Was Ba'al related to the act of infanticide/child abandonment in the ancient world?
I have a question that led me to develop a hypothesis. If we look at ancient civilizations, the act of abandoning children, for reasons related to the child's health or economic factors, was quite common. This does not mean that it happened all the time, but it was a tolerated act. And in some cases, there were even acts of infanticide. My question reflects on the view of the Phoenician god Ba'al, who in the Judeo-Christian tradition is presented as a demon that feeds on children. I also know that the Romans describe the Carthaginians as worshippers of this god to whom they sacrifice children. The problem is that both the Jewish and Roman populations had very precise political motivations to slander the Canaanite deities, so I find it hard to believe that it was the pure and simple truth. My question is: was the cult of Ba'al linked to practices of abandoning infants more than to actual sacrifices? Feel free to correct me if I have made mistakes.