Christians want that everything must be “wholesome” and “up building”. Of course nothing could be considered more so than the Bible, the “Word of God”. In our society we are very concerned with human rights and in particular the rights of women and children. Let us take a look at some pretty substantial examples of the Biblical and subsequently God’s view of women and children:
*** Rbi8 Numbers 31:14-18 ***
And Moses grew indignant at the appointed men of the combat forces, the chiefs of the thousands and the chiefs of the hundreds who were coming in from the military expedition. 15 So Moses said to them: “Have YOU preserved alive every female… 17 And now kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has had intercourse with man by lying with a male. 18 And preserve alive for yourselves all the little ones among the women who have not known the act of lying with a male.*** Rbi8 Numbers 31:31-41 ***
31 And Moses and El•e•a'zar the priest went doing just as Jehovah had commanded Moses. 32 And the booty, the rest of the plunder that the people of the expedition had taken as plunder, amounted to six hundred and seventy-five thousand of the flock, … 35 As for human souls from the women who had not known the act of lying with a male, all the souls were thirty-two thousand… 40 And the human souls were sixteen thousand, and the tax on them for Jehovah was thirty-two souls. 41 Then Moses gave the tax as Jehovah’s contribution to El•e•a'zar the priest, just as Jehovah had commanded Moses.*** Rbi8 Judges 21:10-12 ***
10 Hence the assembly proceeded to send twelve thousand of the most valiant men there and to command them, saying: “Go, and YOU must strike the inhabitants of Ja'besh-gil'e•ad with the edge of the sword, even the women and the little ones. 11 And this is the thing that YOU should do: Every male and every woman that has experienced lying with a male YOU should devote to destruction.” 12 However, they found out of the inhabitants of Ja'besh-gil'e•ad four hundred girls, virgins, that had not had intercourse with a man by lying with a male. So they brought them to the camp at Shi'loh, which is in the land of Ca'naan.*** Rbi8 Judges 19:22-30 ***
22 While they were making their hearts feel good, look! the men of the city, mere good-for-nothing men, surrounded the house, shoving one another against the door; and they kept saying to the old man, the owner of the house: “Bring out the man that came into your house, that we may have intercourse with him.” 23 At that the owner of the house went on out to them and said to them: “No, my brothers, do not do anything wrong, please, since this man has come into my house. Do not commit this disgraceful folly. 24 Here are my virgin daughter and his concubine. Let me bring them out, please, and YOU rape them and do to them what is good in YOUR eyes.But to this man YOU must not do this disgraceful, foolish thing.”
As you can see it wasn’t very easy to be a woman or a child in Biblical times. Only Jewish women had anything resembling rights. Non-Jewish women and children were as we can see fair game. Notice that Jehovah and Moses was only interested in the “little ones” that had not been engaging is sex, i.e. children that had not had sexual intercourse. The little girls that weren’t virgins were to be slaughtered. As the Bible show us sex with children was quite clearly considered normal. Why else should they need to check which one of the "little ones" who was virgins? Of course the Jewish men could enjoy these little girls as sex slaves for themselves as well as use them for other slave work. And people wonder why the Watchtower Society is full of pedophiles? I mean those who consider this the “word of God” and long back for the days when they could stone people outside the city gates and molest any child they fancied?
*w52 11/15 703 - **We are not living today among theocratic nations where such members of our fleshly family relationship could be exterminated for apostasy from God and his theocratic organization, as was possible and was ordered in the nation of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai and in the land of Palestine. "Thou shalt surely kill him; thy hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. And thou shalt stone him to death with stones, because he hath sought to draw thee away from Jehovah thy God, . . . And all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is in the midst of thee."-Deut. 13:6-11, As being limited by the laws of the worldly nation in which we live and also by the laws of God through Jesus Christ, we can take action against apostates only to a certain extent, that is, consistent with both sets of laws. The law of the land and God's law through Christ forbid us to kill apostates, even though they be members of our own flesh-and-blood family relationship.*w60 2/1 80 - 17 There may be rare instances where a child is so hardened in its stubbornness that even the rod of correction cannot drive it out. In the days of Israel parents were instructed by Jehovah to take such a rebel to the city fathers and they, in turn, took the incorrigible one out and stoned him to death. There were no juvenile delinquents under such a system.(Deut. 21:18-21) So also today, the New World society of Jehovah's witnesses can not and will not tolerate juvenile delinquency to exist in its midst. So, to avoid a possible death-dealing blow by being disfellowshiped from the congregation,
What a wonderful time it was! No “no juvenile delinquents”, and although you couldn’t “desire” a fellow Jews wife, all non-Jewish females was available, and Jewish men could kill a little girl’s family, preferably in front of her, then ascertain her virginity and take her home, neat, eh? Really up building and wholesome material.
People who actually consider this the “word of God” will find good excuses for every evil deed under the sun in the Bible.
If mankind hadn’t progressed but still insisted that such treatment of people that didn’t belong to the same tribe, faith etc was not only acceptable but a command from God, we would still be doing this to each other. In fact some places people are still doing it.
People who read this and actually believe that God ordered these things will of course be more than willing to abuse children given half a chance. Why grapple with grown women when you can have sex with kids? Of course “Jehovah” doesn’t really have anything against it, because he actually ordered it done, back in the good old days,
will be such people’s rationale.
You see, the Watchtower Society isn’t really the problem, the problem started long before anyone had ever heard about them. The attitudes toward fellow human beings that is instilled in “believers” who accept Biblical “moral values” like the ones above is the real problem.
Norm.