False God

Moloch, the most renown False God mentioned in the Old Testament

A False God, or Idol, is a concept that appears within monotheistic religions, like Judaism, Christianity and Islam, who only recognize one God, who created and overseers all there is.

Description

In Abrahamic religions, false god is used as a derogatory term to refer to a deity or object of worship besides the Abrahamic god that is regarded as either illegitimate or non-functioning in its professed authority or capability, and this characterization is further used as a definition of "idol". These religions usually view the deities of other religions (notably polytheistic ones) as demons masquerading as gods.

Nevertheless, the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament itself recognizes and reports that on multiple occasions, the Israelites were not monotheists but actively engaged in idolatry and worshipped many foreign, non-Jewish Gods besides Yahweh and/or instead of him, such as Baal, Astarte, Asherah, Chemosh, Dagon, Moloch, Tammuz, and more, and continued to do so until their return from the Babylonian exile. Judaism, the oldest Abrahamic religion, eventually shifted into a strict, exclusive monotheism, based on the sole veneration of Yahweh, the predecessor to the Abrahamic conception of God.

Known False Gods

• Aamon - Demonic idol of Egyptian god Amun
• Adramelech - False sun god
• Agares - Demonic idol of the Greek figure Argus
• Anamelech - False moon god
• Andras - Demonic idol of Celtic goddess Andraste
• Astaroth - Demonic idol of Phoenician goddess Astarte
• Bael - Demonic idol of several Mesopotamian gods
• Bathin - Demonic idol of Egyptian goddess Nephthys
• Beelzebub (Baal Zebul) - False god of Gluttony
• Belphegor (Baal-Peor or Chemosh) - False god of Sloth
• Berith (Baal Berith) - False god of Covenants
• Bifrons - Demonic idol of Roman god Janus
• Crocell - Demonic idol of Prussian god Peckols
• Dis - Demonic idol of Roman god Dis Pater
• Haagenti - Demonic idol of Egyptian goddess Bastet
• Ipos - Demonic idol of Egyptian god Anubis
• Kimaris - Demonic idol of the Greek monster Chimera
• Mammon - False god of Greed
• Merodach - Demonic idol of Mesopotamian god Marduk
• Moloch - False god of the Ammonites
• Morax - Demonic idol of Egyptian goddess Maat
• Mulciber - Demonic idol of Roman god Vulcan
• Naberius - Demonic idol of the Greek hound Cerberus
• Nisroch - Demonic god of the Assyrian
• Nybbas - Demonic idol of Mesopotamian god Nabu
• Orias - Demonic idol of Egyptian god Osiris
• Paimon - Demonic idol of Egyptian goddess Isis
• Phenex - Demonic idol of the Greek entity Phoenix
• Purson - Demonic idol of Egyptian god Horus
• Raum - Demonic idol of Egyptian god Khnum
• Sabnock - Demonic idol of Egyptian god Sobek
• Sitri - Demonic idol of Egyptian god Set
• Theutus - Demonic idol of Egyptian god Thoth
• Zagan - Demonic idol of Mesopotamian god Dagan
• Zepar - Demonic idol of Greek god Zephyrus

Milton's description

And Devils to adore for Deities:
Then were they known to men by various Names,
And various Idols through the Heathen World.
Say, Muse, thir Names then known, who first, who last,
Rous'd from the slumber, on that fiery Couch,
At thir great Emperors call, as next in worth
Came singly where he stood on the bare strand,
While the promiscuous croud stood yet aloof? 
The chief were those who from the Pit of Hell
Roaming to seek thir prey on earth, durst fix
Thir Seats long after next the Seat of God,
Thir Altars by his Altar, Gods ador'd
Among the Nations round, and durst abide
Jehovah thundring out of Sion, thron'd
Between the Cherubim; yea, often plac'd
Within his Sanctuary it self thir Shrines,
Abominations; and with cursed things
His holy Rites, and solemn Feasts profan'd, 
And with thir darkness durst affront his light.

