Thus far evilbible.com has offered impotent outrage in the form of baseless condemnations and we have seen cases of capital punishment and no human sacrifice. At least, no human sacrifice from the Jews to the God of the Bible but by Gentile Pagans to their false gods. Oddly enough, evilbible.com’s author did not condemn these-let’s just get back to condemning Jews!
The next section is entitled, “Child Sacrifice” which again quotes the apocrypha but this time not from the Roman Catholic NAB but from the RSV, some Bibles include the apocrypha as historical reference:
And this became a hidden trap for mankind, because men, in bondage to misfortune or to royal authority, bestowed on objects of stone or wood the name that ought not to be shared. Afterward it was not enough for them to err about the knowledge of God, but they live in great strife due to ignorance, and they call such great evils peace. For whether they kill children in their initiations, or celebrate secret mysteries, or hold frenzied revels with strange customs_ (Wisdom 14:21-23 RSV) The Book of The Wisdom of Solomon is mostly in Catholic versions of the Bible. This passage condemns human sacrifice but acknowledges that it did happen by early God worshipers.
In this case evilbible.com’s author is quite correct in stating that this is a straight forward case of “Child Sacrifice.” However, there is one slight detail that seems to have evaded the author’s attention. This detail may be due to, at least, two factors:
1) Some people appear to have such an unfathomable level of lack of knowledge and misunderstanding of the Bible’s contents that they think that any text in the Bible is meant to prescribe an action for us to follow. This is not only unbiblical but unreasonable no matter what text one is considering; from the Bible to the newspaper.
2) I do get the strange sensation that evilbible.com’s author did not conduct any sort of Bible study in order to prepare the contents of evilbible.com but simply surfed the internet seeking likeminded pseudo-skeptical anti-Judeo-Christians and simply compiled pull quotes.
In any regard, two things are for certain:
1) The text does indeed and very clearly refer to “Child Sacrifice.”
2) The text, here I mean the whole text, the entire chapter, the context, presents a styled history and description of idolatry and in referencing child sacrifice is condemning Gentile Pagan idol worshippers.
This is even clear from the text that was quoted as it does state, “it was not enough for them to err about the knowledge of God, but they live in great strife due to ignorance, and they call such great evils peace.”
They sacrificed children to false idolatrous gods due to erring ignorance of the true God and end up calling evil good-just as when Dan Barker makes reference to the brutal and painful dismembering murder of beautiful, innocent, and defenseless human babies by stating, “I think abortion is a blessing” (see here).
Where is the condemnation of the Gentile Pagans by evilbible.com’s author, the New Atheists and atheists in general? Nowhere to be heard-let’s get back to condemning the Jews!
The next section is entitled, “Humans are Fuel for Fire” and goes back to quoting the Roman Catholic NAB:
As for you, son of man, prophesy: Thus says the Lord GOD against the Ammonites and their insults: A sword, a sword is drawn for slaughter, burnished to consume and to flash lightning, because you planned with false visions and lying divinations to lay it on the necks of depraved and wicked men whose day has come when their crimes are at an end. Return it to its sheath! In the place where you were created, in the land of your origin, I will judge you. I will pour out my indignation upon you, breathing my fiery wrath upon you, I will hand you over to ravaging men, artisans of destruction. You shall be fuel for the fire, your blood shall flow throughout the land. You shall not be remembered, for I, the LORD, have spoken. (Ezekiel 21:33-37 NAB)
Be aware that the NAB has Ezekiel ch. 21 going to v. 37 but other Bibles have it going to v. 32-however, the text is the same, it is simply that the numbering of verses is different as the NAB ends ch. 20 a couple of verses earlier than other Bibles and carries them over to ch. 21.Interestingly enough, it is by not considering theses verses that evilbible.com’s author commits folly yet again.The verses in question read,
Thus the word of the LORD came to me:Son of man, look southward, preach toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the southern land.Hear the word of the LORD! you shall say to the southern forest. Thus says the Lord GOD: See! I am kindling a fire in you that shall devour all trees, the green as well as the dry. The blazing flame shall not be quenched, but from south to north every face shall be scorched by it.Everyone shall see that I, the LORD, have kindled it, and it shall not be quenched.
