Watch our overview video on the book of joshua, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. This link is provided solely for the users convenience. What it will not accept is that genocide can happen by policy. Preface 1994 in this, the bible story is dissimilar to the both the memphite story and the babylonian in that the hebrew bible says the divine gift of working with god in creation is limited to humankind, meaning, for the hebrews, humans alone are part of gods being. More than any other such book, the christian bible contains very specific endorsements of the most violent and bloody campaigns of genocide.
Pastor ignace yirirwhahandi who took part in the genocide of tutsis taught people to completely wipe out the tutsis. What if there are fifty righteous people in the city. Old testament, verses where gods own violent actions of punishment are described, 100 passages where god expressly commands others to kill people, and several stories where god irrationally kills or tries to kill for no apparent reason. I am becoming convinced that islamic fundamentalism, or, as some people prefer.
We might wish that the bible was a book that would tell us the right answer to moral questions, so we could open it up and find out what gods will is. New atheists like richard dawkins, christopher hitchens, and sam harris accuse him of genocide, and most christians have no idea how to answer. And we cant begin to understand any particular passage until we first recognize its genre. Bible commentary old testament, and has authored many articles and books. The purpose of the white genocide conspiracy theory is to scare white people in countries that are diversifying and justify a commitment to a white nationalist agenda, using evidence of a declining birth rate in support of their extremist views and calls to violence. And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones, of every city, we l. Written by the priests of israel, the books of chronicles view israels religious institutions, the temple, priesthood, offerings and feasts, as the essential elements of her national life. He is on the advisory council of the biologos foundation, and is the old testament editor for the revised expositors bible commentary and general editor for the story of god bible commentary old testament, and has authored many articles and books on the psalms and other old testament books. Go to the bottom of that page to see the index chapters, which. I could have added a fourth possibility to the three above.
The very idea of human whiteness is not, for me, one of fundamental identification. And we took all his cities at that timethere was not a city that we did not take from themsixty cities, the whole region of argob, the kingdom of og in bashan. Click the search button below to search the entire website including all scripture translations, comments, commentary, bible dictionary, articles, and other pages. The book of esther 6 powerful life lessons from the bible. Sadly enough, in recent years, some christians of a more liberal theological persuasion have effectively conceded this point to those who reject the bible altogether and have responded in one of three ways. Im not kidding, this book really bothered me, which means i will probably return and change my rating to 5 stars if i follow my previous pattern. The bible clearly indicates that at present the devil, not god, rules the world. Elie wiesel shelved 101 times as genocide avg rating 4. After leaving his medical career, he worked for six years for a church in belfast and now lectures full time for belfast bible college.
While it is true that some only use the issue as a justification for unbelief, for many others it is a legitimate question that brings the very nature and character of god into question. Did god really command genocide an interview with drs. But jehovah warned a great slaughter was coming and predicted the years a massive genocide of jews would happen. In the british popular science magazine focus, astronomer and author bill napier answers the question, what is the most important book of all time. In the guide for the perplexed, maimonides explains further that the. But as reasonable and noble as that desire may be, the bible is simply not that kind of book. He is the author of several popular apologetics books, including is god a moral monster. A testimony of jesus christ is a commentary that explains some of the mysteries of revelation.
Ethnic cleansing and genocide refer to destruction of a people due to their ethnicity, and therefore this would be an inappropriate category for the destruction of the canaanites. We might wish the bible were a book to tell us the right answer to moral questions so we could open it up and find out what gods will is. The only way to explain away the problem of the old testament mass killings is to. The canaanite destruction is the major ethical problem in the old testament. Genesis exodus leviticus numbers deuteronomy joshua judges ruth 1 samuel 2 samuel 1 kings 2 kings. The dilemma of genocide in the old testament matters because it keeps people from believing in god. Is god a moral monster making sense of the old testament god by paul copan. References of the bible were cited to justify the killings of tutsis. Matthew flannagan about their book, did god really command genocide coming to terms with the justice of god baker books, 2014. The book of revelation in the bible is one of the more difficult books of the bible to understand.
Below, i give a few verses where the bible says that many of the population of canaan were alive after the wars of conquest ended. Making sense of the old testament god by paul copan paperback. Paul, there are some really horrible scripture passages in the bible especially the old testament. Click the commentary tab or pulldown menu for a full selection of commentaries over any bible passage you are researching. Questioning genocide and slavery in the bible huffpost. Clicking on a book of the bible will show you that book. We have read all the major holy books of the world. He is the author of several popular apologetics books, including is god a moral. A commentary on the greek text new international greek testament commentary.
