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Here we go again with yet another episode of "Biblegod The Good." It is claimed by both Jews and Christians that YHWH, god of the Bible, is good and merciful. Funny, when I read the Bible, I get the distinct impression that YHWH is anything but merciful, even to his own "chosen people" the Hebrews. This particular subject, "Biblegod the Good and His Chosen People," will be the subject of another essay. For now, let's just see how good YHWH is to those who are not his chosen people.
1Sam 15:1 Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me
to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken
thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.
2 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel,
how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.
3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare
them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and spare them not; but slay
both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
Isn't it wonderful how YHWH "remembered" what Amalek did to the Israelites in the desert (Ex 17:8ff), after they had come out of Egypt? Instead of punishing Amalek straight away, YHWH is patient and waits about 400 years, that's about 10 generations in Bible terms, before he tells the prophet Samuel to go see king Saul to inform him that YHWH has now "remembered" what Amalek did. Must have been a glitch somewhere in YHWH's memory.
The Biblegod, in his infinite mercy, has given rebellious Amalek 400 years in which to repent of his misdeeds, but Amalek has refused. Now it's time to even the score. King Saul is informed that he must "smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass."
Does it matter to biblegod that "infant and suckling" didn't have a clue what was happening? Didn't have anything to do with what happened 400 years before they were born? Nope! Does it matter to biblegod that "ox and sheep, camel and ass" had nothing to do with what Amalek had done some 400 years before? Or even what they were doing then? Nope! biblegod must have carnage and carnage he will have. Never mind that the Amalekites of Saul's day had nothing to do with what the Amalekites had done 10 generations before: they must all die because biblegod has now "remembered".
According to the account in Exodus, biblegod swore that he would "have war with Amalek from generation to generation" (Ex 17:16). The actions of one generation would determine the fate of all subsequent generations. Sounds fair enough, doesn't it? If the legal system of Canadian society decided that because I had brutally attacked, say, a grandmother, all my descendants would be at odds with Canadian society; I can only imagine the outcry that would be heard coming from Christian Fundamentalists.
They would use this as proof of how degenerate our society has become, quoting verse after verse in their Bible to show just how right YHWH is when he says we're all blind sinners who haven't got a clue as to what constitutes justice. But let biblegod slaughter the innocent for the wrongdoings of their ancestors 10 generations removed, and you'll hear not a peep out of Fundamentalists, except to praise their god for his wisdom and mercy. Now that's what I call a reasonable religion. Where do I sign up?
Could anyone who hasn't abandoned reason accept this account of revenge and genocide, and not come to the conclusion that the Hebrew people simply used their imaginary deity as a means of justifying their own barbarism? A person would have to give up whatever semblance of reason they might have in order to justify this kind of atrocity, but in much of christendom it's done on a daily basis, and it's all quite "normal". The average man or woman, who can see how ludicrous this is, has more wherewithal than the most educated Bible Believer who cannot, or will not, see just how ridiculous it is to defend this belief.
Is it any wonder that Atheists, Agnostics and other Sceptics want so badly to stop ardent Bible Believers from imposing their Bible on our respective societies? Can you imagine what would happen to those who thought differently then they did, if they were in power? They could justify anything. Any action against an "enemy of God" would be acceptable. Why not? After all, if you can praise a god for ordering the death of millions, the slaughter of people after people--if you doubt me just read the book of Joshua--then what's to stop them from, say, justifying the slaughter of gays, feminists, unrepentant Atheists or Agnostics? Really, what's to stop them?
