"Why did God command Abraham to circumcise his slaves?"

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Genesis 17:12-13 Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised.

Why does God command Abraham to do perform circumcisions? This seems especially unjust towards an adult slave who apparently must relinquish themselves to genital alteration in addition to a general lack of physical freedom. Why doesn't God discourage Abraham from owning slaves in the first place?

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"Was there really a global flood?"

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Genesis 7:17-20 The flood continued for forty days on the earth. The waters increased and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. The waters prevailed and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the face of the waters. And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered. The waters prevailed above the mountains covering them fifteen cubits deep.

Do we have any evidence of a global flood? Where did all of the water come from? How much would it have to rain to cover the planet with water above the highest mountains?

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"Why did Jesus have to cast demons into pigs?"

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Matthew 8:28-32 And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, the two demon-possessed men met him coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. And behold, they cried out, "What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?" Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. And the demons begged him saying, "If you cast us out, send us away in the herd of pigs." And he said to them, "Go." So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters.

In these verses were are told that Jesus cures two men of demonic possession by casting the demons into a herd of pigs that proceed to run into the sea and drown. Why did Jesus need to use the pigs? Why did the demons seemingly want to inhabit the pigs? Could Jesus have cured the two men without causing the pigs to kill themselves? What happened to the demons after the pigs died? Did they "die" as well?

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"Were Sorcerers, Mediums, and Necromancers really performing magic in the bible?"

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Deuteronomy 18:10-11 There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead.

Several passages in the bible refer to Sorcerers, Mediums, and Necromancers and the magic they supposedly perform. Were these people actually performing magic? Where did they obtain these abilities? Have we ever observed magic occurring?

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"Why would God command his people to kill their disobedient children?"

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Leviticus 20:9 For anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood is upon him.

This seems like an unjust punishment. What constitutes cursing your father or mother? Why would God ask his people to pass judgement or punishment on his behalf? Couldn't he reserve ultimate justice for the disobedient child in the afterlife? Why would he not allow the individual a chance to redeem themselves and be forgiven for their sins?

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"How were the Pharaoh's sorcerers able to replicate God's miracle with Aaron's rod?"

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Exodus 7:8-12 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’” So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts. For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs.

These verses specifically refer to the rod turning into a serpent as a miracle, but somehow the Pharaoh's sorcerers were able to recreate this miracle with their "secret arts". What were their secret arts? How did these magicians have powers comparable to God? If it was God's intent to convince the Pharaoh of Moses' divine authority, why wouldn't he begin with an example that could not be replicated (or seemingly replicated) by any man, angel, or demon?

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"Why did God need to rest after creation?"

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Genesis 2:2-3 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

From God's actions in the creation story so far, we can assume that he is infinitely powerful. Why would an all-powerful creator choose to rest? Why would he need to separate creation into days at all?

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"Why does the Bible refer to the moon as a light?"

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Genesis 1: 16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 

In the creation account the Bible lists the 2 great lights, the Sun and the Moon, but the Moon doesn't actually generate light. Why would the Bible refer to it as a light? And why is the creation of the stars mentioned separately if the Sun is a star?

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"Why did God need a cherubim with a flaming sword to guard the Garden of Eden?"

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Genesis 3:24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

After Adam and Eve are cast out of the Garden of Eden God places a guardian called a "cherubim" to prevent them from reentering. What is a cherubim? What is the significance of placing the cherubim in the east? There are no mentions of swords before this time, so did God introduce the concept of violent weapons to the world? Why did the sword need to be on fire? Why didn't God just hide the Garden from Adam and Eve?

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"How was there night and day before God created the Sun and stars?"

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Genesis 1:3-5 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

In the Genesis 1 creation story God "separated the light from the darkness" to form days and nights. Since days and nights are a result of the Earth's rotation relative to the Sun, how did God have a day and night on the first day of creation without the Sun? If the light mentioned in verse 3 was enough to provide night and day then why did he need to wait until the fourth day to make the Sun and other stars?

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