Answering Atheists: Marrying a Rapist

When YHWH gave Israel the Promised Land, it appears that He commanded Israel to wipe out entire peoples. This teaching explores those difficult passages and demonstrates that God did not command racial genocide but pronounced judgment on nations whose wickedness had become extreme. The Hebrew ban (ḥērem) called for the removal of corrupt cultures steeped in idolatry and child sacrifice. God patiently warned these nations for centuries (Genesis 15:16) before bringing justice; the commands were acts of righteous judgment, not ethnic cleansing.

Deuteronomy 22:13-21 tells about the case of the slandered bride. Some atheists or feminists try to use it to prove the Bible is anti-women or misogynistic. However, further inspection of the Scriptures and historical context may tell us a different story.

The design or fine‑tuning argument observes that the fundamental laws and parameters of physics are exquisitely balanced for life. This teaching explores examples of fine‑tuning, such as the precise strength of the strong nuclear force, the gravitational constant, the mass difference between protons and neutrons, and the delicate energy of the Big Bang. It argues that these and many other cosmic “coincidences” are best explained by an intelligent Designer rather than by chance. The incredible order and complexity of the universe therefore point to a purposeful Creator.

This installment examines the moral argument for God’s existence. It begins with the observation that objective moral truths exist—that some things are really right or wrong regardless of human opinion. The argument posits that objective morality requires a transcendent moral law giver, because naturalistic explanations cannot ground moral duties and values. The teaching explains that God’s character provides the absolute standard of goodness and that our awareness of moral law is evidence for His existence.