OzmO,
Do you believe that God is NOT cruel? Why?
Cruel is a matter of perception. So that's very difficult to answer. But regarding the issues of killing innocent children as a cruelty that God enacted through Jewish soldiers; that i do not believe is God. I do not believe that is the act of a divine being.
As for children suffering for the sins of the parents, it happens everyday. You have mocked Christians and you have mocked the God of the Bible before because casual sex is a sin. Tell me, does casual sex not have consequences?
Every action has consequences when those actions are done with the absence of responsibility. Responsible casual sex has infrequent consequences. The same infrequent consequences one would have driving down the street responsibly.
Tell me, in millions of cases do children not suffer because of their parent's casual sex?
Yes they suffer, but by whose hand? But God's deliberate actions? Or by the actions of their parents who acted irresponsibly
? Do those parents have the power to chose to act responsibly and take care of their children born from casual sex
?Did God have the power to spare the lives of innocent children who were ordered to by him to be killed
? Is God of the OT acting irresponsibly by not taking care of the innocent children he orphaned by his actions
? What answer have you or the God that you believe in for this? Is your God cruel?
It's not my god or you god. god is god.
In addition to the already answering the above questions: You comparison to the consequences of casual sex are almost laughable in comparing that to killing innocent children. At the very least even though those children born of casual sex do suffer they are not BEheaded on this Alleged God's orders. They still have a chance in life, just as a responsible less ego manic, less jealous, less nut job, less rage-aholic god in the OT would have done.