Here's a famous quote about the Judeo-Christian God:
The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.
Richard Dawkins- The God Delusion

For debate:
1. Does the God of the Bible fit this description?

2. Are the Christian apologists explanations for God's actions in the OT rational or valid?
 
Here's a famous quote about the Judeo-Christian God:

Richard Dawkins- The God Delusion

For debate:
1. Does the God of the Bible fit this description?

2. Are the Christian apologists explanations for God's actions in the OT rational or valid?
I believe in love. If God is love, therefore I believe in God and am not agnostic.
Do I believe in the God of the OT? Not really.
Not much love there . Plenty of authority. Which some Christians like. I never have. I'm more a hippie than a fundie. Kindness is what this world needs. Not more authority figures .
 
Does the God of the Bible fit this description?
Dawkins is viewing things out of context and is using his personal standard to judge God. A lot in his quote is about God's actions in the Old Testament.

God ordered the killing of a lot of people but these were not innocent people. A good book on this topic is one by Paul Copan, Is God a Moral Monster. Another one is by Matthew Flannagan, Did God Really Command Genocide? Coming to Terms with the Justice of God.

Some believers and non-believers would bring up the babies and women being killed but those were all part of ancient warfare rhetoric.

Passage that calls for all to be killed...

Numbers 21:2-3
Then Israel made this vow to the Lord: “If you will deliver these people into our hands, we will totally destroy their cities.” 3 The Lord listened to Israel’s plea and gave the Canaanites over to them. They completely destroyed them and their towns; so the place was named Hormah.

Fast Forward to the book of Joshua 17:12-13...
12 Yet the Manassites were not able to occupy these towns, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that region. 13 However, when the Israelites grew stronger, they subjected the Canaanites to forced labor but did not drive them out completely.

The Canaanites are back in the story again.

I believe in love. If God is love, therefore I believe in God and am not agnostic.
I also believe that God is love. He is also for justice.
 
also believe that God is love. He is also for justice
Yes but the level of vengeance/violence in the OT seems more than justice.
I find such answers from Christians unconvincing. I find a lot of the Bible is undefendable. But guess I'm just talking like a cynic now.