants of able men who established a dynasty or tradition would worship the God of their father, or fathers, and adhere to the original covenant. Genesis 31 portrays Jacob and Laban swearing by their respective ancestral gods: Jacob by the god(s) of Abraham and Laban by the god(s) of Nahor. Once a group expanded into a federation of clans or tribes, religious organization became necessary. A central shrine (such as the one at Shiloh in Israel) for amphictyonic (religious confederational) pilgrimage festivals required a professional priesthood and other religious personnel to take care of sacrifices, give oracular guidance, interpret dreams and omens, as well as to provide instruction. In an amphictyony of 12 tribes, each tribe could render federal service for religious and secular purposes, one month each year. A special tribe (such as the Levites in Israel, or the Magians in Iran) could be dedicated full-time to cultic duties.

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Nature: the framework of ideas and practices
Fertility of agriculture, of edible animals, and of the human population was a paramount factor in the life and religion of the ancient Middle East. The forms that the fertility rites assumed varied from region to region, depending on climate and geography. Rain and dew were all-important in Canaan but of little significance in Egypt. In both areas water was crucial, but the source of the life-giving water was entirely different. The agricultural year varied in the two regions. In Egypt the year was divided into three seasons: inundation, sowing, and harvest. In Canaan there were two seasons: the winter, characterized by rainfall, and the summer, characterized by dew. The year was punctuated by different agricultural activities, as is indicated in the Gezer Calendar, in which all 12 months are accounted for as times of profitable agricultural activity, with harvests in the rainless summer as well as in the green winter. Anxiety was caused by the uncertainty of rain in the rainy season and of dew in its season. All of the regions of the ancient Middle East schematized the blessing of good years and the threat of bad years in terms of seven-year cycles. A Mesopotamian text illustrating this is the Gilgamesh epic (8:101–113), in which the slaying of the hero Gilgamesh would initiate seven lean years. At Ugarit the slaying of the hero Aqhat evokes a curse depriving the land of rain and dew for seven (or, climactically, eight) years. The seven lean and seven fat years in the biblical story of Joseph in Egypt reflect the same system. In Egypt, of course, rain and dew are out of the picture; instead, generous Nile risings mean prosperity; inadequate risings in the season of inundation spells misery. A text of the Ptolemaic period (4th–1st century bc), purporting to record events of the Pyramid age, tells of seven lean years in the reign of Djoser (3rd dynasty; i.e., c. 2650–c. 2575 bc). The pharaoh appealed to the gods, who responded by restoring an abundant flow of the Nile.

The population desired the normal pattern of times and seasons, so that “seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22). But since the seasonal pattern is not dependable, the need for order evoked a system of cycles, notably the sabbatical, or seven-year, cycle. The sabbatical year was the seventh year, and the jubilee year followed seven sabbatical cycles. This was a pervasive system in the ancient Middle East. A Ugaritic liturgical text specially designed for this phenomenon aims at terminating a sabbatical cycle of privation and ushering in one of fertility by celebrating the birth and triumphal entrance of the deities Shahar (“Dawn”) and Shalim (“Dusk”), whose advent brings an abundance of food and wine.

Related Topics: Mesopotamian religion ancient Egyptian religion ancient Iranian religion Syrian and Palestinian religion Anatolian religion
It was only natural that fertility rites should include sexual myths that were acted out dramatically. The Ugaritic text just alluded to describes El, the head of the pantheon, copulating with two human women. This has echoes in Hosea and Ezekiel where God, as in the Canaanite literary tradition, is referred to as having a love affair with two women, symbolizing Judah and Israel. The Hebrews, however, eventually eliminated sex from their official theology as well as from their religious practices. Up to the time of King Josiah’s reform (621 bc) there was a women’s cult of Asherah (under qedeshim auspices [consecrated for fertility practices], according to 2 Kings 23:7) in the Jerusalem Temple, alongside the male cult of Yahweh. Asherah’s devotees considered her the chief wife of Yahweh, even as she was the wife of El, head of the Canaanite pantheon, for in the Bible El is identified with Yahweh. But Josiah eliminated the cult of Asherah, and official Judaism has since then left no place for other gods, which meant the elimination of every goddess. Popular religion, to be sure, persisted in the female fertility principle until the destruction of the Temple in 586 bc. In Judaean excavations Astarte figurines were found in private homes down to that time. Further purification of the Hebrew religion, which was intensified by the catastrophe of 586, put an end to the practice of pagan fertility rites, including the use of goddess figurines. Without goddesses there could be no sexual activity in the pantheon, and thus Judaism has developed without a divine mother figure.

