Garden of Eden was a setup...

[GrandizerII]

So you say, and I know many of you do. But based on what I feel to be right, I don't give him the benefit of the doubt. That was one of my first reasons to turn my back on religion.

Again, I'm neither adressing nor attacking you personally.

Don't worry. I don't take things personally in this forum. You make a good point. As a christian, I can't just hide my eyes from God's actions in the old testament, which I perceive as terrible, but not wrong. If you don't accept that God is more knowing than you are, then you won't be able to accept that there was a good reason for his actions in bringing the nation of Israel to prominence. The nations which he destroyed were all out to destroy Israel, from which the savior was to come. God is the judge and the one who carries out his sentences, as well as the loving creator and savior. The sentence in these cases, however, is not death forever as one might assume, including the babies. Because he is loving, as well as just, he paid the full price so that they can have eternal life. That's the message of the bible.

There is no excuse to such atrocities, especially not from an omnipotent divine being ...