Moral Parallels Between Mongol Conquests and Biblical Commands

The Mongol Empire's brutal conquests mirror unsettling commands found in the Bible, challenging the notion of an all-loving God.

### The Moral Quandary of Divine Commands: A Comparison of Mongol Conquests and Biblical Instructions
* ⚔ The Mongol Empire, initiated by Genghis Khan, created the **largest contiguous land empire** through brutal conquests that left cities in ruins and populations decimated, offering a merciful ultimatum to those they approached: **submit or face annihilation**.
* 📜 Historical accounts, such as the siege of Urgench in 1221, reveal **staggering death tolls**, with estimates ranging from **100,000 to over a million**, showcasing the **merciless nature of Mongol warfare**.
* 🕌 Similarly, the Bible contains troubling commands in Deuteronomy, where God allegedly instructs the Israelites to **offer peace to cities**, but those that refuse face **total destruction**, mirroring the Mongol strategy of **subjugation or annihilation**.
* 🤔 This raises profound moral questions: how can we **reconcile the commands of a supposedly loving God** with the horrific acts of violence and genocide, particularly when the ancient Israelites are instructed to **completely destroy certain populations**?
* 📖 Various defenses have been proposed by theologians, such as Divine Command Theory, which posits that **whatever God commands is morally right**, yet this perspective fails to provide a **consistent moral framework** and suggests that morality is **arbitrary**.
* 🌀 Allegorical interpretation attempts to **sanitize these passages**, arguing they are **metaphors for spiritual truths**, but this approach **crumbles under scrutiny** due to its **inconsistent application** and the **explicit nature of the commands**.
* 📅 Progressive revelation suggests that **God's moral standards evolve over time**, yet this idea contradicts the notion of an **unchanging deity** and raises questions about the **moral implications of past commands**.
* 🚷 Ultimately, the commands in Deuteronomy reflect the **brutal realities of ancient societies** rather than divine wisdom, and to venerate such texts is to risk **perpetuating a dangerous moral error** that has justified **atrocities throughout history**.

The Bible is EVIL | Why apologists IGNORE these verses

Rationality Rules

The Mongol Empire, founded by Genghis Khan, used ruthless tactics to conquer cities, offering an ultimatum of submission or destruction.

Their campaigns resulted in the deaths of millions and the systematic dismantling of resistant cultures.

The commands for warfare in the Bible, particularly in Deuteronomy, bear a striking resemblance to the Mongol strategies, offering peace and subjugation to those who surrendered.

The Moral Quandary of Divine Commands in Leviticus

God's commands in Leviticus for the complete destruction of certain groups raise a profound moral dilemma for believers.

The contrasting treatment of similar actions by different groups challenges the notion of universal morality.

Common theological responses to reconcile these commands with a loving God include Divine Command Theory, allegorical interpretation, progressive revelation, and limited historical application.

The Moral Dilemma of Deuteronomy's Violent Commands

The commands in Deuteronomy to exterminate entire populations evoke disgust and contradict basic human empathy, raising questions about their moral justification.

The arbitrary nature of these commands, based on geographic proximity, leads to drastically different fates for individuals, challenging the notion of divine justice.

Allegorical interpretations of these passages as metaphors for spiritual truths are inconsistent and struggle to explain the specific details, raising doubts about their credibility.

The Flaws in Allegorical and Progressive Revelation Defenses

The allegorical interpretation of troubling biblical passages has been selectively applied, revealing a fundamental weakness in theists' defenses.

The pattern of reinterpretation of scripture to align with modern values exposes the inconsistency of an all-loving God's moral guidance.

The concept of progressive revelation fails to reconcile the drastic shifts in God's moral standards, raising questions about the consistency and goodness of a supreme being's commands throughout history.

The Problem of Progressive Revelation and Divine Morality

The concept of progressive revelation raises ethical concerns, suggesting that God's moral guidance is culturally constrained and inconsistent.

This approach fails to explain why God didn't start with the highest moral standards and struggles to account for moral regressions in scripture.

The argument of limited historical application for controversial commands doesn't resolve the core ethical issues, leaving the question of a loving God's role in ordering atrocities unanswered.

The Problematic Conquest Commands in Deuteronomy

The lack of specificity in Deuteronomy's conquest commands raises ethical concerns, as they have been misused to justify colonialism, slavery, and genocide.

The selective application of moral principles by theists further undermines the argument for a consistent interpretation of difficult verses.

The harsh realities of ancient Near Eastern societies, rather than divine wisdom, seem to be the true source of these morally repugnant passages.