Then there's the Gnostic belief that Yahweh is an evil demiurge, that He's the 'Satan' who is in charge of the world.
The gnostics belief has an interesting take, in that, for many Christians, Yahweh is the 'messenger of the Lord', who had authority to pass judgement, in parts of the old testament, who was NOT the father ( may provide the answer to some questions, like 'no one had seen the Father's face and lived etc..)- (Jesus will be judge again, in the end of days).
The gnostics version identifies there being two entities also! 'However... according to them (the gnostics) Yahweh is but an evil 'demi-god: but is
not the the Father. It's been an interesting belief for many Christians, because this distorted narrative... Yahweh being parallel to Christ (as creator) hints a layer in this gnostic twisting as being anti-Jesus/ anti-christ underneath.
It's not twisting.
It's a means of explaining the obviously cruel, intolerant and vindictive nature of Yahweh as described in the Old Testament, which is clearly not that of a God of Love.
It's a means of wishful thinking from your position. Explanations out-of-context are easy; you simply ignore all the verses (which there is quite a sum), like the context to wars with the Israelites and being righteous, turning from evil... to which God is strongly emphasised being the total opposite to your false characterisation.
Genocide, wholesale slaughter and rape is the context.
'That'll shalt not do any of the above' is one of the major contexts. There are several.
Yours context is a misuse of words.
The descriptions of the agency of God in relation to killing and genocide is the context for the morality of these actions. Killing the first born of Egypt for instance, the innocent slaughtered as a means to compell the Pharoah to act,
As I have already showed in a previous post. Pharaoh was given 10 chances to free the Israelites in which he refused 10 times. Who will defend the Israelites other than their God? In the last few centuries, nations have gone to war after 1 or 2 ultimatums, never mind 10.
even while hardening his heart. Morality? I don't think so.
Hardening Pharaohs heart is a
result of his
own stubbornness and refusal to let the Israelites go, despite the demise of his own people, which he didn't care until after 10 warnings...
I mean...the logic of atheists reading this text and making this is an argument. Those 10 warnings wouldn't be necessary at all, if God is hardening pharaoh's heart, as you're describing!
''But the LORD
hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said to Moses. King James Bible
And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken unto Moses.'' Hebrews 9:12
It does not say that Pharaoh hardened his own heart. It tells us that the Lord hardened Pharaohs heart.
God hardened the pharaohs heart, so that he wouldn't listen to God? The texts doesn't imply that, because of it's contrast to the other relating verses, but then... with the words underlined, one can propose semantics, to
technically promote a particular linguistic notion.
The word
hearkened is synonymous with heed. Heed from given information.
He hearken not unto them, shown below implies pharaohs heart hardened
after hearing of the warnings, IOW pharaoh rather... was peed off.
And the LORD
hardened the
heart of
Pharaoh, and he
hearkened not unto them;
An interesting thing about pharaohs is that they were understood in the ancient world, to be like divine gods themselves I wouldn't be surprised if this pharaoh just couldn't get over the thought that God of the Hebrews was more powerful than him. He tested the God of the Hebrews.
But let's say your interpretation is correct and we are dealing with poetic language....killing the innocent for the actions of the guilty is neither moral or just.
That is the point.
The deaths of the first born has significances ( traditions may vary) in the ancient world, 'which were done by many nations
across the world'-
This was the normality for that time... in war and human sacrifice, which is NOT a 'Commandment Law' for Hebrews (or Christians) to follow. Commandments came about
because of the times, turning the Hebrews away from doing what the other nations were doing.
The
first born deaths, the pharaohs had already thought of, was
introduced by themselves, prior to the
last chance, the '
tenth warning' from God, which eventually fell upon on themselves for their own first born.
Exodus 1:15,17,18,22
15 Then the king of Egypt told the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 “When you help the Hebrew women in childbirth, look at the child when you deliver it. If it’s a boy, kill it, but if it’s a girl, let it live.
17 However, the midwives feared God and didn’t obey the king of Egypt’s orders. They let the boys live. 18 So the king of Egypt called for the midwives. He asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”
22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people to throw into the Nile every boy that was born, but to let every girl live.
