In Scripture there is a consistent warning about a particular class of female idols, commonly referred to by variations of Asherah, Ashtarte or Ishtar, and these are related to the European Oester. Reading between the lines, we see that this all hinges on women asserting a dominion against their men. It goes back to Genesis 3:16, part of the curse of the Fall: “You will want to control your husband, but he will dominate you.”
We note in passing that, while the various pantheons in that part of the world did offer other classes of female deities, this one was singled out as loathsome for deifying and enshrining as sacred the single greatest flaw in feminine nature. This is a perverse mockery of redemption. Granted, the Hebrew language is rather cryptic here in the curses, but what’s obvious is that in our current fallen state, it’s utterly wrong for a woman to dominate men, and wrong for men to supplicate any female for her favors.
Of all the various deities the Germanic tribes could have adopted from the Ancient Near East, Oester represents the ultimate folly. It also reminds us of the quintessential problem with Western Civilization, which went on to absorb the perverse deity. Everything wrong about Western feminist mythology arises from that mistake.
To complicate matters further, all the worst of Western manhood rests on the sin of Adam. That is, being a lazy ass and refusing to perform his duty as moral guardian, Adam went along with Eve’s choice and cursed every man ever after. The Germanic tribes thus give us a manhood image deeply stained with self-absorbed boyhood. It’s a little more complicated to describe, but a critical moral failure of the Baals worshiped alongside the Asherah was the lazy, self-absorbed lordship image.
My point here is the pastoral duty upon me to help heal this broken image. Not that I could pretend to offer any change to our fallen nature, but to point out how the revelation of God aimed to ameliorate the Fall and offer the best hope for a life worth living to bring Him glory. Participating in His glory is always in our best interest.
At one time it was very popular to make jokes about men (“male chauvinist pig”) with fragile egos. To assert that all men are irreparably so and then openly arming women to attack this is no redemptive effort, obviously. Healing begins with first and foremost making men less lazy and teaching them to ditch the fragile ego. Build a genuine shepherd manhood and pay no attention to our social orthodoxy. In fact, make it a point to opt out. Find your own way of expressing it, but simply refuse to participate in the silly games.
Sisters, a man with a fragile ego is just a boy, but a man’s ego itself is not your enemy. A man with a poor or broken ego is just a slave. What you need most is the divine moral covering of a strong shepherd and his ego is very much a critical asset to the performance of his calling. Proper feeding and caring for the man includes a good moral ego maintenance.
Brothers, you had best figure out what a woman’s ego is like and how it works. There is some overlap, but your woman is not like a man. She has her own unique logic and it’s your duty to God to understand her. The rest is in my book, or if you prefer, any number of Red Pill “game” sites, sometimes referred to as the manosphere.
What you must not forget is that you two are a team, and you never, ever cast aspersions on your mate in front of others. You don’t have to defend their mistakes, but you have to defend their ultimate value to you. When you first reach out for each other, the covenant stands in the presence of God. You should not embrace whatever it is you imagine they might become, but what they are and all the bad habits they may develop. You give them first to God and wait to see what His hand brings, but do not marry unless you are certain He is in it.
However, a woman who makes a habit of attacking male egos serves her Ashtarte, and will never be yours, nor even just a friend.
