What does your religion say about rape?

[MysticSang'ha]

Is it considered an abomination? A sin? Or not considered at all?

What are the circumstances that must be present for it to be considered rape?

What is the appropriate punishment for rapists according to your religious doctrine?

Are the considerations made by your religion paralleled in your local law enforcement and court system? Do you think it should be?

Finally, do you believe what your religion has to say about rape correct and ethical? Why or why not?

 

[1137]

Is it considered an abomination? A sin? Or not considered at all?

It might just be the ultimate crime, depending on the circumstances and mental trauma caused.

What are the circumstances that must be present for it to be considered rape?

Forcing someone to do sexual things against their will is rape.

What is the appropriate punishment for rapists according to your religious doctrine?

Punishment fits the crime. Mental and physical torture sound good.

Are the considerations made by your religion paralleled in your local law enforcement and court system? Do you think it should be?

No. I live in the US with our joke of a law system. In a rape trial the victim is "raped" again and again in open court, all so that assuming a conviction is made her rapist can do 15 years of free cable, three meals, etc. Rehabilitation in such people is a joke.

 

[Secret Chief]

Not sure the Buddhadhamma refers to rape per se, but I could be corrected. In essence it is a moral practice expounded (not to engage in sexual misconduct, treat your spouse respectfully, right action and thought, do good only, etc etc). The focus is on self improvement, rather than notions of sin and punishment, I would say.

(but then I'm a rubbishy zennist that consumes alcohol and has got a potty for a mouth....)

 

[Vouthon]

Dear Mystic,

The Catholic Church considers rape to be an intrinsically evil act:

2356 Rape is the forcible violation of the sexual intimacy of another person. It does injury to justice and charity. Rape deeply wounds the respect, freedom, and physical and moral integrity to which every person has a right. It causes grave damage that can mark the victim for life. It is always an intrinsically evil act.

Note that rape is "an intrinsically evil act," meaning that it is evil at its very root and nothing justifies it.

It is simply put forcing someone against their will into sexual acts.

In terms of criminal punishment, the Catholic Church teachings extend only to faith and morals. She does not have the authority invested by God to issue criminal punishments because the Christian Faith, unlike Judaism and Islam, does not have a divinely revealed law for society. We have no Shariah or Torah, as Pope Benedict XVI once explained:

"...Unlike other great religions, Christianity has never proposed a revealed law to the State and to society, that is to say a juridical order derived from revelation. Instead, it has pointed to nature and reason as the true sources of law – and to the harmony of objective and subjective reason, which naturally presupposes that both spheres are rooted in the creative reason of God. Christian theologians thereby aligned themselves with a philosophical and juridical movement that began to take shape in the second century B.C. In the first half of that century, the social natural law developed by the Stoic philosophers came into contact with leading teachers of Roman Law. Through this encounter, the juridical culture of the West was born, which was and is of key significance for the juridical culture of mankind. This pre-Christian marriage between law and philosophy opened up the path that led via the Christian Middle Ages and the juridical developments of the Age of Enlightenment all the way to the Declaration of Human Rights and to our German Basic Law of 1949, with which our nation committed itself to "inviolable and inalienable human rights as the foundation of every human community, and of peace and justice in the world..."

- Pope Benedict XVI, Reichstag Building, Berlin
Thursday, 22 September 2011

Therefore it is the prerogative of the secular state to determine the appropriate punishment for offenders, not religion which is to do with the inner law of conscience.

Since the evil of rape can be discerned by every human conscience without the need for divine revelation or religious faith, it is to be hoped that any sane, civilized society will punish those who commit it justly.

 

[Celal]

In terms of criminal punishment, the Catholic Church teachings extend only to faith and morals. She does not have the authority invested by God to issue criminal punishments because the Christian Faith, unlike Judaism and Islam, does not have a divinely revealed law for society. We have no Shariah or Torah, as Pope Benedict XVI once explained:

What does Islam say about rape? Anyone knows?

 

[I.S.L.A.M617]

Dear Mystic,

The Catholic Church considers rape to be an intrinsically evil act:



Note that rape is "an intrinsically evil act," meaning that it is evil at its very root and nothing justifies it.

It is simply put forcing someone against their will into sexual acts.

In terms of criminal punishment, the Catholic Church teachings extend only to faith and morals. She does not have the authority invested by God to issue criminal punishments because the Christian Faith, unlike Judaism and Islam, does not have a divinely revealed law for society. We have no Shariah or Torah, as Pope Benedict XVI once explained:




Therefore it is the prerogative of the secular state to determine the appropriate punishment for offenders, not religion which is to do with the inner law of conscience.

Since the evil of rape can be discerned by every human conscience without the need for divine revelation or religious faith, it is to be hoped that any sane, civilized society will punish those who commit it justly.

