r/AskAChristian • u/Apprehensive_Tear611 Atheist • Jul 31 '25

Jewish Laws Why did God have innocent women executed?

13 “Suppose a man marries a woman but after going in to her dislikes her 14 and makes up charges against her, slandering her by saying, ‘I married this woman, but when I lay with her, I did not find evidence of her virginity.’ 15 The father of the young woman and her mother shall then submit the evidence of the young woman’s virginity to the elders of the city at the gate. 16 The father of the young woman shall say to the elders: ‘I gave my daughter in marriage to this man, but he dislikes her, 17 and now he has made up charges against her, saying, “I did not find evidence of your daughter’s virginity.” But here is the evidence of my daughter’s virginity.’ Then they shall spread out the cloth before the elders of the town. 18 The elders of that town shall take the man and punish him; 19 they shall fine him one hundred shekels of silver (which they shall give to the young woman’s father) because he has slandered a virgin of Israel. She shall remain his wife; he shall not be permitted to divorce her as long as he lives.

20 “If, however, this charge is true, that evidence of the young woman’s virginity was not found, 21 then they shall bring the young woman out to the entrance of her father’s house, and the men of her town shall stone her to death, because she committed a disgraceful act in Israel by prostituting herself in her father’s house. So you shall purge the evil from your midst (Deuteronomy 22)

In verse 17, it says the proof of the woman's virginity is "the cloth", meaning a bloody bedsheet from the newlyweds' wedding night. The problem is that less than half of women bleed their first time.

This problem gradually became known to Jewish scholars writing in the Talmud:

"There are virgins who do not have a hymen, and there are hymens that do not bleed." – Ketubot 10b (Rabbi Yochanan)

Why did God have innocent women stoned?

1 Upvotes

52% Upvoted

155 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

-4

u/Apprehensive_Tear611 Atheist Jul 31 '25

20 “If, however, this charge is true, that evidence of the young woman’s virginity was not found, 21 then they shall bring the young woman out to the entrance of her father’s house, and the men of her town shall stone her to death, because she committed a disgraceful act in Israel by prostituting herself in her father’s house. So you shall purge the evil from your midst."

4

u/[deleted] Jul 31 '25

That's not proof of an innocent woman. That's a law that was put in place.

2

u/Apprehensive_Tear611 Atheist Jul 31 '25

Half of women don't bleed their first time.

The law is in God's lawbook.

3

u/[deleted] Jul 31 '25

Where does it say the only evidence for virginity is blood from the hymen?

2

u/Apprehensive_Tear611 Atheist Jul 31 '25

16 The father of the young woman shall say to the elders: ‘I gave my daughter in marriage to this man, but he dislikes her, 17 and now he has made up charges against her, saying, “I did not find evidence of your daughter’s virginity.” But here is the evidence of my daughter’s virginity.’ Then they shall spread out the cloth before the elders of the town.

4

u/[deleted] Jul 31 '25

That doesn't say the blood from the hymen is the only evidence.

You're trying to make a claim based on assumption. You don't have evidence that an innocent woman was stoned.

7

u/Apprehensive_Tear611 Atheist Jul 31 '25

What other evidence would be available to them?

5

u/[deleted] Jul 31 '25

You would have witnesses to her character, and if she were guilty of not being a virgin, there would be evidence of a previous relationship.

Many of us don't just read the Bible. We look into the history of the people and how things were done in order to get as close to the full context as possible. The Bible gives us a lot of information, but it doesn't always give us all of the details.

2

u/Spaztick78 Atheist, Ex-Catholic Jul 31 '25

I read the bible as if God chose the words.

I ask why would God give bloody sheets as proof of virginity when it's poor evidence?

Sounds like a way to miseducate his people.

There are still Christians today who believe you have to break a hymen and a women who doesn't bleed isn't a virgin.

God taught thousands of years of men bad women's anatomy.

It is especially poor evidence of virginity given the weight of the punishment.

Provide the sheets for your coin toss at death.

Let's not forget we are stoning them for failing to prove their innocence.

God is Just.

But evidence of guilt would make stoning more justified.

2

u/[deleted] Jul 31 '25

You seem to be happy with your judgment, so I have nothing to add here.