The Christian Bible does not promote evil

First, I'd like to point out that these commands were limited to a time and place. In order for Israel to be a nation, they needed laws to live by. It is agreed upon almost unanimously among Christians and Jews that some of those rules applied only to the nation, while others are moral. Not all of the rules apply today [1]. Second, you assume the genocide is always evil. That may not be the case. We have the example of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham pleaded with G-d not to destroy them if he could find even 10 righteous people. Obviously, according to the Bible, he could not. you can read in chapter 19 how the men of Sodom saw Lot had male visitors, and they pressed Lot to give them the visitors so they could rape them. The men of Sodom appear to be serial rapists. According to a long standing poll, people on this website agree that serial rapists should get the death penalty [2]. So we have at least once case where genocide in the Bible would be agreed upon by the DDO community as justified, assuming they were as bad as described in the scripture. Genesis 18:30-33King James Version (KJV) 30 And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. 31 And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake. 32 And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake. 33 And the Lord went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place. https://www.biblegateway.com... 18%3A30-33 Other genocides included killing off people who were practicing very evil religions. Worship of Molech was popular in the region, and it included burning your first born alive as a sacrifice to Molech [2]. Israel is warned that if they do not destroy the people, they they will eventually end up following such abominable practices. The scriptures also say that happened when Israel failed to destroy the people as commanded. This wasn't genocide commanded for the sake of hatred or Hebrew superiority. In fact, the scriptures explicitly say so in Deuteronomy 9:4 [3]. The Bible isn't condoning murder. It is condoning capital punishment, which is a debatably moral practice. As I previously pointed out, the issues mentioned back then are not equivalent to the same issues today due to differences in culture and technology. For example, there was no such thing as "safe sex" back then. Both male homosexual acts and being promiscuous lead to the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STI)s. There was no treatment for them or their symptoms in the time. Those behaviors lead to life time of suffering for many people, while heterosexual monogamy would eliminate STIs for all practical purposes. The purpose of the laws here can be taken to prevent terrible diseases from plaguing Israel. Israel is promised that if they keep these laws, they will not be plagued by the diseases of the nations around them. This is an interesting correlation. I should also point out that much of the law deals with cleanliness and disease prevention. There are even rules about cleaning mold out of a house, and destroying the house if the mold cannot be controlled. The word translated "witch" in the KJV doesn't translate well into English. Other versions render it as "practices sorcery" [4]. In the Babylonian context, a sorcerer could use magic to injure other people. These are people who were believed to consort with demons. If demons exist, and someone was consorting with them, should these people get the death penalty? Arguably so. In contrast, the scriptures are full of good morals about taking care of people who would have trouble taking care of themselves [6]. If we revisit the previous statements about differentiating between moral laws and national laws, we can consider the passage Romans 13:1-5. Rabbi Sha'ul was imprisoned by the Roman government for teaching Yeshua Jesus is the Messiah. Yet during his imprisonment, he wrote to the Christians in Rome that they should be law abiding citizens. It is also interesting to not here that Rabbi Sha'ul mentions the government wielding the sword which is a reference to capital punishment. Romans 13:1-5New International Version (NIV) Submission to Governing Authorities 13 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. 4 For the one in authority is God"s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God"s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience. https://www.biblegateway.com... So in summary, the commands given for both genocide and capital punishment would provide a world with less suffering. Although the use of capital punishment to bring about these ends is debatable, it is clear to see that the intention was for the good of society and the reduction of practices I'm sure Con would agree are detestable. Of those who adhere to the Bible, there is no significant number of individuals who hold that these commands or rules apply outside the ancient theocracy of Israel, thus should not be practiced. In contrast, Christians are commanded to live according to the rules of the governments which we are under, which would exclude any Christian living in a civilized country from abiding by these commands. In contrast, we are commanded to do as much good as possible. We are commanded to love even our enemies. Although the entire chapter of Romans 12 is dedicated to teaching love, hospitality, forgiveness, and so many other good moral values, I'll quote from the later end of the chapter. Romans 12:17-21New International Version (NIV) 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God"s wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,"[a] says the Lord. 20 On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."[b] 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. https://www.biblegateway.com... Galatians 6:10New International Version (NIV) 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Emphasis added. 1) http://www.myjewishlearning.com... 2) http://www.britannica.com... 3) http://biblehub.com... 4) http://www.bible-history.com... 5) http://biblehub.com... 6) http://www.openbible.info...