The pope might be against rape, but the Bible sure isn't. In Old Testament law, a woman had to marry her rapist or be put to death. No penalty for the rapist though.

 

[Vouthon]

The pope might be against rape, but the Bible sure isn't. In Old Testament law, a woman had to marry her rapist or be put to death. No penalty for the rapist though.

The Catholic Church is neither part of Judaism nor bound by the Mosaic Law.

The letter of Hebrews goes so far as to declare:

Hebrews 8:13

He [Jesus] is the mediator of a better covenant, which hath been enacted upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then would no place have been sought for a second...By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear

Therefore the judicial and ceremonial punishments, laws and regulations of the Torah are not something I, as a Catholic Christian, can comment on since I do not accept them as being valid given that Christians are bound to the New Covenant proclaimed by Jesus rather than the Torah. We are not under the Mosaic Law although I accept it as a valid legal system for the ancient Israelites as well as endorsing the Ten Commandments and other strictly personal, moral injunctions from the Torah (such as love thy neighbour as one loves thyself and so forth).

 

[I.S.L.A.M617]

The Catholic Church is neither part of Judaism nor bound by the Mosaic Law.

The letter of Hebrews goes so far as to declare:



Therefore the judicial and ceremonial punishments of the Torah are not something I, as a Catholic Christian, can comment on since I do not accept them as being valid given that Christians are bound to the New Covenant proclaimed by Jesus rather than the Torah. We are not under the Mosaic Law.

I might be wrong, but I don't believe the New Testament condemns rape either.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

All acts of violation or violence another person are wrong, sexually-motivated or otherwise. I didn't even need a religion to figure this out. I would hope that all religions have some similar tenet.

 

[Vouthon]

I might be wrong, but I don't believe the New Testament condemns rape either.

Catholics do not believe in sola scriptura (Bible Alone). The Bible is part of Sacred Tradition passed down from the Apostles, the New Testament is therefore not the entirety of divinely revealed truth, only the small portion that was written down in the canonical books.

The Didache, the earliest non-canonical Christian Orthodox text which witnesses and is indeed part of the Catholic Sacred Tradition passed down by the Apostles, explicitly says that rape is part of the "way of death", that is grave sin that leads to damnation:

"...And the way of death is this: First of all it is evil and accursed: murders, adultery, lust, fornication, thefts, idolatries, magic arts, witchcrafts, rape, false witness, hypocrisy, double-heartedness, deceit, haughtiness, depravity, self-will, greediness, filthy talking, jealousy, over-confidence, loftiness, boastfulness; persecutors of the good, hating truth, loving a lie, not knowing a reward for righteousness, not cleaving to good nor to righteous judgment, watching not for that which is good, but for that which is evil; from whom meekness and endurance are far, loving vanities, pursuing revenge, not pitying a poor man, not laboring for the afflicted, not knowing Him Who made them, murderers of children, destroyers of the handiwork of God, turning away from him who is in want, afflicting him who is distressed, advocates of the rich, lawless judges of the poor, utter sinners. Be delivered, children, from all these..."

- The Didache (The Lord's Teaching Through the Twelve Apostles to the Nations), AD 40-100

Sacred Tradition is of an equivalent authority to the Bible in Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, indeed Sacred Scripture is merely the portion of it that was committed to canonical book form.

The fact that rape is intrinsically evil was, as you can see, taught by the first century Church but as I stated earlier Christianity is not a judicial religion so no punishment is affixed to it or any other evil act.

 

[I.S.L.A.M617]

Catholics do not believe in sola scriptura (Bible Alone). The Bible is part of Sacred Tradition passed down from the Apostles, the New Testament is therefore not the entirety of divinely revealed truth, only the small portion that was written down in the canonical books.

The Didache, the earliest non-canonical Christian Orthodox text which witnesses and is indeed part of the Catholic Sacred Tradition passed down by the Apostles, explicitly says that rape is part of the "way of death", that is grave sin that leads to damnation:




Sacred Tradition is of an equivalent authority to the Bible in Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, indeed Sacred Scripture is merely the portion of it that was committed to canonical book form.

The fact that rape is intrinsically evil was, as you can see, taught by the first century Church but as I stated earlier Christianity is not a judicial religion so no punishment is affixed to it or any other evil act.

I never said Catholics aren't against rape; I said the Bible isn't.

 

[Vouthon]

I never said Catholics aren't against rape; I said the Bible isn't.

Yes but I thought you might be implying that ifthe New Testament doesn't explicitly address something then this means Christianity doesn't. In fact the Bible is only the sole, ultimate authority in Protestant Christianity. For Catholics the condemnation of rape in our sacred tradition, as quoted by me in my last post, would be considered divinely revealed since it is part of the tradition.

Outside Protestantism "divine revelation" is broader than the Bible which is merely a portion of it.

I simply wanted to make this clear.

