Quote:
Originally Posted by chillrob
Hmm, well I guess I did forget that part. Did Jesus also institute new punishments for virgin rapists that I missed?
I'm guessing this is a reference to Deuteronomy and a woman having to marry her rapist? Technically, the woman would do what her father would ask her to do which, yes, may include marrying the rapist. Typically, fathers will not ask their daughters to marry their rapist, even back then. But keep in mind that in the culture, virginity was highly prized and someone who was not a virgin ran the risk of never being married and that typically lead to them having to be slaves or prostitutes to survive. Not only that but the rapist would not be permitted to ever divorce her even for sexual immorality so it was intended as a deterrent for men to rape while being a protection for the woman to possibly avoid being a prostitute or slave should she ever be raped. He ruined her life and now he had the task of taking care of her for the rest of his. Of course, if she was betrothed, the rapist would be stoned to death and she would be considered innocent.
So, the New Testament does not explicitly address this particular area but it does speak to sexual immorality which rape most definitely is. Because it is morally and legally wrong, rapists are to be punished and imprisoned. Throughout the New Testament, it speaks of helping those in need and showing kindness and compassion. Certainly, a rape victim is considered someone in need.
But yes, that is a difficult Old Testament passage when viewed through our current cultural lens.
Last edited by Dr. Meh; 08-11-2017 at 12:37 AM.
Reason: Gotquestions.org was a major resource I used to answer this