Sample clip of my debate with an
atheist on the issue of morality.
Find the whole debate at this link

Does the Bible Command Rape?

Some myths are so difficult to kill that one begins to wonder whether there is a wooden stake or silver bullet out there somewhere.

I constantly run across and am confronted by atheists who make the statement that in the Bible God commands rape.

By now, it is like some sort of nightmarish game. I tell them that this is nothing but an atheist myth and wait to see what they do next.

Inevitably they do take one of the following steps:

They disappear, being contented with taking a jab while not wanting to actually engage in reasonable discourse.
They merely repeat the assertion.
They make generic allusions to what they think they recall that the Bible stated.
They paraphrase the Bible.
They attempt to recall what interpretation of the Bible was promulgated by a celebrity atheist activist, an interpretation that they consider infallible and believe on faith.
They quote a partial verse, one verse or even a couple.
Inevitably, regardless of which of the above action they take, they consider themselves triumphant.

One interesting counter tactic is to ask how or why they condemn rape as being immoral Dan Barker does not believe that it is absolutely immoral and Sam Harris believes that rape played a very beneficial evolutionary role (see here and here. Richard Dawkins has also made some interesting comments about rape). Indeed, how do they condemn the actions of the ancient Middle East since they believe that morality is evolving? How then could they condemn the actions of those with less evolved morality?

Two of their favored pull-quotes, if they are even informed enough to be able to reference any text, are:

"As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves" (Deuteronomy 20:14).

"keep alive for yourselves all the young girls who have not known a man intimately" (Numbers 31:18).

Let me state that as disturbing as the atheists find the cherry-picked-Bible-pull-quotes, I find it very disturbing that they read these texts and infer rape.

They are inventing the idea of rape and reading it into the text (this is eisegesis and is hermeneutically inappropriate).

Let us consider the facts of the matter:
To begin with, we may note Deuteronomy 20:10 states, "When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace."

Assuming that war ensues, once it is over they were to "remain outside the camp seven days; whoever has killed any person, and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves and your captives on the third day and on the seventh day. Purify every garment, everything made of leather, everything woven of goats' hair, and everything made of wood" (Numbers 31:19-20).
This ensures the health of soldier and war captives.

In the case of the women mentioned in the texts noted above, if a man was interested in one of them he was to:
Provide her with housing.

Allow her one month to mourn.

Then they may get married.

And if they later divorce, she was to go free and not be mistreated (see Deuteronomy 21:10-14).

No rape at all anywhere. Rather, cleansing after a war, the provision of a home, time to mourn, marriage and if need be, freedom and protection from mistreatment.

Of course, these facts will very likely be completely ignored and followed by various complaints about God commanding war and killing children and cattle, etc., etc., etc.

Sadly, very much prompted by the New Atheist sect of atheism many atheists are not interested in engaging in skepticism in a reasonable manner but interested in besmirching, take jabs and move on to the next target.

This essay is copyrighted by Mariano Grinbank of the website "True Free Thinker" at www.truefreethinker.com.

It may be republished in part or in its entirety on websites, blogs, or any print media for whatever purpose (in agreement or in order to criticize it) only as long as the following conditions are met:

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quotes regaurding rape in the bible

Anonymous — Fri, 07/15/2011 - 10:03pm

"When you go out to war against your enemies and the LORD, your God, delivers them into your hand, so that you take captives, if you see a comely woman among the captives and become so enamored of her that you wish to have her as wife, you may take her home to your house. But before she may live there, she must shave her head and pare her nails and lay aside her captive's garb. After she has mourned her father and mother for a full month, you may have relations with her, and you shall be her husband and she shall be your wife. However, if later on you lose your liking for her, you shall give her her freedom, if she wishes it; but you shall not sell her or enslave her, since she was married to you under compulsion."

Although it is true that the woman is allowed one month to morn, and the matter of rape is not directly stated, the bottom line is the bible approves of a man holding a woman against her will into marrige. Only if the MAN loses a liking to the WOMAN, can the woman regain her freedom. The woman's feelings are taken into no consideration whatsoever.

"If a man is caught in the act of raping a young woman who is not engaged, he must pay fifty pieces of silver to her father. Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he will never be allowed to divorce her."

God believes that a payment to the father and a forced marrige is somehow a worthy punishment for a rapist. The farce here is the idea that a rape victim forced to marry her rapist is somehow justice.

"As you approach a town to attack it, first offer its people terms for peace. If they accept your terms and open the gates to you, then all the people inside will serve you in forced labor. But if they refuse to make peace and prepare to fight, you must attack the town. When the LORD your God hands it over to you, kill every man in the town. But you may keep for yourselves all the women, children, livestock, and other plunder. You may enjoy the spoils of your enemies that the LORD your God has given you."

lets just ignore the references to slavery and murder and stick to the topic at hand here. It could be argued in either direction whether or not the bible condones rape. either way you look at it there is no getting around the fact that the bible does not see woman (and children) as people but as objects and as property just like the 'livestock' and 'plunder'.

wait... what?

