The Philistines, persistent adversaries of God's people since the time of Abraham, revered Dagon, their fish god, who was an abomination to the God of Israel. This enmity was evident when Samson, in the 12th century BC, perished while demolishing the Philistines' temple of Dagon. Later, the Philistines attacked the Israelites, capturing the ark of the covenant, with Dagon remaining a central figure in their worship.

Ancient pagan fertility rites, which long predate Christianity, represented male fertility through symbols such as upright stones, pillars, obelisks, or slender towers. The lingam, a stylized phallic symbol, is found worldwide. Various architectural structures, like towers, spires before churches, and minarets before mosques, originated from these ancient fertility rites and phallic worship practices.

Many modern Easter traditions stem from ancient pagan practices tied to fertility worship. The name Easter likely originates from a Germanic goddess, Eoster or Ostara, associated with the radiant dawn and up-springing light, a symbolism easily adapted to the Christian resurrection day. Further back, the name connects to Middle Eastern goddesses like Ishtar, Astarte, Isis, Aphrodite, and Venus, often modeled after Nimrod's wife, Semiramis, as named by the Greeks. These goddesses embodied fertility, encompassing love, sex, power, and even war due to the conflicts arising from such passions. Throughout history, symbols like eggs and bunnies have been linked to fertility across 6,000 years of human tradition. Chocolate, often seen as an aphrodisiac, ties into themes of love and sex. The original Easter bonnet, a circlet of leaves and flowers, symbolized the cycle of seasons and the arrival of spring. Even the Easter ham may trace back to a legend involving Ishtar, proclaiming a pig be eaten on the anniversary of Tammuz' death, as he was slain by a boar. In the first millennium, the Catholic Church incorporated these pagan Easter traditions into its Feast of the Resurrection, blending ancient fertility symbols with Christian observance.