Captive Virgins, Polygamy, Sex Slaves: What Marriage Would Look Like if We Followed the Bible

[Better Believe It]

Captive Virgins, Polygamy, Sex Slaves: What Marriage Would Look Like if We Actually Followed the Bible
How many so-called Biblical literalists have actually read the whole Bible? Let's see what God really has to say about marriage.
By Valerie Tarico
March 27, 2012

Let me tell you a secret about Bible believers that I know because I was one. Most of them don’t read their Bibles. If they did, they would know that the biblical model of sex and marriage has little to do with the one they so loudly defend. Stories depicted in the Bible include rape, incest, master-slave sexual relations, captive virgins, and more. Now, just because a story is told in the Bible doesn’t mean it is intended as a model for devout behavior. Other factors have to be considered, like whether God commands or forbids the behavior, if the behavior is punished, and if Jesus subsequently indicates the rules have changed, come the New Testament.

Through this lens, you find that the God of the Bible still endorses polygamy and sexual slavery and coerced marriage of young virgins along with monogamy. In fact, he endorses all three to the point of providing detailed regulations. Based on stories of sex and marriage that God rewards and appears to approve one might add incest to the mix. Nowhere does the Bible say, “Don’t have sex with someone who doesn’t want to have sex with you.”

Concubines are sex slaves, and the Bible gives instructions on acquisition of several types of sex slaves, although the line between biblical marriage and sexual slavery is blurry. A Hebrew man might, for example, sell his daughter to another Hebrew, who then has certain obligations to her once she is used. For example, he can’t then sell her to a foreigner. Alternately a man might see a virgin war captive that he wants for himself.

In the book of Numbers (31:18) God’s servant commands the Israelites to kill all of the used Midianite women who have been captured in war, and all of the boy children, but to keep all of the virgin girls for themselves. The Law of Moses spells out a purification ritual to prepare a captive virgin for life as a concubine. It requires her owner to shave her head and trim her nails and give her a month to mourn her parents before the first sex act (Deuteronomy 21:10-14). A Hebrew girl who is raped can be sold to her rapist for 50 shekels, or about $580 (Deuteronomy 22:28-29). He must then keep her as one of his wives for as long as she lives.

Read the full article at:

http://www.alternet.org/sex/154721/captive_virgins%2C_polygamy%2C_sex_slaves%3A_what_marriage_would_look_like_if_we_actually_followed_the_bible/?page=entire

[Cleita]

1. The ancient world had far different views of sex and marriage than we do.

Marriage was a tribal business arrangement. People were married when barely out of puberty, hence the virgin thing. Polygamy came about because of regular war mongering killing off the men leaving behind widows that needed to be looked after in a patriarchal society. It doesn't mean we need to do the same. Sometimes a practice that had a practical reason for emerging becomes embedded in the culture and mores of a society long past the time of necessity. I mean even in our society, women are expected to do the majority of housework, cooking and child rearing even though the time has passed when a women was kept at home to do those things while her husband worked to bring in the money.

[Bobcat]

2. Biblical View

Tell it to Santorum!

[KatyaR]

3. Sounds exactly like the kind of society they're looking for...

what with all their sexual fooling around and such....

[MineralMan]

4. I'm happy to recommend this post.