In the bible, words having to do with killing significantly outnumber words having to do with love. How could god command genocide in the old testament. By accepting this message, you will be leaving the website of the united states conference of catholic bishops. It contains many different genres like poetry, letters, epic sagas, creation myths, biography, and theological history. Yet it is worth knowing that these unseemly accounts still exist in the bible, because some tend to treat this book as a homogeneous document that. Did god really command genocide coming to terms with the. No, god didnt command genocide in the old testament.
In fact, the old testament clearly says that most of the canaanite population were not conquered. Books as disturbing as this tend to age well with me. Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it. Genocide in the old testament will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked. We certainly dont suggest that all christians today favor genocide but the problems with the bible remain.
Seems to me that all the evil written about the alleged god in the book called the bible is further evidence that it is simply an invention of evil men wanting an excuse to do horrible things to humanity and to control the masses. Just as when jeremiah preached jerusalem was going to fall the first time, the jews did. Did god really command genocide coming to terms with the justice of god paul copan on. That means that genocide does not really comply with notions of race then or now, and is not about genetics. I read in the old testament about how god commanded the israelites to kill the amorites and the malachites. Ravi zacharias international ministries 54,795 views. This is an important aspect of genocide which genocide scholars have yet to come to grips with. Mark johnstons saving god, however, makes a more troubling case. Doesnt the bible condone slavery, sexism, and genocide. The church literally asked the people to kill the tutsis.
The bible seems to say that god once commanded such actions. Genocide, evolution and the bible focus magazines answer to the question. To say that the god of the bible is a fiction doesnt help answer that at all, and to say that the incidents under. It is interesting that many of those who claim the bible is not a historical book and its historical narratives cannot be trusted are quick to accept the historical nature of the statements in the old testament regarding the israelites destroying the inhabitants of the land of canaan. Whenever its teachings on repentance and faith to god and on loving our neighbour as ourselves have been followed, down the ages, the bible has achieved both of these objectives. Building an american movement to prevent genocide hirsch, herbert on. The discussion in the introduction to the book of joshua in the. Click on a book listed below which will take you to its introduction page.
It was always assumed that if more people took a page out of the bible the world would be a better place. The hebrew scriptures old testament of the bible describe many events which involved major loss of life. As we saw in the previous posts on midian, amalek, and the canaanites, the individuals and families who follow yhwh and become part of israel are on one extreme of a spectrum the caleb end, while those who attack israel are. This sense of honoring or empowering humankind is not in any of the. Criticism of the bible is an interdisciplinary field of study concerning the factual accuracy of the. The assault on theism by the socalled new atheists has principally focused on three areas.
People like christopher hitchens, sam harris, and daniel dennett have argued, broadly, that reason is on their side, science is on their side, and morality is on their side. We often avoid reading difficult old testament passages that make us squeamish and quickly jump to the enemyloving, forgiving jesus of the new testament. Many atheists, muslims and some careless christians also ask this question after reading a few old testament accounts. It use to be illegal for anyone other than clergy to read this book the bible talk about control. Bible verses related to genocide from the king james version kjv by relevance sort by book order 1 samuel 15. Jan 02, 2015 why would god allow for immoral things like genocide or slavery to be portrayed in the bible as gods will if they are not. Consider some examples showing that science and the bible agree and that the bible contains scientific facts that differed greatly from the.
Our society accepts that genocide is the greatest evil ever, if that genocide happens because armed men shove people into camps. The bible contains both applicable laws and prophetic revelations throughout the text. The term was derived from the greek genos race, tribe, or nation and the latin cide killing. They eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thereby incurring death for themselves and all of mankind for ever after. Top 10 worst bible passages a list of the top 10 worst biblical verse has been drawn up, which includes approval for sexism, genocide and slavery. Each person should be executed for their own guilty acts.
No direct matches for your keyword exist in the king james bible. The second thing to realizeand this is more importantis that the bible is not a single book, but a collection of books. To say that the god of the bible is a fiction doesnt help answer that at all, and to say that the incidents. The drama of esther is unique among the books of the bible. Wwjd questioning genocide and slavery in the bible red. Genocide, the deliberate and systematic destruction of a group of people because of their ethnicity, nationality, religion, or race. Psychological undercurrents of history volume iv returns to the holocaust and the analysis of antisemitism in a time when racial hatred, ethnic cleansing, and apocalyptic fantasy are resurgent. Torah and genocide faq on the mitzvah to kill innocent. Buy the bible in one year a commentary by nicky gumbel bible commentaries by gumbel, nicky isbn.
