correctness
from the
other end of the
ideological spectrum has also
distorted
many
people's
conception
of violence in early civilizations—namely, those
featured
in the Bible. This supposed source
of
moral
values contains many
celebrations of genocide, in which the
Hebrews,
egged on
by God, slaughter every
last
resident
of an
invaded city. The Bible also prescribes death by stoning
as
the
penalty
for a long list of nonviolent
infractions, including
idolatry,
blasphemy,
homosexuality, adultery, disrespecting
one's
parents, and picking up
sticks on
the
Sabbath. The Hebrews, of course,
were
no
more murderous than
other
tribes;
one
also
finds frequent boasts of torture and genocide in
the early
histories of the Hindus, Christians,
Muslims,
and
Chinese
.