(March 6, 2015 at 8:47 am)robvalue Wrote: The character Yahweh as described in the bible is absolutely horrific and clearly it does not have human wellbeing or happiness as a priority.
If it was a human, and was running things the same way as in the bible, would you accept that as a worthy ruler who had everyone's best interest at heart?
I certainly wouldn't, I'd call him a fascist dictator.
Any attempt to show Yahweh is anything other despicable requires severe mental gymnastics, in my opinion.
Let's take the order to slaughter an entire city for no particular reason. Is that in some sort of grey area?
Where does God order the slaughter of an entire city for no particular reason? If you are referring to the Canaanites, they were destroyed because they were wicked people:
Deuteronomy 12:31
You must not worship the Lord your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the Lord hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.
Obviously, people who burn their own children alive deserve nothing less than complete and utter destruction. This practice was, unfortunately, continued in Israel's later years of apostasy during which they worshiped other gods, but they were justly destroyed for this as well.
God may be a dictator, but He dictates that there be good, and not evil. How is that wrong?