Beheadings were typical in the early days by all religions.
The story of David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17) is a factual account from biblical history that demonstrates how the Lord intercedes for His people. David was a shepherd, the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse of Bethlehem. King Saul and his men were battling the Philistines, one of which was a 9-foot giant named Goliath. The men of Saul’s army were afraid of Goliath, and there was no one to stand up to him. But David, filled with faith and a passion for God’s name which was being blasphemed by Goliath, slew Goliath with a stone and a sling. Then he cut off Goliath’s head with the giant’s own sword. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled before the Israelites, who had a great victory over them.
King David was grieved when his men thought they were pleasing him by killing and beheading Ish-bosheth, one of King Saul’s remaining sons (2 Samuel 4:7–8). The assassins brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David, expecting a reward. Instead of commending them, David was outraged that they had killed an innocent man in his own house. Rather than display Ish-bosheth’s head and reward his killers, David buried the head and had the men executed. David did not behead them but had their hands and feet cut off and displayed as a warning to anyone who would murder innocent men for political gain (2 Samuel 4:12).
Other beheadings in the Bible include the Egyptian baker, beheaded by Pharaoh (Genesis 40:20); King Saul, beheaded by the Philistines (1 Samuel 31:8–10); and Sheba, beheaded by the people of Abel Beth Maakah (2 Samuel 20:21–22). Abishai threatens to behead Shimei, but David forbids him (2 Samuel 16:9–10). Ashpenaz, the chief Babylonian court official, fears beheading by King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 1:10). Of special interest is the “beheading” of the Philistine god Dagon. The Philistines had stolen the Ark of the Covenant and placed it in their temple of Dagon, “but the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained” (1 Samuel 5:4). The Lord God of Israel, in cutting off Dagon’s head, plainly showed His victory over all false gods.
Now let see what the Christians did.....
In the Catholic 17th century 30 years' war against the Protestants, at least 40% of population decimated, mostly in Germany. [K.Deschner, Opus Diaboli, Reinbek 1987.31-32] And It's recorded in the Catholics sack the city of Magdeburg/Germany, roughly 30,000Protestants were slain. "In a single church fifty women were found beheaded," reported poet Friedrich Schiller. [D.Stannard, American Holocaust, Oxford University Press 1992, 191.]
We see it in the slaughter of the Albigensians which was really the first Roman Catholic crusade intended to slay other Christians. [K.Deschner, Opus Diaboli, Reinbek 1987, 29]The Albigensians...viewed themselves as good Christians, but would not accept Roman Catholic rule, and taxes, and dictates. Then on the command of pope Innocent III in 1209, Bezirs (today France) was destroyed, all the inhabitants were beheaded/slaughtered. Victims including Catholics refusing to turn over their neighbors and friends were up to 70,000. [H.Wollschlger: Die bewaffneten Wallfahrten gen Jerusalem, Zrich 1973.179-181]
I say, just like our American Civil War....do not erase history, as we need to learn from it.
