The Ancient Hebrews Worshipped an Imaginery Volcano God

I am pleased you admit that there is a real possibility that the ancient Hebrews worshipped volcanic activity. An open mind is crucial if a debate is to be benefitial. It would most certainly be a grave error if one descriptor was chosen over all others without reason. I can see what you are implying and I think it shows you have given this theory some intelligent thought. I would now like to give you a glimpse of the reasoning behind choosing volcanism over, for example, shepherding. Why do I feel Yahweh was a volcano god and not a shepherd god? One of the main reasons is that a volcano god could also be said to be a shepherd (as could all gods who guide, instruct, care for, protect, etc) in the same way a volcano god could also be described as a father (guiding, instructing, caring for, protecting, etc). However, a shepherd god could not be described as being a volcano. The one at the hub is the defining one. Which one inter-relates with all the others? The use of the word 'shepherd' is to denote a characteristic of Yahweh and not his overall title. Of the thousands of nature gods of history, shepherd gods do not figure in great numbers whereas volcano gods were numerous. In fact, I can only find one...the Greek god Pan. http://en.wikipedia.org...(god) Pan was said to have sheep features...'He has the hindquarters, legs, and horns of a goat'. Despite a match being made with Yahweh and Pan due to the word 'shepherd', there is nothing that suggests Yahweh looked like a goat. In fact, Yahweh was said to look like a fire on the top of a mountain, had rivers of fire coming from before him, shot out brimstone and had smoke coming out of his notrils. If we were to go on looks alone we would have to assume Yahweh and Pan were different types of gods because they certainly did not look like each other. Exodus 19 9 And the Lord said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the Lord. 16 And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. 18 And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. Yahweh certainly did not sound like a shepherd when Moses 'met' him on Mount Sinai. However, Yahweh had shepherded the Hebrews to him due to... Psalm 77:20 You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron. Psalm 78:14 He guided them with the cloud by day and with light from the fire all night. Those verses are refering to the pillar of smoke by day and pillar of smoke by night the Hebrews walked towards after leaving Egypt. The pillar appeared to be shepherding them, but that was because something noticeable in the distance will look as though it is moving when the followers are meandering around deserts and hills trying to get to it. It causes an optical illusion. Genesis 49:24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:) Have you ever known a shepherd be described as a stone? Yahweh was also often described by authors as 'My Rock'. 1 Kings 22:17 And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the LORD said, These have no master: let them return every man to his house in peace. Jeremiah 31:10 Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock. Ezekiel 34:12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. AS sheep without a shepherd/AS a shepherd doth his flock. 'AS'. These verses, and others, say the word shepherd is a metaphor. I'm sure there could have been no confusion. After all, the Hebrews were very familiar with shepherds; they knew one when they saw one. On the contrary, the Hebrews did not know what a volcano was and that is proven in the fact the Bible does not contain the word 'volcano' or any word for volcano. The only volcanic terms are those used to describe Yahweh. Now, if the Hebrews DID know what volcanoes were and DID use the word (or its equivalent) in ways not related to Yahweh then this theory does not hold much ground. It was volcanism that awed the Hebrews at Mount Sinai and not a shepherd. I have stated my argument briefly in my opening post. Now can you please argue those stated points.