Anonymous — Tue, 02/22/2011 - 3:16pm

First off you left out the part where the peace agreement with the town came under the conditions of the town's inhabitants becoming slaves. Seems a lot less self-righteous when your killing a group of people that are just fighting for their freedom.

and secondly, It is rape. To take a young and inexperienced girl, slaughter her family, then wait a month and either offer her your bed, slavery, or death.

Pretty good post. I just

rolex (not verified) — Wed, 06/16/2010 - 9:50pm

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I don't know what to say

rolex (not verified) — Wed, 06/16/2010 - 9:48pm

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Anon,Thank you for your

Mariano (not verified) — Fri, 01/08/2010 - 1:21pm

Anon,Thank you for your comment.People die during war.I would also like peace on Earth but it does not seem to be happening.A much more thorough refutation of erroneous assertions such as your various is found here.

attempting to justify murder

Anonymous (not verified) — Fri, 01/08/2010 - 1:41am

attempting to justify murder just becaue god saisys its jsut fine is so wrong.I guess I shouldn't be surprised people are convinced others deserve hell for eternity so why not rape them on earth while there at it. (Oh I'm sorry I meant only kill there husbands give them a month then marry them) yeah that makes it all better. How about you leave the people of the city the hell alone you stupid prick isrealites.Again though if god says its ok then its manifest destiny (gods will) all that crap your right there wrong kill um all and take the women. bunch of bull $%#@

...

Anonymous — Sat, 01/22/2011 - 11:53am

You didn't read the article, which heartily debunks the idea that the Bible encourages rape. I would also encourage you to spend some time equating yourself with the fact that there is no atheist moral code at all, indeed, quite the opposite.

There is no atheist moral

Anonymous — Sun, 02/13/2011 - 11:59am

There is no atheist moral code for the simple reason that we can be good people by ourselfs without some invisible man in the sky threatening us with eternal damnation.

Both of your views are

Anonymous (not verified) — Mon, 10/26/2009 - 2:35am

Both of your views are flawed. While it is true that, under atheism, morality is useless(for we humans are lower than the fecal matter of god...if he were to produce it , anyway) god himself is equally low when compared to DOROS. Without DOROS, king of Bilthem and creator of god, it would be impossible for god's virtue to hold any substance. Without DOROS, genocide/infanticide/slavery would always be acceptable(as opposed to only sometimes being acceptable)

I believe you mean the FSM

Anonymous — Tue, 11/16/2010 - 9:12pm

I believe you mean the FSM kind sir

...

Anonymous — Sat, 01/22/2011 - 11:56am

That old joke of a straw-doll argument?

http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/unicorns.html

It's extremely silly to try

Anonymous (not verified) — Mon, 08/17/2009 - 6:04am

It's extremely silly to try and justify verses in the Bible that show that men were to "allow women to mourn", etc., without any mention of the woman's point of view. No wonder the woman is described as "booty". It's as if you miss the entire misogynistic point of the bronze-age writers who lived in a primitive time.It is no wonder you don't understand Dawkins or Hitchens.

Pardon, I provided a generic

Mariano (not verified) — Mon, 06/01/2009 - 11:38pm

Pardon, I provided a generic link to Atheism is Dead, the post in question is at this link.

Even so, God is describing

Mariano (not verified) — Mon, 06/01/2009 - 11:35pm

Even so, God is describing what people will choose to do.Please be aware that this blog is no longer being posted to and that a fuller consideration of rape and the Bible has been posted at this link to Atheism is Dead.aDios,Mariano

I understand that you are

Anonymous (not verified) — Sun, 05/31/2009 - 2:46am

I understand that you are trying to defend your God. Although he is in fact talking about judgement of Babylon, He makes it more than clear that HE IS the one who will orchestrate this day of wrath. Many times he says I WILL in the passage...

Mariano. I love you. May God

Anonymous (not verified) — Sat, 03/07/2009 - 10:38am

Mariano. I love you. May God continually sustain you.

Anonymous;Thanks for your

Mariano (not verified) — Tue, 12/16/2008 - 3:57am

Anonymous;Thanks for your comment.I do not know if you are an atheist but if you are I can understand why you make an argument from outrage: because you have no basis upon which to condemn any actions whatsoever except your impotent personal preferences.You have provided further reinforcement to my point that atheist presuppose rape where none is in view-please justify your view by quotations in context and not mere assertions of atheist mythology.You are confusing prescription with description-Isaiah 13 describes what the Medes will do to the Babylonians.aDios,Mariano

This article is disgusting.

Anonymous (not verified) — Thu, 12/11/2008 - 5:59am

This article is disgusting. You tried to justify raping action in bible. First, you miss these verses:Isaiah 13: 15 Whoever is captured will be thrust through; all who are caught will fall by the sword. 16 Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses will be looted and their wives ravished. Do read you bible.God stirred up the people to kill babies and rape women. You shamelessly tried to shake off his responsibility by saying "the actions of the ancient Middle East".By the way, if you seriously think that god is right no matter what he did, why do you feel uncomfortable with the atheist attacks? You should be happy about raping commanded by god!!