“The answer to your question is, yes, I believe parents should be allowed to do that.[force their underage girls to marry.- - gsdlover] I wouldn’t. I don’t think it is the correct course of action, but it is something that I think is none of my business.”
There are a lot of things that are none of our business, yet we have rules against them - like murder and rape because they infringe on another’s rights. Yet, you take the Taliban position of supporting a parent’s right - make that a man’s right - to force a child to marry. You totally disregard the right of the young woman. As a Christian, you realize that if forced to marry, then her only option “out” is divorce. Not a good thing. Hey, I’m sure not all members of the Taliban make their daughters marry someone against their will, but you can bet they all support the right to do so.
In this country, you are like the person who says “I’m personally opposed to abortion, but believe it should be legal for 9 months of pregnancy.”
You either support it or you don’t. You do.
Very Taliban-ish.
To say it is “none of our business” is a ridiculous position. It makes slaves of children and denies them their individual, God-given right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
There is a point at which government interference into the lives of families is intolerable, but there is also a point at which parental abuse is also intolerable. The wise person can see that there must be a balance and when we err to far in one direction or another we must make corrections.
To carry a principle to the point of allowing it to cause death of innocents makes an “ass” of being a principled person.
As a Christian, you realize that if forced to marry, then her only option “out” is divorce.
You either support it or you don’t. You do.
Some things are simpler than they appear while others are more complex, but they all come down to core principles.
I’m not talking about the constitution here. I’m talking about the bible’s instruction to believers. And it supersedes and precedes the constitution.
Parents’ rights, as regarding their own children, used to be broad. One logical reason is that parents, by their very nature, tend to look out for the benefit of their child.
The progressive American culture has been on a crusade to limit those rights for a very long time. It’s gotten us to the complaints most of us have here regarding our rights to even use corporal punishment. You and I were both brainwashed to see it as a good thing. I’ve stepped away from american culture (dumped TV in 1997) and returned the best I can to a biblical world view. My position is based on what the bible teaches about how we should raise our children and how we should serve the Lord. I would not choose who my child should marry, but under different circumstances I most certainly would.
And I think, beginning with the fallout from the 60’s, we’ve demonstrated that parents can choose better mates for their kids than the hormone ravaged kids can. Just sayin’.
Bottom line: I believe you come from an American humanist culture perspective and I come from a biblical perspective.
Let me be really clear about the “forcing under aged girls to marry” concept. First, I think the line where girls are no longer under aged is a matter of opinion. My personal definition is that once they ovulate, they are no longer under age. Second, I think the girl should have the option of leaving if she chooses not to marry the person her parents chose.
If she is under age, I do believe the parents are overtly abusing her and should not be allowed to “force” her. If they are merely choosing the person she should marry once she is, by definition, a woman, that is not the same thing, however.