Would it be moral for me to do this?

[smk22]

Deuteronomy 20:10-14

When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace. If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you. If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city. When the LORD your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it. As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves. And you may use the plunder the LORD your God gives you from your enemies.

 

[ebia]

Try it and see how far you get.

Are coming with genuine questions, or looking for reasons not to believe? Because its beginning to look like the latter, and if so you will always find them; we can always find reasons to reject something we don't want to accept. An overblown hermenutic of suspicion is as useless as an overblown hermenutic of credulity.

 

[mont974x4]

You must understand the context of the verse. If you were there that day in history being commanded what the people were being commanded then it would be perfectly moral. In fact, not doing it was immoral and it led to great difficulties later.

 

[smk22]

Try it and see how far you get.

Are coming with genuine questions, or looking for reasons not to believe? Because its beginning to look like the latter, and if so you will always find them; we can always find reasons to reject something we don't want to accept. An overblown hermenutic of suspicion is as useless as an overblown hermenutic of credulity.

Are you capable of giving a straight answer? Please answer either yes or no.

 

[traditionalist]

congratulations. what a way to take a verse out of context and manipulate it. I look forward to seeig more of your attempts to bait people with loaded questions.

 

[OldChurchGuy]

Deuteronomy 20:10-14

When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace. If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you. If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city. When the LORD your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it. As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves. And you may use the plunder the LORD your God gives you from your enemies.

I don't know. Do you think it would be moral? Why or why not?

Sincerely,

OldChurchGuy

 

[fm107]

The answer to your question is no because these commands were given by God solely to these people - not to you.

 

[ebia]

Are you capable of giving a straight answer?

The first part was as straight an answer as is possible for a nonsensical hypothetical question.

 

[smk22]

congratulations. what a way to take a verse out of context and manipulate it. I look forward to seeig more of your attempts to bait people with loaded questions.

What are you talking about? I thought the Bible was the word of God? I don't see how you can take that passage out of context...

 

[andreha]

Deuteronomy 20:10-14

When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace. If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you. If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city. When the LORD your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it. As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves. And you may use the plunder the LORD your God gives you from your enemies.

If God explicitly commands you to do that, then yes, cool - go for it. And you'd better be sure it was God telling you that - otherwise you'll be in for quite a hard time...

 

[drich0150]

What are you talking about? I thought the Bible was the word of God?

In it's complete form yes, but not you have interpreted it.

I don't see how you can take that passage out of context...

You accomplished this by taking the command God gave to an entire race of people, and placed your self in the position of Power God gave to them. Not only that, The Jews did not have this the right to conquer whomever they wished, and treat them in this way. God's command was about a specific people, with in a very specific time frame. what you have taken out of context is the power, and applied it to yourself, with none of the rules or responsibility God gave the Jews.

 

[powermadd400ex]

what others have said - it would be moral if God commanded you to do it. since he didn't, it would be immoral.

 

[Sketcher]

You're not a Jew in defense of Israel. So no.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

These were specific commands to Israel, they represent what God felt is the best way to deal with rogue nations that were not a part of the land He had promised Israel. From this we can determine that God was referring to nations that were attacking Israel. We really do not know what is the best way to deal with ending wars. Killing all males (which I think you see as immorral, means that there can not be war between that nation and Israel for at least the time it takes for the male children to grow up. However the laws regarding aliens commands Israel to be kind to those who are not of Israel in their own land.

Also taking all the women and children as captives engenders picture of mass rape or similar. However men were not allowed to rape women. They had to live with them for a month to see if they were able to live in peace together. If they could not, they had to let the woman go, and not sell her as a slave, she had the right to go anywhere. If however the man found he could live with the woman she had to become his wife and have all the benefits assigned to a wife.

Deu 21:10-13 When thou goest forth to war against thine enemies, and the LORD thy God hath delivered them into thine hands, and thou hast taken them captive, And seest among the captives a beautiful woman, and hast a desire unto her, that thou wouldest have her to thy wife; Then thou shalt bring her home to thine house; and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails; And she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thine house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month: and after that thou shalt go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife.