why in the bible does god seem to punish people collectively ,racially or nationaly ?

According to the Bible, the Hebrews are God's chosen people.

...see if you can guess who wrote the bible.

If you read the history - you will find in every case where the judgment included babies and children - it was a culture that engaged in the ritual of passing babies through the fire (specifically dedicated that baby to a pagan god). By virtue of that ritual that baby belonged to that pagan god..

God speaking to Abraham advised him that it would be 400 years before his descendants would take the land - that was time for them to become a great nation, and time for the sin of the Canaanites to be completed. The Hebrews coming into Canaan was in part God's judgment against a wicked people. It was not the evil Hebrews ethnic cleansing of poor innocent folks but Gods Judgment against a sinful people. In the Covenant God also warned the Hebrews, if they follow the ways of those pagans they too would be judged.. Which happened time and again (Read the book of Judges) Including them being taken captive by the neo-Babylonian empire.. The final Judgment spoken in Matthew 23 by Jesus was fulfilled in 70 AD by the Romans who destroyed Jerusalem and the temple.

It was with the advent of Jesus that a new and better covenant was presented.. A covenant where each of us is individually redeemed by grace through faith and where each of us will individually stand judgment.. this carried back to all mankind even to Adam (Hebrews chapter 11). So while in the past in the physical realm judgments may have had a collective element. In the kingdom that is to come (and now is) each individual will be judged.

Marc Antoine Muret: You are certainly entitled to you opinion - and I am entitled to not give a crap about it:)

At Genesis 18:23 Abraham is questioning God regarding finding righteous people in Sodom. "Will you really sweep away the righteous with the wicked?" Then in verse 32 Abraham says, "Suppose only ten are found there." He answered "I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten."

There is the account of Rahab the prostitute who lived in a city that was to be destroyed because of the wickedness violence. In the book of Joshua chapters 2&3 she and her family were saved because of her faith in Jehovah and she became an ancestor of Jesup Christ. Matthew 1:5.

The account Noah Jehovah saved the 8 people who are the ancestors of everyone on earth .

Because there is only one God (at least according to most religions) and to differentiate between the "chosen" and the "heathen", the latter which apparently included anyone who didn't worship Yahweh.

Tough being the new kid on the block with a messiah complex. Guess a lot of our current religions took their cue from the OT as well.

"The thoughts of you people are not my thoughts, nor are my ways your ways." Isaiah 55:8

"Who has come to know the mind of Jehovah, that he may instruct Him? 1 Corinthians 2:16

Obeying the commandments applied to only the ancient Hebrew tribe......you could do anything you wanted to members of other surrounding tribes...God even stopped the sun in the sky so the slaughter of Canaanites would continue unabated..

Oh joy. Someone trying to justify genocide.

> It was not the evil Hebrews ethnic cleansing of poor innocent folks

Uhuh.

>but Gods Judgment against a sinful people.

Which involved the hebrews ethnically cleansing entire countries and enslaving poor innocent women and children. They deserved it according to you.

Numbers 31:18

Just how do you "rape them to innocence"?

Or perhaps, if they are particularly vile you should abort the non-innocent evil sinning fetuses en masse and then shred their mothers.

Hosea 13:16

The apologists just get worse and more desperate. And evil.

The old testament is a work reflective of its times. I do not believe the irrational things it attributes to God are true.

Bc the bible's not the truth. It's been altered. Research other religions and search the truth.

Its actually inhuman and something anyone who believes the OT is sanctioned by God must review and acknowledge as inhuman if they are honest.