Raped women are forced to marry their rapists in the Bible!

[mike87]

Christians follow the laws of the Bible only. All of their religious sources, laws and verdicts come straight from the Bible (if we were to have true Christian countries where Church would rule over the State), except for Roman Catholics where they have other Volumes written by Church Fathers and Popes. But most Christians in the world have no religious resources other than the Bible.

Therefore, let us look at what the Bible says regarding this issue:

Rape is a big crime that could actually take the woman's or the victim's life away. Let us examine how Christianity deals with the rapist: "If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, he shall pay the girl's father fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the girl, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives. (From the NIV Bible, Deuteronomy 22:28)" Although this Verse from the Bible only talks about virgins, but its the only verse in the entire Bible that talks about raping single women. Not to be biased or anything, but the Bible seems to have quite weird things in it that are quite irrational and quite ridiculous. Deuteronomy 22:28 forces the raped woman to marry her rapist. My question to the writers of the Bible is why in the world would any raped female victim want to be in the same town, not the same bedroom !! with her rapist?.

Also, the Bible seems to promote raping of single women: "But if out in the country a man happens to meet a girl pledged to be married and rapes her, only the man who has done this shall die. (From the NIV Bible, Deuteronomy 22:25)" This is quite an interesting verse. We see in Deuteronomy 22:28 that if a man rapes a single woman then she will be forced to be his wife, while if a man rapes a married woman or a woman who is spoken for, in Deuteronomy 22:25, then he shall be put to death. There is absolutely no punishment for the rapist of a single woman in the Bible. For those Christians who think that they don't have to follow the Old Testament, well my answer to them is this: The Old Testament prohibits for the brother to marry his sister, or for the son to marry his mother. The New Testament doesn't even talk about it. Does that mean that a Christian brother can marry his sister? or a Christian son can marry his mother? Jesus himself anyway ordered his followers to follow the Old Testament, so their argument is totally invalid.

Question to Jews and Christians: How is the Bible supposed to prevent some loser from stalking the most beautiful single woman in town, rape her, and then sue her in court to become his wife so he can continue raping her for the rest of her life?!

http://www.answering-christianity.com/que10.htm

[Southtown]

That's because if he didn't pay her and marry her, they would both be stoned. This is "if they get caught". I think you overlooked that caveat. I think marriage for the willing is a perfect justice.

If the woman cries out during the rape, so that there are witnesses that she is unwilling, she will not be stoned but the man will. This is to keep women from having fun one moment, and then crying rape just to avoid being stoned when they get married and the husband finds out she isn't a virgin.

Also, Christians don't follow the old testament. Few even read it. Some say it was "nailed to the cross", but that's not my view. I say the law is still in effect, but I also think it is greatly misunderstood.

“Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” — Jesus, Matthew 7:12 nkjv

“Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” — Matthew 22:35-40 nkjv

“If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,' you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.” — James 2:8-9 nkjv

“For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' ” — Paul, Galatians 5:14 nkjv

“Owe no man anything, save to love one another: for he that loveth his neighbor hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not covet, and if there be any other commandment, it is summed up in this word, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” — Paul, Romans 13:10 nkjv

So why the law then? Why do it at all? There needed to be a society of order to protect the lineage of Jesus. And there needed to be a perfect standard for him to attain to, so that we would know that he is holy, and that we are not. The law is Jesus' fingerprint, as it were, to prove to everyone who the true Messiah is. The law is how he acts naturally, as opposed to our natures, because he is divine and we are not.

Following the Good Law perfectly all our lives doesn't save us. We're still human, and we would have to defy our natures to follow it. God is interested in our hearts; whether we want good or not. He is looking to see if we even care about being righteous, or if we're more concerned with satisfying our carnal desires. Because they oppose each other you know — what we want to do and what we should do. Either we control our bodies, or our bodies control us. We can choose to be either slaves to compassion, or slaves to greed.

“But the LORD said to Samuel, 'Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.' ” — 1 Samuel 16:7 nkjv

“Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Lord has performed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, that He will say, 'I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks.' ” — Isaiah 10:12 nkjv

Later we can discuss the prophetic nature of the law and the feasts of the Lord.

[Biochemist]

Originally Posted by mike87

..."If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, he shall pay the girl's father fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the girl, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives. (From the NIV Bible, Deuteronomy 22:28)"...

It is really difficult to interpret issues of law and morality that are over 3000 years old. Do keep in mind that we have difficulty figuring out what our constitution means (think about the discussions around the right to keep and bear arms), and it is not only "youthful" at 250 years, but also surrounded by mountains of collateral material that gives incremental insight into the intent of the authors.

As to the verse above, the most obvious (possible) interpretation is that a virgin that had relations with another man (and was "discovered") would be unlikely to ever be wed. This means that she might starve after the death of the patriarch in her own family. Forcing a marriage would keep her alive. This would also explain why there was no such mandate when the woman was already married. She was already taken care of by her extant husband.

Secondly, the usage of the word "rape" in the context is problematic in that we impute contemporary meaning into the word. It is very difficult in Old Testament contexts to separate rape from fornication (in normal usage) and this could well be a discussion of the social effects of consensual sex, and mitigative rules around same.

[Southtown]

LOL — True dat! Another victim of the New International Version...

“22 If a man be found lying with a woman married to a husband, then they shall both of them die, the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away the evil from Israel.

23 If there be a damsel that is a virgin betrothed unto a husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her;

24 then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them to death with stones; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbor's wife: so thou shalt put away the evil from the midst of thee.

25 But if the man find the damsel that is betrothed in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her; then the man only that lay with her shall die:

26 but unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbor, and slayeth him, even so is this matter;

27 for he found her in the field, the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her.

28 If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, that is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found;

29 then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife, because he hath humbled her; he may not put her away all his days.” — Deuteronomy 22:22-29 asv

AKA the 'statutory clause'. LOL Under the circumstances of the day, I'd say this is pretty acceptible if not profound moral code for 1400 B.C.E. I imagine Israel was the shining example of humanity in a world full of barbarians.