• Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.

  • CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.

  • We hope the site problems here are now solved, however, if you still have any issues, please start a ticket in Contact Us

  • The rule regarding AI content has been updated. The rule now rules as follows:

    Be sure to credit AI when copying and pasting AI sources. Link to the site of the AI search, just like linking to an article.

Rape

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Sort by date Sort by votes
D

Dunban

Guest
In Deuteronomy, a rapist is commanded to marry his victim.

What are we to make of this?

God said this? Really?

God as in the sole source of goodness and morality?

Hmmm...... I'm not seeing it.

How is this a defensible position for any christian?

At best, you can say it's moral relativity and times have changed. Well, there goes the part about the bible being inerrant, flawless and perfect moral guidebook for all areas of life.

So what do we make of this horrible text?
 

Purge187

Former Prodigal.
May 22, 2011
1,773
285
47
Oxford, MA
✟59,169.00
Gender
Male
Faith
Baptist
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Constitution
Upvote 0

singpeace

Senior Member
Site Supporter
Oct 21, 2009
2,439
459
U.S.
✟85,177.00
Gender
Female
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Politics
CA-Conservatives



Actually, her father is ultimately in authority over her, as her head, until he hands this authority over to her husband. If the man is unsuitable, the father can refuse to give his daughter to him. How many fathers would give their daughter to a rapist? Not many. So, in general, a rapist would actually have to pay a 50 silver shekel fine to her father, and not get a wife at all.

The answer to the question is in Exodus 22:17 - the woman does NOT have to marry a rapist, she must only do what her father says.

Throughout the Old Testament no rape victim is ever recorded as being forced to marry a rapist. However it is plausible that there could be circumstances in which a father would choose to have his daughter marry a rapist. Deuteronomy 22:28-29 could be viewed as merciful to the woman, who, because of the rape, would be considered unmarriageable. In that culture, a woman without a husband would have a very difficult time providing for herself. Unmarried women often had no choice but to sell themselves into slavery or prostitution just to survive. This is why the passage leaves marriage to the discretion of the father, because every situation is different, and it is better to be flexible than have a blanket rule.

Read more: Does Deuteronomy 22:28-29 command a rape victim to marry her rapist?
 
Upvote 0
B

Bobinator

Senior Member
Jul 30, 2007
1,660
141
✟26,899.00
Faith
Non-Denom
Marital Status
Married

I believe you're judging the Word from an emotional standpoint. God is Spirit. And yes, marriage and sex was viewed differently back then. Women couldn't get married unless they were virgins, and marrying a non-Jew was out of the question. A woman without a man to protect and provide for her would be in a deeper dilemma. There was no such thing as dialing 911 or hiring a lawyer to defend your constitutional rights.

I just watched the Chinese movie, "Raise the Red Lantern", this weekend with English subtitles. It had a very sad ending. (*Chick flick alert*). It illustrated some of the conditions women subjected themselves to in order to survive. Marriage wasn't for love's sake.
 
Upvote 0

ebedmelech

My dog Micah in the pic
Site Supporter
Jul 3, 2012
9,002
680
✟235,464.00
Faith
Non-Denom
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Constitution
When you understand that in this culture a woman that was not a virgin was shut out...you understand this was protection for the woman.

The man had to marry her, was not allowed to mistreat her or divorce her.

Lastly understand that this was God's direct rule over Israel.
 
Upvote 0
H

HisSparkPlug

Offspring of a Genius
Jul 31, 2013
1,399
334
✟2,947.00
Faith
Non-Denom
Marital Status
Private
Upvote 0

football5680

Well-Known Member
Feb 6, 2013
4,138
1,517
Georgia
✟105,332.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Catholic
Marital Status
Single
It's not horrible, it protects the woman's future outlook. It would be much harder to get married to somebody if you were not a virgin so if somebody raped them the rapist would be forced to take care of her for the rest of his life and he could not divorce her. But she is not forced to marry him against her will and the man will be punished for the crime.
 
Upvote 0
I

IndyEllis

Senior Member
Feb 28, 2007
891
34
California
✟31,287.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Dunban said:
God said this? Really?
Click to expand...

Maybe, maybe not.

Things get sockpupetted into "Thus saith the LORD" all the time.

This has to be about the biggest downside to being a Deity.

Dunban said:
So what do we make of this horrible text?
Click to expand...

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Smooth out scrunched up undergarments.

It'll be OK...

And, also...

1. Don't rape others.
2. Don't throw the first stone at those who do.
3. Aggressively defend the defenseless.

Or something more or less like that.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
H

HisSparkPlug

Offspring of a Genius
Jul 31, 2013
1,399
334
✟2,947.00
Faith
Non-Denom
Marital Status
Private
It would be nice if she didn't have to LIVE with the moron....
 
Upvote 0

football5680

Well-Known Member
Feb 6, 2013
4,138
1,517
Georgia
✟105,332.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Catholic
Marital Status
Single
HisSparkPlug said:
It would be nice if she didn't have to LIVE with the moron....
Click to expand...
Of course but rape is terrible and there is no way to make it all better. Our current system to punish it isn't any better. The guy might get thrown in prison but it doesn't change the fact that she went through that horrible event. This law would guarantee her future security which is the only consolation possible. Nothing is going to change the fact that it happened and there is no way to make it all better.
 
Upvote 0

mandyangel

Regular Member
Aug 27, 2010
2,018
256
✟33,392.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
In Relationship
Politics
US-Republican

Thank you for speaking the truth. Some people don't get this and it drives me crazy.
 
Upvote 0
I

intojoy

Well-Known Member
Jun 26, 2013
1,612
54
✟2,069.00
Faith
Messianic
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Republican
I wonder if this was a problem then the way we see it today. Are there any references to this law being enforced in the biblical record? What about Dinah? Surely her rapist thought he could take her and that her family would allow him to keep her as a wife. That event happened pre - law. The other biblical events that come to mind are the taking of Sarah by the Egyptians. It seems to me (just a deduction) that rape was tolerated by people living back then. It is and was wrong for sure but it looks like a law that was instituted to protect women from those who'd force themselves on them and not marry them. In other words maybe people would forgive the guy who did this act if he married his victim. I don't know, I'm not a historian but it is a valid question to put on by a critic of the Word, these are my thoughts. What about the command not to lie with a beast? That sound [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] ridiculous to me too yet obviously the world at that time was a very different one from my spot in Hawaii.

Sorry - thought that was a neutral term
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Jerimiah 3:6-10 Moralism Doesn't Save
Replies
1
Views
196
Christian Scriptures
Maria Billingsley
Scoop: Hegseth to meet Anthropic CEO as Pentagon threatens banishment
Replies
0
Views
88
General Politics
Michie
The Mind of Christ
Replies
1
Views
189
The Chapel - Catholic
Unqualified
The Love Which God Has For Us
Replies
0
Views
150
Deeper Fellowship
Christsfreeservant
Everyone Who Practices Sin
Replies
0
Views
74
Daily Devotionals
Christsfreeservant
Menu
Log in
Register