You make good points, you definitely know some historical context that I do not. And, I agree with you that the Bible is not nice. I wholeheartedly believe that trying to paint it as such completely undermines its core message. Yet I admit that, as is human nature, my tendancy is to shy away from sections that I don't have an adequate underatanding to discuss. I apologize if it seemed like I was trying to whitewash anything, it wasn't my intent.

I know that biblical scholars use lots of extrabiblical sources to gain historical context, but I'm just your average burnt-out former gifted kid. History was one of my least favorite subjects growing up. What I know is mostly from impulsive internet searches and the few sermons that my ADHD brain found engaging enough to retain.