The ancient Middle East made a place for homosexuality and bestiality in its myths and rites. In the Asherah cult the qedeshim priests had a reputation for homosexual practices, even as the qedeshot priestesses for prostitution. Israel eventually banned both the qedeshim and qedeshot, while in Ugarit the qedeshim and kohanim were priestly guilds in equally good standing. Baal is portrayed in Ugaritic mythology as impregnating a heifer to sire the young bull god. The biblical book of Leviticus (18:22–27) bans homosexuality and bestiality expressly because the Canaanite population had been practicing those rites, which the Hebrews rejected as abominations.

Phoenician/Punic sites include an area called the tophet that contains large numbers of infant burials. One explanation of the tophet is that it reflects a major aspect of a fertility cult in which the first-born child belonged to the deity. The deity rewarded the parents who had sacrificed their child with future fertility. In the Hebrew Bible, just as the firstfruits of the harvest belong to God, so do the first-born of the people and their domestic animals (Exodus 13:1, 12–13, 15).

The actual cases in the literature do not always specify infant sacrifice. The Bible describes how King Mesha of Moab sacrificed his crown prince to avert a military disaster (2 Kings 3:27). King Ahaz of Judah sacrificed his son in pagan fashion (2 Kings 16:3). King Manasseh of Judah sacrificed his sons by fire (2 Chronicles 33:6), filling Jerusalem with innocent blood.

The Jewish practice of redeeming a first-born son at the age of one month (Numbers 18:16–17) appears to be a milder substitute for the practice of child sacrifice. Another alternative to sacrificing a child was to dedicate it to the service of God. Hannah, by fulfilling her vow to dedicate her first-born, Samuel, to God’s service (1 Samuel 1:27–28) was rewarded by the birth of five other children whom she and her husband could keep for themselves (1 Samuel 2:20–21).

According to ancient views, the myth came first, and the rite imitated or reenacted it. This sequence, however, is not necessarily the order in which religion develops. Rites can be very tenacious, and when the origin of a rite has been forgotten, a myth has often been invented to explain it.

Types of religious organization and authority
Religion occurs at different levels of society: personal, familial, local, national, and international. At the personal and international extremes there is need for but little organization. And yet in religion, as the people of the ancient Middle East saw it, there was a progression from one stage to the next. In the early myths of Genesis, God and Noah have direct personal relations. This leads to a covenant between God and all who went out of the ark: birds and beasts as well as mankind (Genesis 9:9–10). Through the sons of Noah and their descendants, who form the nations of the world (Genesis 10), there is a theoretical progress to international religion. This scheme of the relations between God and mankind, from the personal to the universal level, mirrors the historical record of religion. Judaism (followed later by Christianity and Islām) traces “the Religion” back to Abraham, who had personal and direct relations with God, as was customary in the ancient Middle Eastern milieu. Abraham’s intimacy with God is similar to the intimacy between Odysseus and the Greek goddess Athena. The next step is a covenant between a particular deity and a particular person, binding the two together in a contractual relationship for all eternity from generation to generation. Such covenants were not rare; the Hittite King Hattusilis III made such a covenant with Ishtar. Abraham’s covenant is unique simply because it was the only one destined to last in history.

The descendants of able men who established a dynasty or tradition would worship the God of their father, or fathers, and adhere to the original covenant. Genesis 31 portrays Jacob and Laban swearing by their respective ancestral gods: Jacob by the god(s) of Abraham and Laban by the god(s) of Nahor. Once a group expanded into a federation of clans or tribes, religious organization became necessary. A central shrine (such as the one at Shiloh in Israel) for amphictyonic (religious confederational) pilgrimage festivals required a professional priesthood and other religious personnel to take care of sacrifices, give oracular guidance, interpret dreams and omens, as well as to provide instruction. In an amphictyony of 12 tribes, each tribe could render federal service for religious and secular purposes, one month each year. A special tribe (such as the Levites in Israel, or the Magians in Iran) could be dedicated full-time to cultic duties.