Christ's own revelation witnessed in the Gospels shows us that God does not order slaughters, that the Hebrew prophets did not receive full revelation, and that God's Justice is not human justice.
and given the greatest likelihood that all of those OT children would have grown up to oppose the one true God, then God DID actually show them mercy by killing them
If this is what Protestants believe, then we do not believe in the same God, FK. God, revealed fully in Christ, does not order or perform mercy killings of children.
There are plenty of examples. Here are some showing legal personhood in God's eyes, thus making it wrong to kill the unborn
There are many more examples of permissive cruelty ascribed to God in the OT than examples that would teach against aboriton, FK. Abortion was unknown. Obviously, killing memebrs of non-Hebrew tribes, whether they were born or unborn, was not considered murder but "righteous."
I think all of these go to show how God views an unborn baby. He or she exists as a person at conception, at which time all the OT rules against the murder of innocent life would apply
Except when God orders genocide against Canaanites and others in the OT, even smashing their babies against rocks, all of which—according to your earlier statements—are acts of "mercy" to "save" their souls. I mean, this is about as weird as I have seen some posters propose that Cain was conceived by Eve having sex with the serpent. It's dark, FK, it's really dark.
Kosta,
There is a part your missing. There is no prohibition against killing *anywhere* in the bible but there is one against murder. God being holy and man being by nature sinful from conception means God has the absolute right to kill us, even here as I sit. Man does not...
When God flooded the earth, what kind of killing was that? Accidental?
Can God kill children in wrath, but not in mercy?
What about children that just die? Is God powerless to prevent it?
If true, then Christ directly contradicts the plain text of the OT, thereby abolishing it. We are given no indicators, such as we are with parables, that we are to take the OT stories as myth. In addition, those stories would directly lead the reader in the opposite direction away from what you say is Christ's revelation. Again, you have Christ abolishing these texts. ...... It is BECAUSE God's justice is not human justice that the stories in the OT, which you deny, can be true and really happened.
If this is what Protestants believe, then we do not believe in the same God, FK. God, revealed fully in Christ, does not order or perform mercy killings of children.
Maybe we don't believe in the same God. :) For us, the God of the OT is the same as the God in the NT. You have Christ either denying the God of the OT, OR, denying God's word in the OT.
Scripture is scripture, I didn't write it, I just believe it. On these matters there is no way to nuance these stories to mean the direct opposite of what they say. These are not matters of interpretation. God either would and did kill children (and others) when it suited His purposes, or He did not. We either believe it or we do not.
There are many more examples of permissive cruelty ascribed to God in the OT than examples that would teach against abortion, FK. Abortion was unknown.
The point was to show that we can know that God disapproves of abortion solely from scripture, especially the OT. We do not need to be told by any person that abortion is bad. God tells us.
Obviously, killing members of non-Hebrew tribes, whether they were born or unborn, was not considered murder but "righteous."
But only under a direct and specific order from God. Are you aware of scripture that had that as a standing order?
FK: "I think all of these go to show how God views an unborn baby. He or she exists as a person at conception, at which time all the OT rules against the murder of innocent life would apply."
Except when God orders genocide against Canaanites and others in the OT, even smashing their babies against rocks, all of which—according to your earlier statements—are acts of "mercy" to "save" their souls.
I said it was an effect, I didn't say I thought God did it for that reason. I don't know what His reasons were. God shows us how WE are to treat fellow created humans. God, as the Creator, is not subject to those rules. You appear to be subjecting God to man's justice.