[Hank Kerchief]

I thought you did:

“I’d suggest few(er) citations from pacifist sermons. “

If that’s not what you meant to imply, I apologize.

I do not believe in God, and find it very difficult to take the pronouncements of anyone who commands, “thou shalt not kill” and a few pages later is commanding the wholesale killing of men, women, children and animals as the basis of what is good. Not saying you shouldn’t, but you can understand why I don’t.

Hank

[Travis McGee]

I do not believe in God, and find it very difficult to take the pronouncements of anyone who commands, “thou shalt not kill”

The actual wording is "thou shalt not murder." The other is a commonly corrupted translation. There is plenty of good society and God sanctioned killing. Killing a maniac who is stabbing children on a sidewalk is a good thing. And it's not murder.

Words have meaning. Murder is not the same as kill. Marshal is not martial. Before you go writing major sermons for the unwashed, work on your basic knowledge.

[LearsFool]

I...find it very difficult to take the pronouncements of anyone who commands, “thou shalt not kill” and a few pages later is commanding the wholesale killing of men, women, children and animals as the basis of what is good.

God does not submit His judgments to you for approval. It takes some serious hubris to set oneself up as a superior court over the Supreme Judge.

But you know that most who call themselves Christians have not read the Bible through even once.

Surely you've learned in your studies that the term "Christian" was given to disciples (followers, adherents, devotees) of Christ, not to those who have read the Bible through.

Otherwise you would be a Christian instead of a spectator.