The term 'genocide' is being misused and abused

SI Filings

“The Genocide Convention of 1948 was established in order to prevent the atrocities that took place during the Holocaust from happening again. One hundred and fifty-two countries…. It reads: ‘acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.’” - Jerusalem Post

Discussion

Remembering the Holocaust

SI Filings

“Jan. 27 was set by the United Nations as International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. It was on this date in 1945 that Allied troops liberated the infamous Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.” - World

Discussion

Israel halts for Holocaust day, honors 6 million Jews killed

SI Filings

“Sirens blared across Israel early Thursday as the country came to a standstill in an annual ritual honoring the 6 million Jews murdered during the Holocaust. People halted where they were walking, and drivers stopped their cars to get out of the vehicles as people bowed their heads in memory of the victims of the Nazi genocide.” - C.Index

Discussion

Killing the Canaanites: A Biblical Apology (Part 1)

Bob Gonzales

Since the 9/11 attack on twin towers, many Christians have been quick to contrast the violent tactics of Islamic Jihad with the gentler tendencies of Christian evangelism. For example, in an article entitled, “Christian or Muslim: What’s the difference?” Lutheran scholar Alvin Schmidt has argued,

Discussion

The Problem of Genocide in the Old Testament

SharperIron

Reprinted with permission from Baptist Bulletin Mar/Apr 2013. All rights reserved.

Troubling headlines

Recent incidents of genocide (the systematic killing of ethnic or religious groups) and ethnic cleansing (the forced deportation of ethnic or religious groups):

  • 1991 450,000 Palestinians expelled by Kuwait in retaliation for the PLO’s support of Saddam Hussein
  • 1993 170,000 Croatians and non-Serbs murdered or deported by Serbian rebels led by Slobodan Miloševic
  • 1999 800,000 Albanians flee their homes during the Kosovo War
  • 1994 As many as 1,000,000 Tutsi killed by Hutus in the Rwandan genocide
  • 2000 200,000 East Timorese killed or expelled from Indonesia after voting for independence in a 1999 referendum
  • 2003 450,000 from various black ethnic groups killed and another 2 million expelled from the Darfur region of Sudan
  • 2008 200,000 Karen and 120,000 other refugees displaced from their Burma (Myanmar) homes, fleeing to Thailand
  • 2012 400,000 people displaced in dispute between Bodos and Bengali-speaking Muslims of Assam, India

Problem: How should a believer respond to accusations about genocide in the Old Testament? Does the Bible encourage genocide for religious purposes?

Discussion