Reply #10: Yes, [View All]

[snake in the grass]

"Thou shalt not kill other Jews" is correct. That was the tribal code to be followed in order to ensure social cohesion. I mentioned the genocide further in my statement. The same thing goes for war, which was merely a tool to gain control of resources deemed indispensable.

As far as the Aztecs go, they were indeed bloodthirsty, by our standards. However, these blood rituals were systematized and controlled, and, at least at first glance, served to appease their gods. It was still illegal to just go out and kill your neighbor just because he looked at you the wrong way. If these things weren't regulated by laws, they would have never achieved the level of cultural sophistication they did. That is, before the followers of another blood cult came and made them a thing of the past.