The fact that God allowed Men, Women, and Childen be killed so Israel could have a homeland is problematic: Score: -3

Reasons to agree: %

1. What is not to understand. It contradicts that God is Love, and that God killed innocent children.


2. Its not just problematic that God let bad things happen, like letting children die, but if the Old Testament is to be believed, that he caused them to be killed. Religious scholars go to so much effort to say that God put Adam and Eve in the Garden, but he had to let them make up their own mind, so that he couldn't be blamed for causing them to suffer, but that all goes out the window when he commands Israel to kill whole cities. 

        R2A(+): 2       R2AA(+): 0       R2DA(-): 0       

Reasons to disagree: %

1. Problematic does not mean insurmountable. The argument most often given is that it served the greater good. This argument says that God is allowed to follow the belief that the ends justifies the means. At first it might seem that only nutcases use this kind of logic. This is because most of us never face life and death decisions. But everyone in the military has to come to some sort of peace with the belief that their actions might kill innocent civilian, but may in the long run serve the greater good. A reasonable, compassionate person, who has reasons to believe in God, who would never use this logic for himself, can give his God more latitude in doing things he doesn't understand. 


2. There is much worse things that happen to people than being killed.


3. Problematic does not mean insurmountable. You can believe that most of the Old Testament was inspired, but parts of it were messed around with by scribes, and those who took care of the records. 


4. Ethically God is allowed to follow the Bill Cosby principle: "You know, I brought you in this world, and I can take you out."

        R2D(-): 4       R2AD(-): 1       R2DD(+): 0        Total Score: -3