You'll have to explain how it's "slandering" these lesser gods when the Israelites were told not to worship Ba'al and Moloch by sacrificing their newborn to them via fire?
What, pray-tell is the civilisational upside to sacrificing newborns in the fire to lesser gods?
You're misunderstanding me. "Slandering" as in: taking them from the concept of a different god, to a literal metaphysical monster. They aren't just neutrally stating: "here is this other god, and this is what it's rituals are like." They are engaging in an act of character assassination against the god.
You'll have to explain how it's "slandering" these lesser gods when the Israelites were told not to worship Ba'al and Moloch by sacrificing their newborn to them via fire?
What, pray-tell is the civilisational upside to sacrificing newborns in the fire to lesser gods?
You're misunderstanding me. "Slandering" as in: taking them from the concept of a different god, to a literal metaphysical monster. They aren't just neutrally stating: "here is this other god, and this is what it's rituals are like." They are engaging in an act of character assassination against the god.
And rightfully so, because the character of that god encouraged acts of evil and destabilisation of society.
Correct.