How Many Top Atheists Do You Recognize?

[What Would Jesus Do?]

[1][a] It can't be reduced to simple math as every human life is precious and of infinite value, but murdering two people is worse than murdering one. By extension, genocide is much worse.

But is there any difference between the mass murder of, say, 1000 people that we call "genocide" and the mass murder of 1000 people that we don't call "genocide"?

I can accept the idea that a small number of murders, although totally wrong, isn't as bad as a large number of murders. But what I don't understand from your comments or quotes is whether a mass murder we call genocide is worse still - and, if so, the reasons why we say it is worse.

I'm not clear but It seems to me that you may be saying that genocide is not worse than an equal number of murders we don't call genocide. Whereas I think the mere existence of the term and discussions like this indicate that genocide is somehow different and worse than murder. Is that what you are saying?

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

[2] Re: Joshua and Jericho. There are several flaws in your thinking, if you are going where I think you are going:

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  • God isn't just a bigger more powerful version of us. He is being itself. He is all-knowing, all-powerful and all-good. He is outside of time and space. He knows everything that has ever happened and ever will happen. And, he knows it all now. His knowledge of us is perfect. There are no flaws in his understanding of us. He knows exactly what we believe, why we believe it, how we are going to live the rests of our lives, and how we will spend eternity. And, btw, he loves all of us anyway whether we like it or not.
  • God is the author of life. All of the people on all sides of any conflict, all received their lives as a gift from God. No one has done anything to earn their life, and it is God's decision and God's alone how much of that gift each one of us receives.
  • We all have immortal souls. Our lives here on earth whether they be a couple of hours or 100+ years are a drop in the ocean from the perspective of eternity.
  • The world in that era of human history was a very different place than it is today. Judging Old Testament events by 21st century standards is not reasonable. God is the same God, but over time he has changed through a series of covenants how he deals with us.

The jist is that you can be certain that God ordered it. It needed to be done, and that it was the right thing to do at that time.

So . . . Jericho was OK because God said so.

I get that.

I trust that you understand that to non-believers that's a stark admission of insanity.

But, that aside, is it genocide or isn't it? If God hadn't said to do it, would it be genocide? Or is it still genocide but "good genocide" because God said so? Does calling it "genocide " mean it's worse than the same deaths not deemed genocide?

 

[ft254]

I am looking for any argument deep or otherwise that doesn't contradict your worldview.

One of those arguments in search of a reason. Doesn't sound like it's going to happen.

 

[KCTigerHawk]

But is there any difference between the mass murder of, say, 1000 people that we call "genocide" and the mass murder of 1000 people that we don't call "genocide"?

I can accept the idea that a small number of murders, although totally wrong, isn't as bad as a large number of murders. But what I don't understand from your comments or quotes is whether a mass murder we call genocide is worse still - and, if so, the reasons why we say it is worse.

I'm not clear but It seems to me that you may be saying that genocide is not worse than an equal number of murders we don't call genocide. Whereas I think the mere existence of the term and discussions like this indicate that genocide is somehow different and worse than murder. Is that what you are saying?

Genocide is a subset of mass murder. What would make one incident of mass murder worse than another incident would depend on the intention of the perpetrators of the murder. I haven't spent much time thinking about it, but I can't think of a reason for mass murder that would be worse than another reason for mass murder. So, absent that I would think that they are equally bad.

 

[KCTigerHawk]

So . . . Jericho was OK because God said so.

I get that.

I trust that you understand that to non-believers that's a stark admission of insanity.

But, that aside, is it genocide or isn't it? If God hadn't said to do it, would it be genocide? Or is it still genocide but "good genocide" because God said so? Does calling it "genocide " mean it's worse than the same deaths not deemed genocide?

I do understand. If there is no God, then Joshua was just some lunatic that decided to wipe out a city. (Although, marching in circles with trumpets is an interesting way to destroy a city's walls.)

Was it genocide? No. The killings were sanctioned/commanded by God, and therefore not murder and not genocide.