[trane250]

The worship or adoration of Mary is rooted in the longing for a female deity to balance out the male deity. The ancient Israelites freely worshiped a female goddess whose name was Ashtoreth. [. . .] The Romans needed a female deity to assuage the heathen masses and so Mary was elevated to that exalted perch.

Really? That's a very bold statement to make without a source to back it up.

Have you ever visited the Pantheon in Rome? This magnificent structure was built to honor the many gods and goddesses that the Romans worshiped and adored. The goddesses Juno and Isis were especially revered. Introducing a new state religion to the Roman masses based on a single (or uniplural) male god was simply too radical and unnatural.

The male chauvinist authors and redactors of the Torah eliminated Ashtoreth as a deity.

Really? I thought the Jews avoided worshiping pagan goddesses because they were false. That sentence implies: 1) there is truly such a goddess, 2) that Judaism is masking the truth by eliminating her.

I said the ancient Israelites. The Jews or Judaeans came later after the Babylonian exile during which time they wrote their scriptures and devised a new boxy alphabet to replace the north semitic script that they had used.

Is Ashtoreth a living goddess? Probably not. But I always try to keep an open mind.

[Pyro7480]

Introducing a new state religion to the Roman masses based on a single (or uniplural) male god was simply too radical and unnatural.

Then you're all but saying that the early Christians spread their faith in futility.

[FourtySeven]

The goddesses Juno and Isis were especially revered [in Rome].

Isn't Isis an Egyptian goddess? Or did you mean the company Isis Pharmaceuticals? I don't think they were around in ancient Rome.

[GCC Catholic]

Have you ever visited the Pantheon in Rome? This magnificent structure was built to honor the many gods and goddesses that the Romans worshiped and adored. The goddesses Juno and Isis were especially revered. Introducing a new state religion to the Roman masses based on a single (or uniplural) male god was simply too radical and unnatural.

No, I haven't, but I'd love to.
I might buy your argument, except that Mary was revered far earlier than the widespread adoption of Christianity. Also, she was revered in places (as another poster mentioned) like Armenia (Armenians) and Egypt (Copts). Roman mystery religion just doesn't explain it; likewise, if you were correct, the early Christians would have had no issue with priestesses (yet Christianity never had them) nor with offering sacrifice to the Saints (which as a poster mentioned was explicitly condemned as heresy).

I said the ancient Israelites. The Jews or Judaeans came later after the Babylonian exile during which time they wrote their scriptures and devised a new boxy alphabet to replace the north semitic script that they had used.

That's what all the nonsense about redactors was. IIRC, conservative Christians of all stripes reject such a widespread revision of the OT. Too much emphasis on the historical-critical method in your theory for my liking.

Is Ashtoreth a living goddess? Probably not.

Ashtoreth is a false and made-up deity at best, and a demon at worst.

But I always try to keep an open mind.

Not too open... because you don't want anything running out.