One can read all types of books on atrocious wars in history which is awashed with blood ,- that must be "promoting" violence too according to you lot. The mentioning of 'people at war' in bible isn't promoting violence.
This is an inadequate response. You're writing as if you don't know that Biblegod ordered genocide. That surely can't be the case; you're good with citing verses to build your case.
We're talking about a god who killed off humanity in the seventh chapter of 'his' book. But let me get to the post-Egypt passages that clearly spell out the connection with God and mass killings.
I. Num. 25:16-7: God commanded Moses,"Attack the Midianites and utterly destroy them." He says this is the lot of the Midianites for seducing the Israelite men into whoredom at Peor.
Numbers 31: The Israelites are led in the attack by Phinehas, who kills all the men of Midian, loots the place, and brings back livestock plus all the women and children. Moses is furious, because they had not followed God's command to the letter. He orders that Phinehas slaughter the children and older women but spare the girls and women who are virgins -- they must be "kept alive for yourselves." (The next heading, in the Good News Bible, is 'Division of the Loot'!!)
II. Deut. 20: 16-17, which is part of a long section where Moses reveals the laws and teachings that God has commissioned him to give to the people: "When you capture the cities in the land that the LORD your God has given you, kill everyone. Completely destroy all the people: the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, as the LORD ordered you to do."
III. Here's Biblegod in action, doing the killing himself. I Chron. 21: Satan convinces David to take a census of Israel, which offends God. God sends a message to David through Gad that he must choose between three consequences: three years of famine, or three months of military defeat, or three days in which God will attack the Israelites "with his sword", killing them with disease. David chooses the third consequence, and God kills SEVENTY THOUSAND of the Israelites. (As a bizarre coda, if you check the account of these events in II Sam. 24, it was God and not Satan who ordered the census.)
Now, I claim that the Bible isn't just "mentioning violence" in these passages. If you think the slaughter of the captives in Numbers 31 is disapproved of by the Bible writers, then you're writing your own Bible. And God killing 70,000 people over a census -- does the writer fault God for this? Do you see why atheists look at these passages (which may all be fictitious) and see a completely immoral spirit running through them? To sum up:
> I wonder if you think Num. 31, Deut. 20, and I Chron. 21 truthfully narrate the commands and actions of God.
> Is genocide ever a justified and moral action?
> Is genocide justified and moral if a god orders it?
> Is it reasonable to believe that there exists a god, written about by a specific group, who favors that group in war and orders it to annhilate its enemies, killing young and old, sick and helpless, infants and children?
> Could such a god reasonably be called a god of love and mercy?
> Would such a god be worthy of worship?
> Again, do you see why nonbelievers look at these texts and can't be persuaded that there's a "good reason" and "justification" for them?
> And once again, did anyone in the NT ever cite these texts and the others like them and call them lies told about God?