Why is it hateful to point out that what God instructed Joshua to do is genocide?

Joshua did not kill any innocent people. The people God commanded Joshua to kill were all corrupt. Many were people who sacrificed there own children to idols. Even some of the children had been corrupted.

God gave specific instructions who to kill and who to let live. How can anyone fight against what God said?

I suppose you could point to any society in early man's history and mention genocide without fear of contradiction. I mean that's just common sense.

The overall message that you fail to miss is that God is great and there is no other God. He is mighty to save and to work in a nation's life as long as they held fast to God's command.

Do not think the others did not have their own beliefs as well. And do not think they had lifestyles either but they were very contrary to the ways God wanted his own people to live their lives. I

In fact in the future when the Israelites dwelled in the land and started living the lifestyles that existed in those lands and believed their God. The blessing and protection of God left them.

Make no mistake that for the Israelites theirs was a physical and spiritual battle going on. The knowledge of the true God had to be maintained. In our day now believers are in a spiritual battle. But the battle that Israel is in today is the same as it was in Joshua's time.

Later.

Hateful is a matter of intent not act. If you say it to offend then it is hateful. It is true that the United States committed genocide against native Americans. I could point this out as historical fact but if I say it to offend my fellow Americans then it is hateful even if it is true.

On the other hand you could say this and not be hateful at all. The truth is you know if your hateful better then anyone else. Do you want someone to feel bad? If so then its hateful.

Very interesting statement. Did you happen to read what happened before God instructed joshua to pronouce judgement on those people? Those people were offering their children as a sacrifice, to be burned, to their false god Molech. Men were having sex with animals, causing all kinds of diseases to be spread like fire. Genocides were being commited for land, money, women. People were boiled alive to keep evil spirits away. God allowed this to happen, patiently telling them to repent, for 300 YEARS. God kept telling the Cannaanites to stop, but they continued. So he pronounced judgement on them. I don't see anything hateful about that.

It was genocide.

And I don't understand how a loving God could do that.

Leads me to a decision point:

Either:

1. God is not a loving God

2. The Bible, on this point, is wrong.

In either case, I'll be (in the eyes of a fundamentalist) destined for hell.

Whatever, I don't believe that.

But I choose the second of my decision points.

Something is hateful when the motivation behind the action is hatred

If you are a cop and come upon a hostage situation you have a few choices. You can if necessary kill the person taking the hostage which would be well within your job description. Or you could choose to shoot the hostage which would be murder. If you choose to shoot the the person who took the hostage it is par for the course that members of his family would call you a murderer.

It is very telling when you call Joshua a murderer.

Because pointing out that god is anything but loving is considered hateful.

Perhaps you might be so kind as to point out chapter and verse of the the exact instructions to which you are referring. My guess is that the reasons why would be somewhere in the vicinity.

Unless this is just more mindless Bible bashing and not a serious request for information...

It's not hateful to point out examples of atrocious behavior whether found in the Bible or anywhere else.

well if you are to believe the biblical drivel--genocide is just a drop in the bucket compared to the mass murder of all the people on the planet.