I am becoming convinced that islamic fundamentalism, or, as some people prefer to call it, islamofascism, is the most dangerous force that we have ever faced and that it is worthy of the. Hence it belongs to the bestknown ot books with the jews and it is also the book, which has the oldest copies. How christian fundamentalists plan to teach genocide to. Often the mass killing of the canaanites is described as genocide or a. The bible has thousands of passages that may serve as the basis for. The anchor yale bible commentaries cloth 2015 656 pp. Herbert did ancient israel commit genocide against the canaanites. And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones, of every city, we left none to remain. Dec 04, 2008 seems to me that all the evil written about the alleged god in the book called the bible is further evidence that it is simply an invention of evil men wanting an excuse to do horrible things to humanity and to control the masses. Generational punishment in the torah bible contradictions. Forgotten role of the church in the genocide in rwanda.
At face value, it comes across more like a political novella than a movement in the biblical narrative. Dr paul coulter has a background in medicine, and also holds degrees in theology and genetics. Leading apologetics author helps readers understand how the violent commands of the old testament god can be reconciled with the new testaments ethic of love as taught by jesus. Reconciling a violent old testament god with a loving jesus.
The story gives us six powerful lessons about courage. The hebrew title, daily matters like the english title, implies an important and detailed narrative account. How, on the one hand, can hashem be so perfect and loving and on the other hand command us to kill babies. Apr 18, 2012 terrible parts of the bible part 1 genocide most my life, i, like most people assumed the bible was a book about love, peace, tolerance and rules for a good life.
Enemies of the faith frequently refer to the destruction of the canaanites as a form of genocide and then reject the god of the bible as evil. The book of esther in the bible is a dramatic account which can give us insight into gods special and purposeful plan for our lives. To understand this, it is important to begin with what the bible is. What would you say to someone who has rejected god because of verses like these. Esther is read during the purim feast on 14th and 15th adar februarymarch. He has spent the bulk of his career wrestling with the book of joshua, arguably the bible s most troubling book, with its account of the conquest of the land. The bible, god, genocide, slavery, misogyny, and other. Learn explanations for violence in the old testament from dr. The bible in one year a commentary by nicky gumbel.
The bible describes small children as not knowing right from wrong, and in. In 2006 conservative rabbi jack reimer, bill clintons rabbinic counsel during his presidency, created a stir when he associated islamic fundamentalism with the biblical nation of amalek. The holy bible is probably the most discussed, debated, and argued book in the. This is the final post in a fourpart series titled answering gosptacles. Studies in hebrew narrative and poetry 2000, is a model of close literary and.
God allowed the holocaust for the same reason that he has permitted all human suffering. Yes, for although the bible is not a science textbook, it is accurate when it mentions matters of science. It seems that god ordered a holocaust including smashing babies heads on the rocks. We find in its pages things like genocide, gang rape, and slavery not only being sanctioned, but at times even being commanded. It relates the story of a hebrew woman in persia, born as hadassah but known as esther, who becomes queen of persia and thwarts a genocide. Yahwehs thoroughness in inciting and supporting mass killing is consistent, and extraordinary p. The book of esther, also known in hebrew as the scroll megillah, is a book in the third section ketuvim, writings of the jewish tanakh the hebrew bible and in the christian old testament. Book of revelation explained a testimony of jesus christ. Learn more about the history of genocide in this article. The last gosptacleobstacle of the gospeli look at is the alleged canaanite genocide in the old testament.
And since the triune god is inherently relational, the bible says that god is. Jan 04, 2014 i once thought bible passages portraying god as commanding and committing mass murder could mostly be found in its first few books. The bible is gods message to man on how to have peace with god and with our fellow man. At least four events would probably qualify as genocides under modernday definitions of that term. Jan 20, 2015 would a good, kind, and loving deity ever command the wholesale slaughter of nations. Genocide in the old testament rational christianity. These violent stories are often passed over altogether or explained away as cultural remnants of the time when the stories were transmitted and written down. Esther with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. Terrible parts of the bible part 1 genocide whistling in. At least, this is the way i have been learning to read scripture, but it is still something i am working on. Ethnic cleansing and genocide refer to destruction of a people due to.
Daniel hawk avoids easy responses to violence in the biblebut then enters. As the encyclopedia of the bible explains, the first five books of the bible. In much of the bible, especially the old testament, there are laws that command that people be killed for absurd reasons such as working on the sabbath, being gay, cursing your parents, or not being a virgin on your wedding night. We have just added many new sources, including the expositors bible commentary, bengels gnomon, langes commentary, hastings great texts and many more. In joshua, after moses death, joshua leads israel and they settle in the.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. This is clearly seen in the books of joshua and judges. The book belongs to the socalled five scrolls hebr. The most controversial books included in the bible grunge. In old testament law, were children to be punished for the sins of their fathers. It is one of the five scrolls megillot in the hebrew bible. My view all alongand especially in the recent booksis first that the biblical narratives are indeed stories, often. The holocaust was foretold by jeremiah introduction the holocaust of the nazis was ghastly beyond imagination.