How could anyone worship a deity that kills completely innocent people?

Question

Seriously, the Biblical God kills THOUSANDS of innocent people; the first born sons of Egypt, all of the innocent people in S.&G. with sulfur (I'm sure someone will tell me that all of the people in those cities were guilty of sin....but come on, they were cities, they had to have new born children in them), etc etc.

So how can someone truly believe in an all powerful, all knowing God that kills innocent people that he supposedly created?????

-Am I alone in feeling that this is COMPELTELY illogical?

edit: COMPLETELY...for those of you that pick on spelling errors :)

Answer 1

You are not alone.

I could never follow a God that is so cruel. It's almost as though that god gets his jollies watching people suffer.

Even more absurd is the often quoted "He is God and can do whatever he wants". As though that justifies the cruelty.

Answer 2

Esther: Sacrifices had to be made back then? For what? What were all these people and innocnet children sacrificed for? Your God? To apease him? If thats the case then why arent we sacrificing people today? Why dosent God wipe out entire countries where Christianity is pretty much outlawed? Those countries are sinning much more than the cities and people of the times of the bible.
In my opinion, God HAD to kill all those people, just so he could teach everyone else a lesson. "Mess with me and you will die" Sounds like a good lesson. Too bad the Christians didnt learn from it. Consider the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition, all those people were tortured and killed because they didnt believe in God. It seems to have gotten to the point where the Christians dont need God to kill for them anymore, They seem to have taken the job and are doing it themselves.

Answer 3

That's exactly what I don't understand about this religion. I can believe in a God, sure. But not the one in the Bible. And I don't understand why there are such devout followers of this God, who can just brush off all the killings he's done and claim that he did it because he loves us, or he's a loving God IF you believe in him, or 'sacrifices had to be made'; basically, just making up excuses for him. :\ I refuse to believe in a God that will do this to others, creator of us or not. Even if I was a great, holy being that created the universe, I couldn't bring it in myself to wipe out innocent beings.

Answer 4

Oh, the absurd rationalizations... "God does not kill anyone".

When will all Christians finally recognize the truth of their religion as it is written in their Bible. How can they read stories of little babies and pregnant women being torn apart and think that God is beautiful? Open your eyes people!

The "Mystery of God" is indeed a powerful whitewash that can be used to excuse any behavior, regardless of how revolting it may be.

And why is it that the same Christians who claim that all Canaanite fetuses had to be killed because inevitably they would have been born and raised to worship a foreign god, are the first in line protesting outside abortion clinics?

Don't you realize that aborted fetus are babies that will be born to sinners? Aren't abortion doctors therefore doing God's work? Why the apparent contradiction?

Answer 5

Instead of asking other people, why don't you just ask God Himself? I guarantee you that if you actually take the time to sincerely pray and ask Him about this concern of yours, He will answer you, and you will know it is Him answering you.

God uses tragic incidences to make more people realize that they need Him in their lives. If it were not for what had happened in Egypt, Israel would not have formed and neither would the people of Egypt have come to realize that the God of Israel is the one, true God. The same goes true for Sodom and Gomorrah. God does take into account that there are innocent people killed. Yes, we all are sinners, but when I say innocent, I am talking about those who have NEVER even heard that such a God exists. Now as for us adults, we are in an environment where the churches are planted and Christian ministries are spread, so we honestly do not have an excuse. It is our choice whether or not we want to accept God into our lives. However, we are held accountable in the end (Judgement Day) if we refuse the gracious gift of salvation and instead, live for ourselves in indifference, selfishness, and immorality.

Therefore, don't you think that God will grant eternal life to a newborn child who has not had the opportunity to know Him? He is a fair and just God.

Answer 6

The death of the firstborn (Exodus 12:29) was not only a final blow to Pharaoh and all of Egypt demonstrating the powerlessness of Pharaoh and the truth of God's word, but it was also used as a prophetic typology. In the account of the death of the firstborn, all who had the blood of a lamb placed on their door posts would escape the judgment of God on the households. This blood on the doorpost was representative of the actual blood of Christ who is called the Lamb of God. Therefore, God allowed the firstborn to be killed as a judgment upon Pharaoh, as a proof of God's superiority, and as a prophetic representation of the death of His Son, Jesus. It was a representation of the gospel message that the true first born of God who would later die for the sins of the world and that all who are covered by the blood of Christ will be saved from their bondage to sin. It does not mean that God is mean, especially if we realize that all have sinned (Rom. 3:23). It means that God was arranging history to bear witness of the greatest act of love: the crucifixion.

Answer 7

The key word here is "all knowing." We must realize that God is all knowing and we are not, so therefore we cannot judge God, however, He can judge us. Who knows, maybe God knew that the children would grow up and be ten times worst than their parents, and might have even destroyed all future generations. As for the firstborn of Egypt, the Egyptians just reaped what they had sown because they were plannning to destroy the first born of Israel and they had been warned of what their actions would cause, so God didn't do that, they did it to themselves. It is not his will that innocent people suffer and die, He wants all to repent, live and be blessed; but sometimes innocents suffer the consequences of their ancestors sins.

Answer 8

I find it amusing when people see "the hand of god" in the smallest most trivial circumstance. It's like a greek-to-english pocket translator. Car wreck = God telling you not to drive. Booted off island = God teaching you humility. Supreme Court votes against public prayer = God is calling for armed revolt (see Pat Robertson). Infant child dies a horrible death = God's mysterious plan we mere humans can't understand. The almighty creator of all the cosmos has important messages for us which He communicates to us though such mundane events as burning meatloaf for dinner. What an amazing world they live in.

Answer 9

Because he is man-made. If he did exist, he'd be a total loon. Here's proof:

People often use the term "Almighty" when describing God. The term almighty means "having unlimited power", yet this “almighty” needs our prayer? That is a gross contradiction. A God that kills first born children may be almighty, but it shows a serious emotional problem if he needs our justification. Something that is not a good description of a god.

Answer 10

In short - its illogical to deny Jesus's free offer of salvation through faith because of what He's done for us. He gave His life as an offering to God on our behalf and has paid for our sins. That alone deserves much more respect and thanks than you are giving. He has given you everything you have, just as He has done for me, and everyone else. I'm answering this question with my own advise (since YOU asked) -- so I'd give Him alittle more respect and honor and not trample His name through the mud as you are doing. Its not right and its not a good thing to do. Jesus was innocent. "Man" is guilty from birth. We are all sinners and we all need a savior. Jesus is there to bring us back to God. He's is there if and when you choose to acknowledge it.