If Genocide is bad, why does God command it so many times?

Question

If raping female prisoners of war is bad, why does God allow it in the Old Testament?

If Ethnic Cleansing is bad, why does God command it?

Why did we bother intervening in the former Yugoslavia when they were doing such Godly work?

Or are Christians double minded when it comes to God and morality?

And here to prove my point is TEK, the apologist of murder, genocide and rape.

Kenshin Himura, so true.

My opinion of many of these Christians on these boards is that they would put the Nazis to shame with their convoluted logic and justifications. They're just awaiting the word from above. Or at least from their Pastor / Priest.

Answer 1

Trust me, this is a question that I have asked myself and others many times. The answer that Christians, and Jews, have given me is that they were told to destroy the other people and cities because God wanted them to get rid of the people around them who might impose their "false" religions on God's chosen people. I don't know about the whole raping of female prisoners thing...weird. Good luck on finding a good answer though.

Answer 2

Except that He doesn't. He does command the extermination of the Amalekites, but only because there was a long history of the Amalekites ruthlessly attacking the Israelites first. As for the Canaanites, the main objective was to drive them out of the promised land rather than kill them. There were were several instances where those who the Israelites were supposedly committing genocide against made peace (such as Rahab's family, the "aliens" who were among Israel [cf. Joshua 8:35], or the Hivites [Joshua 9:4ff.) and were not killed, whereas the purpose of genocide is to kill everyone who fits a certain racial, political, or ethnic profile.

Answer 3

I remember reading a study done in Israel with school children.

A man read a passage from scripture that described god willing King David (or some other figure) to slaughter an entire city of inhabitants including children, elderly, livestock etc.

The children were then read a news excerpt during WW2 where a similar event occurred but done by a Nazi General.

In both cases critical facts about whether it was god commanding the genocide or man were hidden. In both cases the children found it to be immoral and evil.

After the source of the stories were revealed 90% of the children agreed that the genocide that occured in the bible was not immoral, but infact justified.

Really is quite sick isn't it?

Edit:

Tek just confirmed it for me.

Answer 4

It always blows me away to see the retarded development intellectually some Christians display when answering these types of questions. If you can't answer it intelligently then skip it or better yet read that book of shadows known as the bible and pipe down. Some Christians on here did provide a good counter argument but that was a very small minority.

Answer 5

If God were to start riding the world of evil, were would he start...maybe with you?

When you state "christians double minded" is based on you and mankinds warped sense of God. MAN bastardizes God, not the other way around.

You asking questions of which you have no understanding beyond your own biases.

"There is a time for peace"

and there is also a time for opeaning up a 55-gallon drum of whup-@ss...never confuse kindness for weakness(mistake # 1 JQ Public has of believers of God).

And, oh yes, God Bless even you.

Answer 6

Why no longer? faith has been used to justify genocide many times returned. Christians used faith to justify the slaughter of Jews, pagans in the process the black plague, the Spanish Inquisition, WWII and to very almost wipe out community individuals. it is no longer love it extremely is a marvel.

Answer 7

The raping of female prisoners? Please give me the scripture reference.

As far a genocide...the Canaanites inhabiting the land, among other things, practiced child sacrifice. Many of them worshipped the god Molech, and the children were placed in the fire...alive...as a sacrifice to this pagan god. You oppose stopping the burning of live children in fire to a pagan god?

Seriously father guido...what's the scripture reference on raping women being allowed?

OK...still waiting for your scripture reference on the raping of female prisoners. Atheists?? HELLOO?????

Answer 8

Jesus died to fulfill the Law and bring grace--before Grace--God drew a line--If you crossed that line it meant death--genocide was a way of cleansing the land and God always gave a chance of repentance. At one time blood letting was an acceptable procedure in medicine--to strengthen a patient
What kind of science is that?

Answer 9

Guido, your premise is flawed. You seek to create a conflict where one does not exist.

God ONLY commanded the "cleansing" of Caanan and it had nothing to do with ethnicity, but everything to do with wretched spiritual corruption.

To my knowledge, only the ancient Caananites were ever commanded to be destroyed by Yahweh; and in this dispensation, God is only in the business of redeeming us lost folks. He even has enough grace for you; I know because he did for me also.

Choose to create reasons in your mind for rejecting his salvation, but it is to your peril.

Answer 10

Yep, and slavery, splitting open the stomach of pregnant women, and more.

God doesn't sound benevolent to me.