First Moloch, horrid King besmear'd with blood
Of human sacrifice, and parents tears,
Though for the noyse of Drums and Timbrels loud
Thir childrens cries unheard, that past through fire 
To his grim Idol. Him the Ammonite
Worshipt in Rabba and her watry Plain,
In Argob and in Basan, to the stream
Of utmost Arnon. Nor content with such
Audacious neighbourhood, the wisest heart 
Of Solomon he led by fraud to build
His Temple right against the Temple of God
On that opprobrious Hill, and made his Grove
The pleasant Vally of Hinnom, Tophet thence
And black Gehenna call'd, the Type of Hell.

Next Chemos, th' obscene dread of Moabs Sons,
From Aroar to Nebo, and the wild
Of Southmost Abarim; in Hesebon
And Horonaim, Seons Realm, beyond
The flowry Dale of Sibma clad with Vines,
And Eleale to th' Asphaltick Pool.
Peor his other Name, when he entic'd
Israel in Sittim on thir march from Nile
To do him wanton rites, which cost them woe.
Yet thence his lustful Orgies he enlarg'd
Even to that Hill of scandal, by the Grove
Of Moloch homicide, lust hard by hate;
Till good Josiah drove them thence to Hell.

With these came they, who from the bordring flood
Of old Euphrates to the Brook that parts 
Egypt from Syrian ground, had general Names
Of Baalim and Ashtaroth, those male,
These Feminine. For Spirits when they please
Can either Sex assume, or both; so soft
And uncompounded is thir Essence pure, 
Not ti'd or manacl'd with joynt or limb,
Nor founded on the brittle strength of bones,
Like cumbrous flesh; but in what shape they choose
Dilated or condens't, bright or obscure,
Can execute thir aerie purposes,
And works of love or enmity fulfill.
For those the Race of Israel oft forsook
Thir living strength, and unfrequented left
His righteous Altar, bowing lowly down
To bestial Gods; for which thir heads as low 
Bow'd down in Battel, sunk before the Spear
Of despicable foes. With these in troop
Came Astoreth, whom the Phoenicians call'd
Astarte, Queen of Heav'n, with crescent Horns;
To whose bright Image nightly by the Moon
Sidonian Virgins paid thir Vows and Songs,
In Sion also not unsung, where stood
Her Temple on th' offensive Mountain, built
By that uxorious King, whose heart though large,
Beguil'd by fair Idolatresses, fell, To Idols foul.

Thammuz came next behind,
Whose annual wound in Lebanon allur'd
The Syrian Damsels to lament his fate
In amorous dittyes all a Summers day,
While smooth Adonis from his native Rock 
Ran purple to the Sea, suppos'd with blood
Of Thammuz yearly wounded: the Love-tale
Infected Sions daughters with like heat,
Whose wanton passions in the sacred Porch
Ezekiel saw, when by the Vision led 
His eye survay'd the dark Idolatries
Of alienated Judah.

Next came one
Who mourn'd in earnest, when the Captive Ark
Maim'd his brute Image, head and hands lopt off
In his own Temple, on the grunsel edge,
Where he fell flat, and sham'd his Worshipers:
Dagon his Name, Sea Monster, upward Man
And downward Fish: yet had his Temple high
Rear'd in Azotus, dreaded through the Coast
Of Palestine, in Gath and Ascalon
And Accaron and Gaza's frontier bounds.

Him follow'd Rimmon, whose delightful Seat
Was fair Damascus, on the fertil Banks
Of Abbana and Pharphar, lucid streams.
He also against the house of God was bold: 
A Leper once he lost and gain'd a King,
Ahaz his sottish Conquerour, whom he drew
Gods Altar to disparage and displace
For one of Syrian mode, whereon to burn
His odious off'rings, and adore the Gods 
Whom he had vanquisht.

After these appear'd
A crew who under Names of old Renown,
Osiris, Isis, Orus and their Train
With monstrous shapes and sorceries abus'd
Fanatic Egypt and her Priests, to seek 
Thir wandring Gods disguis'd in brutish forms
Rather then human. Nor did Israel scape
Th' infection when thir borrow'd Gold compos'd
The Calf in Oreb: and the Rebel King
Doubl'd that sin in Bethel and in Dan,
Lik'ning his Maker to the Grazed Ox,
Jehovah, who in one Night when he pass'd
From Egypt marching, equal'd with one stroke
Both her first born and all her bleating Gods.

Trivia

• Lucifer is an interesting case as there is a roman god named Lucifer who share many similarities with each other.