As for how I can reconcile this with my Christianity, I would note that the Old Testament does not assert that the bloodthirsty gods of rival nations, such as Ba’al or Moloch, were imaginary, only that they were cruel and unworthy of worship. Of course, my atheist friends are fond of reminding me that Yahweh Himself ordered His followers to punish rival tribes with total annihilation, specifying that, yes, not even their children were to be spared. I can assure you, I have spent more time pondering this than you know. I am also aware that when the Spanish were forcibly converting the
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