But I said, “Alas! Lord GOD, they say to me, ‘Is not this the one who is forever spinning parables?’” (Ezekiel 21:1-5 NAB; 20:45-49 other Bibles)
God’s reference to “a fire_blazing flame_scorched_kindled” was parable (proverb, saying, aphorism, similitude, maxim, etc.). Thus, “fuel for the fire” is parabolic “fuel” for the parabolic “fire” and therefore, no “Humans are Fuel for Fire” with regards to “Ritual Human Sacrifice in the Bible.”
The parabolic fire denotes that the Gentile Pagan Babylonians would conquer Israel.
We have now come to the very last reference to alleged “Ritual Human Sacrifice in the Bible” which is entitled, “Burn Nonbelievers” and we are back to the NLT:
“Suppose you hear in one of the towns the LORD your God is giving you that some worthless rabble among you have led their fellow citizens astray by encouraging them to worship foreign gods. In such cases, you must examine the facts carefully. If you find it is true and can prove that such a detestable act has occurred among you, you must attack that town and completely destroy all its inhabitants, as well as all the livestock. Then you must pile all the plunder in the middle of the street and burn it. Put the entire town to the torch as a burnt offering to the LORD your God. That town must remain a ruin forever; it may never be rebuilt. Keep none of the plunder that has been set apart for destruction. Then the LORD will turn from his fierce anger and be merciful to you. He will have compassion on you and make you a great nation, just as he solemnly promised your ancestors. “The LORD your God will be merciful only if you obey him and keep all the commands I am giving you today, doing what is pleasing to him.” (Deuteronomy 13:13-19 NLT)
Evilbible.com’s author appears to interpret “Put the entire town to the torch” as “the town and its inhabitants.” Yet, the preceding verses state otherwise. Firstly, this represents the laying out of a contingency plan for when it is reported that Israelites have been enticed to worship the idolatrous false gods whose worship systems included the actual child sacrifice about which evilbible.com’s author had nothing to say, temple prostitution, etc.The first step is to “examine the facts carefully” and note that this is something which “you must” do.
Then “If you find it is true and can prove” it the sentence is capital punishment which is carried out by destroying the inhabitants and livestock and the burning, of note what is to be burned, “all the plunder.”
Therefore, no burning of nonbelievers and not even their corpses.
Having reached the end of evilbible.com’s page about “Ritual Human Sacrifice in the Bible” we have learned that the only “Ritual Human Sacrifice in the Bible” is that which Gentile Pagan idolaters carried out while worshipping the false gods whom the God of the Bible condemns. Whenever the Jews did practice human sacrifice it was only when they abandoned the God of the Bible and followed the Gentile Pagan false idolatrous gods whom the God of the Bible condemns.
About these Gentile Pagan false idolatrous gods to whom human children were sacrificed and women were made to prostitute evilbible.com’s author, the New Atheists, and atheist in general have nothing to say-let’s just get back to condemning Jews!
However, I am not done and would like to point out certain text which do indeed present actual “Ritual Human Sacrifice in the Bible” which evilbible.com’s author missed:
“When the Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying , ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods” (Deuteronomy 12:29-30).
“And you shall not let any of your seed pass through the fire to Moloch, neither shall you profane the name of your God. I am the LORD” (Leviticus 18:21).
“they built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Moloch, though I never commanded, nor did it enter my mind, that they should do such a detestable thing and so make Judah sin” (Jeremiah 32:35).
And what about when Nebuchadnezzar had Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego thrown into a blazing furnace that was so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who threw them in? (Daniel ch. 3).
Well, Nebuchadnezzar was the King of Babylon and thus a Gentile Pagan false idolatrous god worshipper about whom evilbible.com’s author, the New Atheists, and atheist in general have nothing to say-let’s just get back to condemning Jews!
To sum up our research of the contents of evilbible.com thus, far:
Let us note that in our consideration of rape in the Bible we learned that evilbible.com’s author imagined rape when no text supporting the assertion that the Bible’s approves of rape could be found.We also noted that, for some odd reason, the primary biblical text dealing with rape was ignored; it was not quoted, not cited, not paraphrased, not alluded to, but completely ignored.
Why? One can only guess, but one thing is for certain; that text, Deuteronomy 22:25-27, calls for capital punishment for the rapist.
Moreover, our study of Ritual Human Sacrifice in the Bible concluding here, we have learned that the only human/child sacrifice to be found in the Bible was not condemned by evilbible.com’s author. These sacrifices were condemned by the God of the Bible as the heretical and abominable unGodly actions of Gentile Pagans who were worshipping idolatrous false gods and by Jews on the occasion when they turned away from the God of the Bible to join the worship of false gods.
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