Peg writes:
God had a death penalty because he considers it a vile act...Jesus loved and respected women because God loves and respects women
The Deuteronomy verse you quoted doesn't reveal God's love for women at all.
Here is the whole verse:
quote:
Deut 22:25-27: But if it was out in the country that the man found the engaged girl and grabbed and raped her, only the man is to die, the man who raped her. Don't do anything to the girl; she did nothing wrong. This is similar to the case of a man who comes across his neighbor out in the country and murders him; when the engaged girl yelled out for help, there was no one around to hear or help her.
Now why would you leave out the part about the woman being engaged? Maybe, because it changes the meaning of the passage and doesn't help out your argument?
It's not about the rape at all. It's about sex with another man's wife or betrothed. In fact the whole section is about inappropriate sex only with regards to how it affects the men associated with the women involved in the sex.
quote:
Deut 22:13-21:13-19 If a man marries a woman, sleeps with her, and then turns on her, calling her a slut, giving her a bad name, saying, "I married this woman, but when I slept with her I discovered she wasn't a virgin," then the father and mother of the girl are to take her with the proof of her virginity to the town leaders at the gate. The father is to tell the leaders, "I gave my daughter to this man as wife and he turned on her, rejecting her. And now he has slanderously accused her, claiming that she wasn't a virgin. But look at this, here is the proof of my daughter's virginity." And then he is to spread out her bloodstained wedding garment before the leaders for their examination. The town leaders then are to take the husband, whip him, fine him a hundred pieces of silver, and give it to the father of the girl. The man gave a virgin girl of Israel a bad name. He has to keep her as his wife and can never divorce her. But if it turns out that the accusation is true and there is no evidence of the girl's virginity, the men of the town are to take her to the door of her father's house and stone her to death. She acted disgracefully in Israel. She lived like a whore while still in her parents' home. Purge the evil from among you.
Embarrassment to her father, apparently.
quote:
Deut 22:22: If a man is found sleeping with another man's wife, both must die. Purge that evil from Israel.
Violated the husband's rights.
quote:
Deut 22:23-24: If a man comes upon a virgin in town, a girl who is engaged to another man, and sleeps with her, take both of them to the town gate and stone them until they diethe girl because she didn't yell out for help in the town and the man because he raped her, violating the fiance of his neighbor. You must purge the evil from among you.
Violated the rights of the girl's future husband. Notice the complete lack of concern for the girl herself.
quote:
Deut 22:28-29: When a man comes upon a virgin who has never been engaged and grabs and rapes her and they are found out, the man who raped her has to give her father fifty pieces of silver. He has to marry her because he took advantage of her. And he can never divorce her.
The father's rights were violated so he gets paid money while the girl gets the reward of being married for the rest of her life to the man who raped her. Sounds like a good way to get the woman of your dreams. Looks like Dr. Adequate has a stumbled on a method to get sex from Suzy for a long time to come.
Still...I don't think he should rape her. I agree that it is morally repugnant despite the tacit condoning by God to use it as an engagement announcement.
And...to give, at least, lip service to the OP....I would be a God who provides laws that protect women and men equally.
™ Version 4.2