by oompa 23 Replies latest jw friends
Imagine if someone raped your virgin daughter and as a consequence of law he was allowed to marry her instead of recieving a due & just punishment, if it was my daughter i'd feel like taking the law into my own hands. Jah is supposed to be a God of justice so where is the justice here?
Why Jehovah?
The Bible is full of so much crap it's incredible. I say this because it is inconsistent, sanctioning behavior that it then condemns elsewhere. On the subject of pedophilia, it was an eye opener to realize that the Bible is silent on it. It spends a lot of time saying how you shouldn't lay bare the nakedness of your third cousin, but nothing on the nakedness of a child. Amazing.
Isaac Carmignani
The Bible is full of so much crap it's incredible. I say this because it is inconsistent, sanctioning behavior that it then condemns elsewhere. On the subject of pedophilia, it was an eye opener to realize that the Bible is silent on it. It spends a lot of time saying how you shouldn't lay bare the nakedness of your third cousin, but nothing on the nakedness of a child. Amazing.
Maybe the bible doesn't mention pedophilia or children in a sexual context because it didn't even occur to the writers at that time that any human would have a sexual desire toward a child. This may be the reason why it's not mentioned.
However, that being said, I do notice that the bible does go into excruciating detail about other things of a sexual nature, such as where it lists all of the relatives you weren't supposed to see naked or have sex with. It mentions as you have said, third cousins, aunts, uncles, etc, etc. Why wouldn't there have been at least one verse that said not to have sex with children? There are verses against homosexuality, bestiality, masturbation, sex with a woman while she is menstruating, verses against witholding sex from your spouse, verses about when to marry or not marry based on sexual impulse, etc., etc., you name it. But I don't remember ever reading a single verse about pedophilia. Why is the bible so explicit about all these other things, but doesn't even mention this one topic?
But, you know, the WTBS doesn't always teach exactly what's in the bible, anyway. Just see the September KM about how no one should use the internet to discuss the bible or study religion. Ha Ha Ha. I think as long as I stay away from the Kingdumb Hall, I'll be fine!
Oompa, here is another scripture I find very disturbing:
Numbers 31:17, 18 (KJ)
“Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, KEEP ALIVE FOR YOURSELVES.”
fts
Judges 21:19-23:
19 Then they said, Behold, [there is] a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly [in a place] which [is] on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.
20 Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;
21 And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.
22 And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come unto us to complain, that we will say unto them, Be favourable unto them for our sakes: because we reserved not to each man his wife in the war: for ye did not give unto them at this time, [that] ye should be guilty.
23 ¶ And the children of Benjamin did so, and took [them] wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught: and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and repaired the cities, and dwelt in them.
Wow, freetosee... that's really creepy. In other words, "Hey, guys, go kidnap yourselves some nice virgins wives!" Hmmm....... interesting!
The WTS claims to draw the "principles" behind this law to apply it to rules for today.
But there are more principles weaved in here than they let on.
Isaiah ch. 13
vs 9: Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
...
16 Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.
"...and he actually seizes her and lies down with her, and they have been found out,..."
Ummm... wouldn't their 'two witness' rule apply to this? It states that he had to be 'found out'. So... how would this occur? Would there have to be 'two witnesses' to the event? You know... two people walking in on them in the hayloft.
*rolls eyes at preposterous situation*
Regards,
Jim TX
Actually, as disgusting as these scriptures are, they were a protection for girls/women. In such a backward culture, women had no rights. They couldn't inherit property even. So a woman without an "owner" was worth nothing and had to become a prostitute or live off of her parents until they died. A non-virgin woman/girl wasn't likely to be wed or "owened" so if she was raped, at least an owner was provided who could never divorce her.
So, these scriptures protect women/girls who lose their virginity through rape from becoming worthless (worthless-er ).
Of course God had nothing to do with the writing of these scriptures but at least the culture protected them in whatever wee bit way they could/knew how. Remember, historically, women have always been viewed as worth less than men. Even in our day. Up until last century women couldn't even vote in the US. Why do you think women who are married receive the title "Mrs." as in "belonging to the Mr.)? Women are still paid less than men. The teaching profession is notorious for it's underpaid workers and that's largely because it is viewed as mostly a woman's job.
If you put yourself in the world view of the time, you can actually see that this law was a good thing. As barfable as it is to us!
