Genocide in the Old Testament

[John V]

Yes, unless you can present to me another life form with the same degree of mental capacity as humans.

Humans don't have the mental capacity as god. Therefore, it's not murder when god kills.

Notably though, we do have laws against cruelty to other species; killing a dog or some other animal for no reason has sanctions. Really, the only variety of killing that is allowed on animals is for food- a necessity given our biological makeup and the way the ecosystem works- for safety or out of mercy. Well, that and animal testing, but I'm allowed to prize my own species and its safety, here. You got a problem with it, take it up with your god, who designed the system in the first place, according to you.

We protect certain species which we take a liking to. Others, such as ants, are not used for food, in my area don't bite or sting or carry disease, yet I'm free to kill them at will, with poisons which seem to cause suffering before death. Judging by the pest control aisle at the local store, this is a pretty common practice.

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You think every first-born child in Egypt was over the age of accountability?

No. Those under went to heaven, as already noted. Those above had sin of their own.

Best Christian argument in favor of abortion I've ever heard.

As noted in another post, there's a reason that the doctrine isn't explicitly stated.

If we don't have free will and still have suffering, you've thrown away the main Christian argument in justification of the Problem of Evil. If we don't have free will, then our suffering is pointless, heaven and hell are pointless, and God is merely a powerful child playing with an anthill.

You don't seem to understand: if we don't have free will, then it's nonsensical to say we're suffering, or even to call us "we." A better analogy then an anthill would be a really complex novel.