Horrible things in the bible

[Lek]

I know that a benevolent being that wants what's best for the world shouldn't be so hung up on free thinking people not devoting their lives to him that he's willing to kill everyone who doesn't. And is willing to have his own people tortured just in case they aren't one hundred percent loyal. You can say he rewarded Job with twice as much stuff as he had before, but I doubt Job had any trust in Yahweh ever again.

So if babies killed by the Canaanites went to heaven, and babies killed by the Isrealites went to heaven, why mention the fact that the Canaanites killed babies as if that had much if anything to do with why Yahweh was pissed at them?

You're right that I can't get over how Yahweh is portrayed as the bible, because christians portray him as a benevolent god of love. If I could get over it, I'd still be a christian.

We didn't create the world and we don't have the authority to kill our fellow men and women. We are to treat each other with love and that's what christians are to strive for. We should love our neighbors and we have no right to treat others unkindly or unjustly. The fact is that lawbreakers are punished for their crimes even to the point of death. The judge and jury who sentences and carries out the punishment may love the person, but they are required to carry out justice for the good of all. Justice is a requirement for a for any society to maintain order and safety for the members. Love and justice certainly can co-exist. God loves us all and gives us all the opportunity to live eternally, but he also is just. You have just as much opportunity as I do to possess eternal happiness. I accept the fact that he is a loving [/b]and[b] just God and I follow him. You said that you used to be a christian, but couldn't accept that God could do all those "horrible" things. I don't think's that a good reason not to believe in God. That's not a judgement about whether he exists or not, but just a belief that he is not nice.