Genocide & the Bible with Deuteronomy 7:1-2 & 1 Samuel 15:2-11

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Genocide is the hardest part of the Bible. How can we justify the call for total war and the total destruction of enemies in the Hebrew scriptures with a loving God? The concept is called Cherem in Hebrew. It is not enough to defeat an enemy but you must obliterate the enemy, including all men, women, and children, and their livestock. God commands in Deuteronomy 7 to show no mercy. In 1 Samuel 15, Saul loses the favor of God for being too merciful. I dive into the meaning of these passages in history. Then I discuss how genocide has been and continues to be in our history. It is not enough to win, but their memory must be obliterated. I also talk about indigenous people and the underappreciated history of Japanese Internment during World War 2. This is why we must hold our leaders to account because history shows us that dehumanizing rhetoric and lies are the first steps toward genocide. Killing the body is not the point of genocide. Killing ideas is. 

#genocide #herem #oldtestament #japaneseinternmentcamps #dachauconcentrationcamp #edmonds #edmondspres #pcusa