Homosexuality, bestiality, idolatry, etc. all have individual, specific verses condemming those specific acts, not just generic "don't do evil" citations. Child sex and child marriage were rampant in the ancient world and widely considered o.k. (not evil), so people wouldn't have made the modern assumption that we make "of COURSE you don't do that", so if people were to know God didn't want them to do it, a specific prohibitation would have been needed -yet, there is none! It is a matter of history that the Hebrews married girls off at twelve or so, so it wasn't obvious to THEM that they were doing wrong, so what gives?!?!? How come God didn't tell them to knock it off...? (And no, don't go quoting be some highly generalised, generic "do no harm" verse, either... I want to see a verse that says "you shall not lie with a male of female child; it is an abomination" or words to that effect...)
2007-01-03 14:06:58 · 31 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Matthew 18:1-7
read and weep
In Biblical times before the flood people tended to live anywhere from 800 to 900
after the flood, the life span was cut to 100 to 300
In the Mid-Evil times the life span was teens to 40 and that is if you were lucky
now the life span has went back up to 60 to 90'ish
2007-01-03 14:23:36 · answer #1 · answered by Elvis 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋
When the life expectancy was around 40 years old or so, and probably 50% of women died giving birth... it's kinda self explanatory. Also, back then, you were a woman at twelve. Mentally and physically mature enough to handle marriage to a 25-30 year old man.
And I suppose back then people realised all by themselves that having sex with a 4 year old was wrong, maybe that's why it's not in the good book.
By the way: You answered your own question:
If they had sex with a little boy, it was homosexuality and was a punishable offence.
If they had sex with a little girl it was rape, AND de-flowering an innocent maiden, which was punishable by death.
So, there you go. God didn't define child rape, because it falls under other rules.
2007-01-03 22:13:40 · answer #2 · answered by sapphire_adera 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
O.K. When I first read your question, I was thinking Old Testament. Something specifically speaking against sex with children. But there is no such passage to my knowledge. Dilbert should get best answer on this one, because he was the first to say Matthew 18. But that is New Testament. i would have hoped to have found something in the OT. But it is not there. However,our modern views of children are much different than that of ancient peoples, and this has developed in our western culture within the last hundred years or so. This has affected our view of things. I'm not advocating child abuse by any means, but in some ways we have gotten too protective. Heck, when I was a kid, there was no such thing as car seats for children. People didn't even wear seat belts. That law went into affect when I was a kid. People used to smoke everywhere, too. So we are developing views that were not always around, and they are usually centered around protection and safety. Everything is very "safe" now. But all the same, this has no bearing on the laws given by God. The definition of what is an adult, and what is a child has changed also. As you said, 12 year olds were espoused. I think that as people were expected to become adults at an earlier age, they tended to mature more quickly and become more responsible. These days, there seems to be no end to childhood, particularly in American culture. It's like, everyone cuts you slack as long as you are in your 20's - you are 'young' they say. Well that has not always been the case. But back to God. I can't say that it is wrong for people to expect children to grow up and become mature at an early age. Jewish culture doesn't have a 'teen-age' or, 'adolescent' stage. At 13 they are bar or bat mitzvah'ed, and they are considered adults. That is the case to this day. It seems that we have it wrong,and they have it right. We are busy making excuses and letting our kids run amok, meanwhile their kids are growing up and becoming responsible citizens, moving through the stages of life into marriage and becoming integral and dependable parts of the community. I applaud them in this. I think we do our kids and our communities a disservice by not doing the same. But then, WE have to become responsible as parents and citizens for this to happen. So I hope this answered your question. I wasn't trying to skirt the issue, but if it's not in the Bible, I really can't comment on why it isn't. You have to ask God.
2007-01-03 22:22:47 · answer #3 · answered by firebyknight 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Because the concept of minors is modern, within the last 100 years. Go back a couple hundred years, and people were getting married in their teens! That was normal, and the view of people under 18 as minors is a very recent development. Back then, once someone achieved puberty, they were adults! They were not children anymore. The definition of child has changed in only the last 100-200 years.
2007-01-03 22:16:22 · answer #4 · answered by Enceladus 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You're not going to find it. Our society has placed numbers on just about everything in our life. In the biblical time, there was no legal age to do anything. Our society has said that is OK to marry after 18 (depending on the state), but their society didn't have such a rule. Don't look too much into it, they would think we are weird, and we think they are weird. It's just times changing. In another 1000 years, I'm sure they will look back at our norms in life, and say those people were nuts.
2007-01-03 22:10:56 · answer #5 · answered by Andy 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Sex with 12 and 13 year old female brides was common place in that day. I h8 to say it but 12 and 13 year old boys were also sold and raped by older men. I wish the bible had condemed these things. But fortunatly we know that 12 year old should not be married and little boys should not be raped.
2007-01-03 22:10:01 · answer #6 · answered by evilive 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There probably is. The sad part of the Bible is how the Catholic church left out many books. Books that were written when jesus was alive. The Catholic just put in the books they wanted. The 10 comandment thing, well there was more like 30, but again, was cut down to 10. Don't get me wrong, Jesus was a holy man and did good. Ask your preist this,,if Adam and Eve had Cain and ABle and Adam and Eve were the first poeple, then when Cain killed Able, how did he find his wife in the forest?? It was more like his sister, but you will get a brush off when asked, the church does not condone incest, even though it was right there in the Bible, I do not believe in incest myself, but would like to church to put more of the truth in the Bible ratehr than edit to so it will be more modern day proper...
2007-01-03 22:12:35 · answer #7 · answered by sam52176 1 · 1⤊ 2⤋
>>It is a matter of history that the Hebrews married girls off at twelve or so, so it wasn't obvious to THEM that they were doing wrong, so what gives?!?!?<<
Not to be crude, but have you heard, "grass on the field, let's play" (or something to that effect)? These were biological adults we are talking about, capable of reproduction, so they really can't be called children. Keep in mind that the age of consent in Canada RIGHT NOW is only 14, so let's keep it in perspective.
2007-01-03 22:25:00 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Considering that God threw out his first kids, Adam and Eve for eating an apple and let his third kid, Jebus, get nailed up to a post, I wouldn't hold your breath about anything in the Bible being pro-child.
2007-01-03 22:19:43 · answer #9 · answered by Insulting Other Participants 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Good question..........There is no scripture that condemn any wrong to children. Children were still under the protection of their parents. The law does condemn sex out of wedlock. So if the parents and child concented to the marrage then it was done regardless of the age.
2007-01-03 22:44:14 · answer #10 · answered by papa G 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