Is the story of Noah inappropriate for young children (violent genocide)?

[gbrooks9 (George Brooks)]

@Eddie

In genocide the intention is to wipe out an entire people, and if some survive, that is an accident, not the original plan of the killers. If God’s intention was to wipe out the entire human race, he could have done it, killing Noah as well. But he decided to preserve the human race through Noah.

Eddie,

I would never enter into an agreement with you - - your interest in quibbling over any definition would make a meeting of the minds impossible.

The dictionary defines Genocide as: "the deliberate and systematic extermination of a national, racial, political, or cultural group. "
Please note that OTHER than national (i.e. ethnic) motivations, there are 3 more motivations, including “political” or “cultural”.

I think the group “Mortal Sinners” could easily be characterized as a Cultural Group.

Why don’t you just spell it out simply: you can’t say the Flood was Genocide because you can’t accuse the CREATOR of genocide. He’s just returning defective product.

George

[Patrick]

@Eddie

What you don’t see is that the language of Patrick and of Dawkins is demagogical in intent. They use hot-button words like “genocide” to stir up people against the Bible and Christian faith.

Eddie,
Yes, I admit that I read the Bible with 21st century morals and ethics. And yes the Bible is filled with God committing or condoning atrocities on the human race. Your defense is very similar to moderate Muslims who defends Islam as a religion of peace while a radical groups use the Koran and same God of the OT to commit atrocities around the world.

[Patrick]

@Eddie

I agree that God wiped out most of the human race in the Noah story. I agree that this wasn’t “nice” in the Walt Disney sense. But by using the term “genocide” you are likening God to Hitler or the Balkan leaders, and failing to see the crucial difference in motivation.

Wasn’t Nice in the Walt Disney sense? It was a global flood where everything was ravaged. Common on Eddie, this story makes the Holocaust look like a minor blip in human history.

Failing to see the critical difference in motivation? Ok, Hitler wanted to completely exterminate the Jewish people because of his megalomaniacal hatred of Jews. What was God’s motivation in this wiping out of the planet? Wickedness? What wickedness did the children of Noah’s time do? What wickedness did the old people do to deserve to drown?

You talk about cool heads. What are you doing to denounce the atrocities in the name of God that are going on in this country and around the world?

[gbrooks9 (George Brooks)]

@Eddie

The story says that the people were wicked in their deeds and that even their thoughts were continually wicked all their days. The story says that this is why God decided to destroy them. Modern genocidal leaders have had no such moral motivations. They simply hate the ethnic group they aim to destroy.

Such a quibble…there have been many a moral justification for the purging of the world of vile people…

George

[gbrooks9 (George Brooks)]

@Eddie

Yes, indeed. Dictators who want to annihilate a race may come up with specious “moral” justifications, alleging all kinds of debased behavior on the part of the people they want to wipe out. But there is a difference between Hitler saying that Jews should be destroyed because they were “evil” and God saying that the people of the Flood generation should be destroyed because they were “evil.”

Oh brother.

Eddie, don’t you think genocide is the correct term, whether the moral argument is correct or not?

Even when a killing is accidental, it is STILL (!!!) called a homicide - - because it’s the killing of a man.

And when a whole group is wiped out … or ALMOST wiped out … it’s still called genocide.

George

[gbrooks9 (George Brooks)]

@Eddie

In English class, did they teach you the difference between denotation and connotation? I grant you that “genocide” in the denotative sense might apply; but as I’ve striven to point out to you and Patrick and beaglelady (to no avail), in this case the connotations of the word loom large.

I gave you the DENOTATION of “Genocide” - - and you complained that there was no way that a whole world of sinners could be seen as a “culture”… despite the fact that there are very few cultures in the world that get anywhere near representing 99.9% of all humanity.

So… because cultures is too small for your mind… and a nation represents 100% of a group … Noah’s small band foils your attempt at typology…

This is the comprehension problem that “concrete thinkers” frequently have.

George

[Patrick]

@Eddie

like hacking away the diseased limbs of a tree

Eddie,
you describe the killing of millions of people as hacking away the diseased limbs of a tree. What a callous human being you are.

[Patrick]

@Eddie

God made the right call.

Did God make the right call this week in San Bernadino and last week in Paris?

[Patrick]

You tell me, you seem to know what he was thinking 4350 years ago.

[gbrooks9 (George Brooks)]

@Eddie

My point was that “genocide” is so loaded with connotations, and has become such a hot-button word, that it is best to avoid using it unless it is absolutely necessary.

@Eddie,

Reading one of your posts about why certain words shouldn’t be used is like trying to decide what is wrong with grated cheese on hot chocolate made with cold orange juice instead of hot milk …

Where’s a man to begin …

George