Secret History of the Colonies wrote:[Pilgrim] groups studied and gradually integrated the religious practices of the
Native tribes, often interpreting deities and rites in terms of their
personal traditions. In this way, figures such as Metatron, Samael, and
Molech were brought to the New World . . .
Let's dig through some history.
Molech (AKA Moloch) was an ancient ammonite god appeased through the sacrifice of children. In the 8th-6th centuries B.C.E., firstborns were sacrificed to Molech by being placed in the hands of a hollow, burning bull statue. Flutes, drums, and other instruments were played to prevent the child’s screams from reaching witness’ ears.
This ancient rite was later condemned in religious texts, most notably notably in Leviticus 20:2–5 where God commands Moses to warn of the consequences of sacrificing to Molech:
So, sacrifice to Molech results in the death penalty and banishment. The perpetrator has defiled God’s sanctuary and profaned His name by worshipping another.God wrote:Whoever . . . gives any of his seed l'Molech; he shall surely be put to death . . . And I will set my face against that man and will cut him off from among his people; because he has given of his seed l'Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.
The Bible isn't the only place where Molech is mentioned. Literature alludes to him, too: Another text, this time in John Milton's Paradise Lost describes a detailed (though partly fictionalized) incarnation of Molech (bolds mine):
And about two centuries later, Collin de Plancy’s Dictionnaire Infernal (1863) interprets Milton’s depiction of Molech as a frightening and terrible demon covered with "mothers' tears" and "children's blood" (I couldn't find the specific "mother's tears" de Plancy mentions is in Milton's original, though there is allusion to "parent's tears".)Paradise Lost (1667): 391-405 wrote: First, Moloch, horrid King, besmeared with blood
Of human sacrifice, and parents’ tears;
Though, for the noise of drums and timbrels loud,
Their children’s cries unheard that passed through fire
To his grim idol. Him the Ammonite
Worshiped in Rabba and her watery plain,
In Argob and in Basan, to the stream
Of utmost Arnon. . .
Hm...interesting. So, what does this have to do with Downpour?
Well, the Molech mythos has much do do with Downpour's characters and their arcs. Charlie is the first-born child sacrificed to Molech, who the parallel to Napier, a child murderer appeased through sacrifice.
Paradise Lost depicts Molech as being worshipped in places of water; first in the “watery plain†of Rabba, and second in the “stream of utmost Arnonâ€. Murphy’s watery otherworld may be an allusion to this, though it's much more likely inspired by the developer's creativity rather than obscure literary mythos.
Second is Carol. God punishes the man (Murphy) who sacrifices his child. Depending on your ending, Murphy did not do this purposefully, but in Carol's eyes it's Murphy’s fault for the death of their child. Banishment is the punishment: Carol separates from Murphy later on, and he's left alone. "Mother is God in the eyes of a child", from the first Silent Hill film, immediately reminded me of Carol's role as God and his authority as mentioned in the passage on Molech. In her letter, Carol also accuses Murphy of "destroying everything I had left in this world", alluding to the defilement of God’s sanctuary from sacrificing a child to Molech in Leviticus 20:2–5.
In his text, De Plancy cites “mothers’ tears and children’s blood†covering Molech’s body. Carol’s tears and Charlie’s blood, anyone?
This new god raises up a few questions. Could the Screamers possibly represent the voices of sacrificed, Charlie in this case? The specifics of Molech sacrifice mention playing instruments like drums and flutes to drown out the screams of the children. The purpose of the Screamers might be to stop Murphy from ignoring what he thinks is the pain Charlie suffered as he was molested and murdered by Napier.
Another thought: could this new entity, Molech, play a part in the Order's earliest mythos? Might Molech be worshipped in a separate sect in current Silent Hill?
That's pretty much it. We can thank Vatra for taking the time to add this in.