Editor, The Beacon

With due respect to Casey Flug’s letter in the March 21-27 edition of The West Volusia Beacon, who I suspect truthfully believes that the Bible is the complete, divine and perfect revelation from God, I must disagree with his conclusion that God gave the promised land to Israel.

Now, I read the Bible, the Quran, and other holy writings, and I find much in these writings that is edifying and that strengthens my faith in God.

However, in Genesis 15:18–21, we read, “On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, ‘To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates – the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.’”

You will note that this land was occupied by 10 nations.

Now, we read in Joshua 10:40, “So Joshua subdued the whole region, including the hill country, the Negev, the western foothills and the mountain slopes, together with all their kings. He left no survivors.

He totally destroyed all who breathed, just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded.”

“In my mind’s eye, I can see a young mother playing with her innocent son and daughter outside their home on a sunny day. They’re laughing and having a wonderful time. And suddenly, out of nowhere, there appear these brutal monsters, called Hebrew soldiers, and they viciously slaughter them. As they perish, the mother and her children’s laughter turns into screams at the horror inflicted on them.” (Our Love’s Rivalry With Religion, of which I am the author)

So, we are to understand that a just, holy, loving God sent Joshua to commit genocide. Can you imagine how CNN would rightfully condemn this atrocious genocide?

And now, the Zionists in Israel, though they deny it, are trying to do it again by committing genocide against the Palestinians.

If this is indeed God’s will and plan, then He is no God of justice, love, mercy, and grace. However, all three Abrahamic religions (Jewish, Christian and Muslim) proclaim that God is just, loving, merciful and gracious. And I agree with them.

Therefore, if Joshua and his troops committed such genocide, it could not possibly be something that our just, loving, merciful and gracious God would command. So, I must question the veracity of the Scriptures I quoted above. So, yes. There must be a two-state solution that all will respect.

Michael Wright