A Brief History of Tomorrow, page-115

"Instructions were spelled out explaining how to avoid the 10th, the death of the first born. Jehovah's mercy is evident to all except the spiritually blind. "

Good grief MrG, apologists' attempts to portray the acts of the God of the OT as somehow wise, just and merciful are impossible to understand and accept except as attempts by the spiritually and morally blind.
Why do so called Christians even bother with the OT ??

As Darkroom put it ..
"Nobody in their right mind can argue that the slaughter first born children is an act of mercy by god or other. You might get some traction if the slaughter was of those who actually perpetrated the injustice. It is far more likely to be no more than a story built upon some catastrophic event described in terms of plagues and a much higher death toll of infants.

But that's not the point is it? The point is that religious folk so easily become apologists for and see mercy in events that are abhorent to normal people. Thank God I'm spiritually blind and don't have your talent for religious insight. "