Does christianity and catholicism support the rape and degradation of women and children.?

Question

It has been reported that about 2 million German women,and girls were raped,Gang raped ,killed or confined ,or used as sex slaves When Berlin was captured by the mostly orthodox christian soviet red army soldiers ,During the more recent past,atleast 200000 Bosnian women and girls some as old as 6 were raped by serbian christian soldiers,most were killed after the rapes.The recent cases of catholic priests sexually molesting underaged boys has been in spotlight,So i just wonder if these religions condone such a behaviour,if not then why are these acts commited or done by these people on such a large scale throughout history?I will be highly obliged if i get a decent and satisfactory answer.Thank you

Answer 1

I don't know of a religion that supports that. But I do know alot of people who don't follow their religions. Or social morals, or laws...
Religion: Good idea. Bad Follow through.

Answer 2

"It has been reported that about 2 million German women,and girls were raped,Gang raped ,killed or confined ,or used as sex slaves When Berlin was captured by the mostly orthodox christian soviet red army soldiers"

A.True,along with the many women and girls raped by Muslims in Sudan,as well as rape in the (atheistic) Soviet Union,rape in the (formerly pagan) Roman Empire,and so forth.

"During the more recent past,atleast 200000 Bosnian women and girls some as old as 6 were raped by serbian christian soldiers,most were killed after the rapes.

B.Yes,just like the women and girls killed by Muslims in Sudan,by that (atheistic) Soviet Union..and well,you get the idea.

".The recent cases of catholic priests sexually molesting underaged boys has been in spotlight"

C.What does that prove? Yes,Catholic priests have done that.But it's certainly not something only done by Catholics.

" i just wonder if these religions condone such a behaviour"

Of course they don't,and I don't even know why you would think that.The Israelite punishment given to a rapist was the death penalty.It's forbidden in the Bible.

"if not then why are these acts commited or done by these people on such a large scale throughout history?"

That is a rather strange argument.It's as silly as saying 'if murder is forbidden in America,why are there so many murders?"
And quite honestly,it's also silly to take a few examples and project it across the whole history of a certain movement.

Answer 3

Neither the catholic or any other christian church has ever condoned rape. As it been done by people who claimed to be members of those religions - yes. But there is little a religion can do to keep someone from claiming they are a part of that religion and then not following its teachings. How many "Christians" do you know who never go to church or near read their Bibles? The church is not responsible for those kind of people's action. They are.

Also remeber that the Russian government fell to the communist in 1917. At that time the capture of Berlin happened, those solider where not part of the orthodox - ot any other - church. They were (at least officially) atheist, as was their entire country. So any rapes they committed (by your logics) would have to be supported and condonned by all atheist worldwide. (And we both know that is not true.)

Also a claim that 200,000 women and children were raped and murdered by the serbs seems questionable. As the total population of Bosnia (according to a quick check on Wikipedia) is about 4 milllion, half of that (2 million) would probably by female. You are claiming that 1 in every 10 was raped and murdered. That seems to be an unrealitic number. Especially when wikipedia puts the total deaths uncivilian and military for the war at only 100,000. You might want to recheck the source from which you got that information.

Answer 4

No. Christianity and Catholicism do not support that sort of stuff. Most of the examples you cite are about acts of war, not acts of religion,and done for the purpose of demoralizing the "enemy", and reducing thier numbers. The Soviet Union was officially athiest, not Orthodox Christian. They sought to wipe out religion all together after the revolution. The Catholic church was wrong to hide or help priests who were pedophiles, and did so, as they thought if it came out it would tarnish thier image, so it has now snowballed, and they are suffering a back lash, but that was about the human administrators, not the religion itself. The cases that are under examination now, span years of abuse, it is not all happening today, many of these cases are 20 to 30 years old, and the offenders are repeat offenders. The majority of Catholic priests and parishioners are good, sincere, God loving people. This sort of behaviour is not condoned by any branch of Christianity, including the Catholics, and it can be found in any branch of Christianity, not only the Catholics.

Answer 5

This is not about the bible or the faiths that spring forom it.
I for one am not a God fearing person, although brought up in a CofE family with Protestant notions and living with a good Catholic girl for 17 years...

This is more to do with the people that committed these atrocities than any belief, the fact that you tag 'Christian' to these groups is niether her nor there. You can use the same analogy, although change the places, and you could effectivly demonize almost every religeon out there.
There are good people and bad people.
What PEOPLE do is their choice, and if they deem they have the right to commit attrocities such as those you allude to, well then they will have to live with it.

An unfortunate reality is that despite current calls to make it illegal to say so, women are the weaker sex (generally and only in terms of muscular stature) and as long as the strong prey on the weak then thse heinous crimes will continue.

Answer 6

I thought the Soviets were Communists- which do not allow religion.

And Catholic ARE Christians!

At any rate, no- no decent mainstream religion supports sexual crimes- in fact, most if not all uphold the sanctity of the sexual relationship and hold it is appropriate ONLY for a man a woman married to each other.

Jesus Christ promised that the gates of Hell would not prevail against His Church ( the Catholic Church)

As Catholics, we believe the Church is protected by the Holy Spirit from error, and the Pope is infallible when it comes to TEACHING on matters of faith and morals.

While the Church is a divine institution and protected from error, human beings are the ones who run things on earth---and human beings are prone to failing and sin.

You cannot judge any institution based on some people who screw up.....if you do, you buy into the same thinking as the idiots who fly planes into buildings because they think that what they see in the disgusting behavior of SOME Americans is indicitive of the quality of America as a whole.

Answer 7

You are blaming the RUSSIANS brutality on Christianity?

You've got to be kidding...

And the brutality of the SERBS?--hardly "christian" soldiers.

These were not examples of what "Christians" do, "mostly orthodox" Russians? However, their government were known atheist and the government defines the military.

You can say that the Catholic Priests were child molesters, however, the wrongness was that the Catholic church didn't hand them over to the law,
as child molesters are in every religion, and are everywhere children are,
school teachers, camp counselors, and the like,
The Catholic Church doesn't 'create' child molestors, as they are a sexual deviation in the general population and many turned to the Catholic church as their opportunity to hide from the norms of society.


I think you are making too far of a stretch attempting to condemn Christianity.
These things were not done "in the name of Jesus",

liiiike say.....Muslims blowing up planes and killing thousands of civilians in the name of 'Allah'......for example.

Answer 8

The Soviet Red Army is Atheist, the Serbian Soldiers are Atheist not Christian, I don't even think they are Atheist they are just EVIL. Many call themselves Christian and are not, a true Christian would never do these things and anyone who does do these things is not Christian. Catholic priests have been doing that but not all of them but Catholics are not Christians. You try to blame a religion for what a individual is doing that is biased. You are wrong in who you are labeling as a Christian.

Answer 9

Rape and degradation of women and children is and act of war, just like the destruction of property in a conquered city, in paternalistic societies. The Algerian independence war , the Muslim invasion of India, the Japanese "The Rape of Nanking" are other examples. As far as I know no religion condones such behavior, but it is not condemned as strongly as it would be if it were your neighbors wife or child.

Answer 10

Yes Christianity and Catholicism support this. If they didn't, they would stand against it more strongly. When it happened in their own churches, they would come down on such persons without the slightest compassion. But they don't. And they won't. Because they condone such behaviour. Absolutely disgusting.

Answer 11

No, Christianity doesn't support rape and degradation of women and children. I don't know enough about Catholicism to say for sure, but no one who lives by the Bible and has accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior supports that kind of behavior.