About god murdering babies?

Question

I posted a question about god killing all of the Egyptian first born baby boys, and I got a load of Christian answers saying it wasn't god it was king Herod, but wasn't it god who came through Egypt at midnight to take the life of all Egyptian firstborns, including the Pharo's own son? My question was directed at the Christian "anti-abortion" brigade, I was pointing out that if they love babies so much, why do they worship a god who's just about the biggest baby murderer there is? They seem to be more "pro birth" than "pro life".

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070603094442AAMXQSw&r=w

Answer 1

God allowed those things to happen just as he allows you to post silly questions due to free will.
He doesn't make you or anyone else do them. Things happened in the OT for reasons we sometimes cannot fully understand but we trust in His infinite wisdom and will one day understand all. We must read and try to understand the bible in total context not out of context.

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Answer 2

I think you have misunderstood the point behind anti-abortion campaigns.

It doesn't really have anything to do with babies at all, they are just pointing out that abortion is a form of murder, which is illegal. It has been proven that babies are alive in the womb so if we can legally kill babies in the womb, why can't we legally kill them once they are born? That is what they are saying.

As to the Egypt thing, yes it was God. Herod was the Bethlehem incident. But God has the right to take away life because he is the one who gives it in the first place. That is what anti-abortionists mean by the sanctity of life. Babies die all the time, that is just how things are. What they are saying is that we don't have the right to decide whether or not a life God created should be terminated or not.

Answer 3

Because it's Myth
The story of the angel visiting the Egyptians and taking first born and yet leaving the Jewish households untouched may have something to do with an echo of real events where for whatever reason - diet, hygene, sleeping practices A buch of Eygytption kids died and the Jewish one didn't - then - sans scientific explanation or research the story acquired populist opinion of racial superiority and our God likes us better than yours likes you blah blah. People need to be given explanations for the unexplaned - eventaully the explanation becomes truth and may even get official sanction.

there were many that thought and promoted the idea that Aids was God's revenge on homesexuals - then when hetrosexuals got Aids the story changed to become Gods revenge on the promiscuous - harder to explain when Blood product recepients get it unless you are of the creed that thinks Blood products are evil too.

So no, God didn't kill the egyptian first born any more than Jesus got the quants wrong at the feeding of the 5000. The 5000 fed themselves after one boy offered to share his food they all fessed up to having a light bite tucked away in the folds of their clothes.

PS Herod had a bad PR office.

Answer 4

Interesting viewpoint. First, for those who don't know what you are talking about, this refers to the time of Moses (which predates Jesus) when the angel of death "passed over" the homes of the Jewish slaves whose doorposts were marked with the blood of a slaughtered lamb. The firstborn of Egypt died after Pharaoh refused to free the slaves and as retribution to the slaughter of the all male babies of the Jews at the time of Moses' birth. That was why Moses was placed in a basket on the Nile.
To relate this to abortion is a bit of a stretch. It could certainly be argued that God had no problem destroying the enemies of Israel, but the first born included adults as well as chidren and babies. There is no reference to the unborn.
I do agree with you that those opposed to abortion do seem more concerned about the unborn than those already born.

Answer 5

The story about God striking down all first born in Egypt is more complex than that. God did do this-the Bible says so. God also killed every living creature, man and animal, in the flood except those on the ark. This is fact and can not be denied.
But---the question is why??????
To take an act of God and attempt to compare it to human actions is futile. God is sovereign. When God kills it is not murder but is a righteous act, because God is righteous.
The problem, in Noah's time and also in Egypt when the first born was killed , was sin. God was dealing with sin. If you ignore the purpose for the lesson-then all the events are worthless to know about. And, discussing it would be a waste of time. Comparing this to abortion is absurd, and you know it.The real problem here is sin-something you seem blind to.

Answer 6

Okay, you're nearly half correct.
Herod did order the killing of all newborn babies, soon after Jesus's birth.
And it was the Angel of Death who carried out God's word - as delivered by Moses to Pharoh - the tenth plaugue where all the firstborn of egyptians were slayed.
Actually God did an awful lot of slaying in the Old testament - the flood - when Noah built his arc, and Soddom and Gomorrah - now resides at the bottom of the dead sea. Does that also mean he comitted euthanasia? And killed gay people? - As the people of Soddom and Gomorrah got up to all sorts of kinky stuff - hence being wiped out for being naughty.

Answer 7

How can you compare the two? The killing of the first born children was one of the 10 plagues in Egypt because they would not release the Hebrew slaves. Abortion is the killing of a child, while still in the womb. I am not a hard core evangelical christian, but I believe there is only three times when abortion should be an option, in the case of rape or incest, if the mother's life is in jepordy, or if the baby is going to die. Any other reasons, is unnacceptable. Because you forgot birth control, you are going to kill a innocent life? Life is the most precious gift that God has given us, and to have a woman kill it off because it is inconvenient is an abomination.

Answer 8

You are quite right. But, Herod died 5 or 6 years before the birth of Christ, so the whole story has more than a hint of nonsense about it.

Also, what about all the babies killed in Sodom and Gomorrah. . . and what about that ethnic cleansing at Jericho where Joshua, under the Lords command, killed them all.

And the Flood. . .what about that. . .everybody, including all those animals were killed except the few saved in the Ark.

And this is in the 'Good Book'.

I wonder what a 'Bad Book' would be like?

Answer 9

God creates and God takes away only he has that right No it was not King Herod as he wasn't born yet it was God who took the first born but it was god who created them it was to punish an evil empire and he is the judge. God baby murderer ? what blasphemous rubbish you should read all scripture not just picking out stuff to feed your prejudices. It is liberal selfish amoral society which defends killing the innocent not Christians the idea it is just a woman's right is the most disgusting example of how low are culture has gone and to brand those who speak out as extremists is cowardly .

Answer 10

Yes God sent the angle of death through Egypt to strike dead all the first born of Egypt, He did this as a sign to the stubborn and wicked Pharoah who would not let the Israelites leave their life of slavery. Pharoah was warned but he chose this way. Not all of God's actions sit very easy with every Christian but when you know Him and know how much he loves everybody, you learn to trust him.

Answer 11

Yes, God DID go through and take all the first born sons. Why? Because pharoah and the rest of the unbelievers would not listen to Him. God performed MANY signs and miracles before hand but ehy did not listen so he went the one He saved for last; in case the ppl did not listen. All the believers that WERE there put lambs' blood on their door posts and God passed them, without taking their first-born. Sometimes God has to do the unthinkableto make us change. It's our own fault if we're hard-hearted. God bless us all! <(^_^)>