Biblical Rape: Reason to Reject God?

Some Atheists accuse God of immorality because atheists think God's Law supports rape.  Atheists say they have a much better moral standard than God because they know rape is wrong, and therefore want nothing to do with a God or God's Bible that promotes or condones rape.

Some Christians try to dodge that bullet by suggesting it wasn't really rape, it was just different dating and courting customs at that time; same or better than most other cultures at that time.   The rationalizations go on and on.

I was challenged today to explain and justify the Bible's commentary on rape.  The complainant specifically pointed out Deuteronomy 22:28-29 which says in the New International Version (NIV):

28 If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, 29 he shall pay her father fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the young woman, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives.

Just so we get the historical perspective, 50 shekels of silver is approx. 575 grams of silver, worth about US $0.48/gram as of June 2019, or US $276.00 in today's money.  In Biblical times, Joseph was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers for 20 shekels. The Torah says that the owner of a bull that killed a slave has to pay 30 shekels. To lease a field of 75000 square amot (about 200,000 square feet, 4.6 acres, or 1.86 hectares) for 49 years was redeemed at 50 shekels.

Therefore, payment of 50 shekels of silver as a dowry for a rape victim was a substantial sum during Biblical times.

God didn't want divorce, but Moses asked God to allow a certificate of divorse.  During Biblical times, the divorce certificate was heavily used and abused, just as God knew it would.  Men had a bad habit of issuing a divorce certificate, then trading in their old wife for a newer model.  The former wife was tossed out on her ear, to fend for herself, often with no further support from her former husband.  As bad as that sounds, the Hebrew wife was generally regarded as better off and better treated than wives in most other cultures throughout the Mediterranean world at that time.

Note that in this case of rape, a man lost his right to divorce his "new wife by rape" for any and all reasons on a life-long basis.  Again, a significant consequence connected to the rape.

Does this verse from the Bible prove that God condones rape?

I don't think so.  Here's why.

God clearly states that rape is wrong and forbids it by his Commandments:

• In Deut 22:13, if a maid is discovered to not have been a virgin at marriage, she is to be stoned to death in front of her Father's house.  Fornication (sex outside marriage) is sin.  Rape would be an extreme form of fornication, an even worse sin.
   
•  In Exodus 20:15, God's 8th Commandment is "Thou shalt not steal."  A daughter would be seen as the property of the Father, and to take the daughter so as to steal her virginity would be sin.  Therefore rape is sin.

• In Exodus 20:17, God's 10th Commandment says "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's."  Obviously, for a man to rape a maiden, he coveted her, so again, rape is a sin.

Therefore we conclude that rape is clearly a sin.  Once the sin of rape has occurred, what should be done?

After a rape, we must think about the female who was raped, her family, the person who did the rape, his family, and society in general.

• The raped woman likely carries a lot of emotional baggage, PTSD, fear, trust issues, and so on from the terrible rape.  She may have been physically hurt, and/or infected with a STD (sexually transmitted disease), or emotionally injured.  She will likely be seen as "damaged goods" by her family, community, or prospective husbands, even if she was 100% faultless.  Who would marry her after this terrible crime had been inflicted upon her? If a solution is not had, a life is stunted, or wasted in a significant way.

• There may be a child conceived from the rape.  If the man is put to death for committing the rape, the child grows up without a father.  Today, children raised without a father is the #1 marker for poor social standing, poverty, delinquency, crime, and many other negative consequences (see here, here, here, and here).  In Biblical times, a child with no father was likely an early death sentence for both Mother and child.  Why should an innocent child be punished for the crimes of the father?

• The families of both the perpetrator and the victim will be significantly affected in reputation, recrimination, loss of reputation, social stigma, costs, loss of productivity, and similar negative outcomes.  The parents of both the man and woman might be indirectly blamed and held responsible for not raising their children properly, failing to adequately teach them to follow God's Law, failing to take adequate prevention measures, failing to adequately discipline their children before it was too late, and so on.

• The community is tarnished by the actions of one.  People may feel unsafe, or stigmatized by what occurred in their community, then seek to flee to a better community.  The entire town could be significantly affected if a key person vacates.

I suggest that God seeks to minimize sin, and minimize the negative consequences from sin.  Rape is a huge upset to safety, trust, and freedom; both in Biblical times, and today. 

 Because emotions would be running high after a rape has occurred, rash actions might cause additional sin to occur via mob action or blood vendetta, with even more negative consequences.  Therefore a prescriptive solution from God would help to calm the situation and help prevent further escalation.

I therefore suggest that Deut 22:28-29 is God's solution to the sin of rape so as to minimize sin, minimize negative consequences, and promote healing.

Through God's solution to the sin of rape, the man is economically punished (ie. 50 shekel dowry), so as to discourage others to sin in a similar manner.  The man is forced to support and help his wife and child for the rest of his life.  The man is barred from ever divorcing his new "wife by rape".  The woman and possible child are protected from economic hardship, as the man must care for them and support them for the rest of his life.

Contrary to Biblical times and God's optimum solution, the rapist in today's world will likely be sent to prison for many years at a high cost to society.  The rapist will have destroyed his life's potential forever (or at least decades) as he will be a convict, and likely a registered sex offender for the rest of his life.  This will shrink or destroy his possible job prospects for a long time, or forever.  The woman, if she becomes pregnant, will likely be counseled to have an abortion, thereby killing an innocent pre-born person, and adding further trauma to the woman.  Both sets of parents are tarnished by the rape.  This is a lose-lose-lose outcome for everybody.

Perhaps, in the little time we have left before End Times arrives, we might want to reconsider God's solution to rape by God's restorative justice as defined by Deut 22:28-29.

I therefore conclude that God prohibits rape, proposes an optimum solution of restorative justice when the sin of rape occurs, and this allegation of atheists and others against God and Christianity is false.

Therefore I call upon atheists to stop blaming God and their blasphemy against God.  Atheists should admit this allegation of rape culture against God was merely another excuse they used to avoid the responsibility imposed upon them by God's 10 Commandments.

Atheists should admit they are sinners, repent and forsake their sins, apologize to God for their sins, turn away from their sins and turn towards God, believe in Jesus Christ and that He died on the cross so as to pay for the sins of all humans who believe in Him, and ask for Jesus Christ to come into your life as your Saviour so that you make have eternal life and avoid Hell.

In this day of rampant sin, chronic atheism, #metoo and radical feminism, I'm sure there are many who take offense to what I have written here.  Feel free to comment to your heart's content.