Objective Moral Standard

In his debates William Lane Craig often uses the argument that without God, there is no objective moral standard. He says that only God can provide the moral standard by which we must live. Where do we get that moral standard? From the Bible according to Craig.

Anyone who has read the Bible with any sort of open mind can see that the Bible is a mish-mash of killings, slavery, murder, child abuse, global destruction, and so on. As an exercise I wanted to take one particular verse in the Bible and see what it really said about morals. I also wanted to see if the “inerrant” word of God changes with various translations and versions. So I started with a goodie – Numbers 31 verses 17 and 18. If you haven’t read it, Moses gives instructions to his people about what to do as they annihilate Midianites.

As an example of God’s moral standards, these two verses are pretty horrific. Not only does Moses want his folks to kill boys and women (girls?) who had sex, but as a war prize his folks can keep, for themselves, the young virgin girls.

I looked at various versions of these verses, starting with the 1599 Geneva Bible up to the Revised Standard Version, that I believe is widely use in many churches. All these verses can be seen below. I will admit that the crux of the sentiment stayed the same throughout the versions. I guess as each version was done, no one recognized the horror of the verses. Blinded by God?

I found it interesting that Moses specifically wanted to kill young boys. Where was the cut off age - 16, 18, 21? And why kill young boys? If you want to ensure that the Midianites wouldn’t be able to fight, why not kill the adult men? And what was gained by killing women who had sex. That implies that they were mothers and what would happen to the mothers’ children?

Of course the kicker is that Moses wanted young virgin girls as war spoils. Even today capturing young women, virgin or not, is not condoned and is universally condemned. So William Lane Craig’s God has a very warped sense of moral standards. Thanks Bill, but if stuff like this is your example of the moral standard that we can only get by God, then no thanks. I know society as a whole has done better than your book written by Middle eastern goat herders. 

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Numbers 31:17,18

American Standard Version

¹⁷ Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.

¹⁸ But all the women-children, that have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.

21^st King James

¹⁷ Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who hath known a man by lying with him.

¹⁸ But all the women children, who have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.

Common English Bible

¹⁷ Now kill every male child and every female who has known a man intimately by sleeping with him. ¹⁸ But all the young girls who have not known a man intimately by sleeping with him, spare for yourselves.

Contemporary English Version

¹⁷ You must put to death every boy and all the women who have ever had sex. ¹⁸ But do not kill the young women who have never had sex. You may keep them for yourselves.”

1599 Geneva Bible

¹⁷ Now therefore, slay all the males among the ^[h]children, and kill all the women that have known man by carnal copulation.

¹⁸ But all the women-children that have not known carnal copulation, keep alive for yourselves.

Good News Translation

¹⁷ So now kill every boy and kill every woman who has had sexual intercourse, ¹⁸ but keep alive for yourselves all the girls and all the women who are virgins.

1604 King James

¹⁷ Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.

¹⁸ But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.

The Living Bible

¹⁷ Now kill all the boys and all the women who have had sexual intercourse. ¹⁸ Only the little girls may live; you may keep them for yourselves.

Revised Standard Version

¹⁷ Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him. ¹⁸ But all the young girls who have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.