 

[I.S.L.A.M617]

Yes but I thought you might be implying that ifthe New Testament doesn't explicitly address something then this means Christianity doesn't. In fact the Bible is only the sole, ultimate authority in Protestant Christianity. For Catholics the condemnation of rape in our sacred tradition, as quoted by me in my last post, would be considered divinely revealed since it is part of the tradition.

Outside Protestantism "divine revelation" is broader than the Bible which is merely a portion of it.

I simply wanted to make this clear.

If condemnation of rape is such a sacred tradition, why were a large number of priests who abused children transferred rather than criminally prosecuted, or at least excommunicated?

 

[Vouthon]

If condemnation of rape is such a sacred tradition, why were a large number of priests who abused children transferred rather than criminally prosecuted, or at least excommunicated?

This happened as a result of a cover-up of secrecy on the part of some very cowardly and self-serving individuals in the Catholic hierarchy who put their careers and the public face of their institution above the welfare of children, just like the BBC did as well (ie the Jimmy Saville case).

Catholic teaching is unequivocal on child abuse. After the statement on rape in the Catechism one finds this:

"...Graver still is the rape of children committed by parents or those responsible for the education of the children entrusted to them..."

Again this was taught back as far as the Didache:

"...The second commandment of the teaching is this: You must not murder; you must not commit adultery; you must not molest children..."

- The Didache (The Lord's Teaching Through the Twelve Apostles to the Nations), AD 40-100

 

[I.S.L.A.M617]

This happened as a result of a cover-up of secrecy on the part of some very cowardly and self-serving individuals in the Catholic hierarchy who put their careers and the public face of their institution above the welfare of children, just like the BBC did as well (ie the Jimmy Saville case).

Catholic teaching is unequivocal on child abuse. After the statement on rape in the Catechism one finds this:



Again this was taught back as far as the Didache:

You can make up all the rules you want; they mean nothing if the church is unwilling to enforce them.

 

[Vouthon]

You can make up all the rules you want; they mean nothing if the church is unwilling to enforce them.

What rules have I made up? I merely referenced two official documents, a first century text from nearly 2,000 years ago and the modern Catechism of the Catholic Church 1992.

Since the revelation of the paedophile cover-ups the church hierarchy, especially under the last pope and the new one, has taken significant steps to safeguard children so that what occurred in previous decades with cover-ups does not happen again.

I don't defend the hierarchy in the affected dioceses for their disgraceful failure to properly protect children, the most innocent and defenceless of victims, from abusive priests. It goes against Catholic doctrine as I have shown you and as the church freely admits. All I can say is that reform and an end to the culture of silence amongst clergy seems to be ending and I am hopeful for the future. What else can I say?

That aside, I think we should end this discussion there. The Catholic position on rape has been stated by me. Lets leave other people from other faiths to answer the OP.

 

[I.S.L.A.M617]

What rules have I made up? I merely referenced two official documents, a first century text from nearly 2,000 years ago and the modern Catechism of the Catholic Church 1992.

Since the revelation of the paedophile cover-ups the church hierarchy, especially under the last pope and the new one, has taken significant steps to safeguard children so that what occurred in previous decades with cover-ups does not happen again.

That aside, I think we should end this discussion there. The Catholic position on rape has been stated by me. Lets leave other people from other faiths to answer the OP.

I wasn't talking about you specifically; in that case "you" meant the authority that made those rules. Also, they might have taken steps to prevent child rape from happening again (of that I'm not entirely convinced), but what of the priests who have already raped a child and continue not only to roam free, but also continue to be priests? They should all be prosecuted as criminals.

 

[Vouthon]

I wasn't talking about you specifically; in that case "you" meant the authority that made those rules.

Ah, my apologies Forgive me for me for misunderstanding you.

Also, they might have taken steps to prevent child rape from happening again (of that I'm not entirely convinced), but what of the priests who have already raped a child and continue not only to roam free, but also continue to be priests? They should all be prosecuted as criminals.

I agree with you entirely. There have been criminal prosecutions against abusers and civil lawsuits against the church's dioceses and parishes that covered up. The dioceses have rightly been made to pay great amounts of money in compensation. The last pope also met with victims in some of the affected dioceses.

Sadly, some of the cases took place in the 1960s and 70s, meaning that abusers are no longer alive. That they escaped justice is disgraceful but one cannot go back in time and change what was a culture of silence in these affected dioceses.

The dioceses can only admit the mistakes that were made, apologize, face due legal process and pay compensation where demanded, make restitution and look to the future.

I have answered the OP on what my religion says about rape. If you would like to discuss paedophile cover-ups and the response to them from within the Catholic Church, I would ask you to make a separate thread on it and I will participate when able.

 

[I.S.L.A.M617]

Will do.

 

[Vouthon]

Will do.

Good. I will mark the thread and participate in it when I have the time.