The thing you seem to fail to realize is that the war and the killing the Isrealites were doing was so God could carry out his punishment on the other nations. While you may claim that God should never be able to do such a horrible thing, I say that it is entirely necessary that at certain points throughout history God would excersice his judgement upon those who aren't doing his will. As I said earlier (I think. I cant remember if that was a different thread or forum
) God no doubt
[no doubt?]would have warned the people of this other nation that if they did not turn from their evil ways
[no, see below] they would be visited with His wrath. He probably
[probably?] told them that the destruction would come in the form of an invading army which would kill off thier nation
[no, see below]. He commanded the Isrealites to go against the other nation to exersise his judgemtnt on them, which
is a necessary thing. Therefore it IS charity to take in the virgins.
[no, see below] The men had already been warned
[no, see below] of what would happen if they didn't right their ways, so they have no one to blame but themselves for thier death. The virgins, however, wouldn't have been that corrupted. They were still to young to have even been married, and therefore, by sparing thier lives, the Isrealites DID show mercy and compassion and kindness toward them,
[no, see below] which are not the sort of emotions that are common amoung a group of rapists.