I’ve heard the idea that originally God meant “marriage” to being the act of intercourse.
I just wonder where that leaves the young girl who might have been raped. Is she bound to her rapist (husband) in the Lord’s eyes?
I say maybe back in the biblical days but doesn’t God deal with us differently now wherein he looks at the heart of the matter as opposed to focusing on law and ritual
“I’ve heard the idea that originally God meant “marriage” to being the act of intercourse.
I just wonder where that leaves the young girl who might have been raped. Is she bound to her rapist (husband) in the Lord’s eyes?
I say maybe back in the biblical days but doesn’t God deal with us differently now wherein he looks at the heart of the matter as opposed to focusing on law and ritual”
There is in fact a consent issue hence the reason for annulment. Which is to find that the marriage never legitimate took place. I would say in the case of rape it would perhaps indisputably fall in that category of not having consent.
Historically and currently there is still an age of consent issue, and historically there is additionally a fathers consent issue. A few of the posters here have explored that general area rather well.
You’ve ‘heard’ the idea?
“Is she bound to her rapist (husband) in the Lord’s eyes?”
Under the Old Covenant, the punishment for rape was death, but the punishment for adultery was also death. So, if the accusation of rape was made, and it had occurred in the city, but no witnesses would swear that they heard the woman raise a commotion, both would be put to death, as it was assumed the woman was committing adultery and lying about the rape to avoid death. If it happened in the country, only the man would be put to death, since there was not an assumption that anyone would be near enough to hear her cries.
Oh, I should mention those rules were specifically about virgins who were betrothed. If she were not bethrothed, then the man was bound to marry her, unless her father refused. It says he must do this because he “has humbled” the woman, so I think because she would not likely find another husband, since she was not a virgin. Back then, if you were not a virgin, unless you were a widow, you were basically seen as a prostitute and not worthy of marriage.