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I want to keep an open mind since I dont know how it was back then. Usually Muslims say it was a different time and place, theres probably other arguments. About 1400 years ago, in the world or in the middle east, in his community. Can a 9 year old girl or around that age be physically and mentally ready/prepared to have sex, can she understand what it is and also would there be any physical harm done to her body because of the sex.
If it was ok then then why isnt it ok now, did girls "devolve" from being able to have sex and maybe be a mom to being kids. Maybe they honestly didnt know it was bad for the girl, they just acted on their instincts. I dont know how relationships/sex were in the distant past, 3000 years ago, 1400 years ago, etc.
All I know is that St. Augustine (in his 30s) was betrothed to a 10 year old. That was earlier than Muhammad's time, and sort of near the Middle East, if you consider Northern Africa by the Mediterranean to be such.
I'm sure 9 year old girls can get pregnant and survive. Same as a 9 year old boy might impregnate a woman, although males often develop slower than females. Both have happened in news cycles I bet. The dangers for younger women trying to give birth are definitely a lot higher then for a more mature one of prime child-bearing years.
We don't find it "ok" to marry off children because we find them socially and physically underdeveloped for modern life, parents keep their children longer too.
A 5 year old can probably "understand what sex is" if taught properly, not sure how that would ready or prepare a child in any way.
Earlier onset of sexually active behavior is [I'm pretty sure] correlated with higher incidence of harmful pseudo-maturity actions.
Last edited by LuminousTruth; 09-03-2017 at 05:13 AM..
I want to keep an open mind since I dont know how it was back then. Usually Muslims say it was a different time and place, theres probably other arguments. About 1400 years ago, in the world or in the middle east, in his community. Can a 9 year old girl or around that age be physically and mentally ready/prepared to have sex, can she understand what it is and also would there be any physical harm done to her body because of the sex.
If it was ok then then why isnt it ok now, did girls "devolve" from being able to have sex and maybe be a mom to being kids. Maybe they honestly didnt know it was bad for the girl, they just acted on their instincts. I dont know how relationships/sex were in the distant past, 3000 years ago, 1400 years ago, etc.
Muhammad was a military and political leader at that time and place. The story goes, at least as I have heard it: he saw a pretty little girl and he wanted dibs on her when she got older and matured. There was no actual sex until she was a few years older. I do not think this was incredibly rare or considered immoral at that time. For that matter, I don't think it was incredible rare or considered immoral in the hills of Alabama in the early 20th century.
The problem is that to many Muslims around the world, Muhammad's actions and life 1400 years ago are considered the model to be followed today. This kind of accompanies the problem with believing that the Quran is the undisputed word of God and is beyond question, given that it decrees that hands should be lopped off for theft and flogging is the required punishment for fornication.
In general, older men would marry much younger girls (children/minors by today's standards) in the past.
I believe this was because younger women are more fertile. This would also give a woman lifelong opportunity to bare children, which in an older time, was much more necessary. You could have 9 children, and be lucky if 4 survived to adulthood.
I'm not expert on the culture of the Middle East, certainly not from 1400 years ago, but my guess is that it wasn't uncommon for that situational to happen.
As another poster mentioned, many Muslims believes the actions of Muhammad are always just meaning many believe this practice should be acceptable today. Obviously, Muslims are human and can feel empathy, so I'm certainly not suggesting this is all Muslims, but the more conservative Muslims more than likely believe that this is acceptable, even if they personally do not engage in it.
A pedophile is a pedophile, and a child is a child; I don't care if it's 800 AD or 2017AD. Peace
a couple of teenagers in high school is one thing, say they are 14, 15, 16 years old.
a 53 year old man with several wives, taking a 6 year old child, and consummating the marriage when she is 9 still playing with dolls, is something else altogether.
It is not just the age of the girl. It is the age disparity, how much older is the man.
I want to keep an open mind since I dont know how it was back then. Usually Muslims say it was a different time and place, theres probably other arguments. About 1400 years ago, in the world or in the middle east, in his community. Can a 9 year old girl or around that age be physically and mentally ready/prepared to have sex, can she understand what it is and also would there be any physical harm done to her body because of the sex.
If it was ok then then why isnt it ok now, did girls "devolve" from being able to have sex and maybe be a mom to being kids. Maybe they honestly didnt know it was bad for the girl, they just acted on their instincts. I dont know how relationships/sex were in the distant past, 3000 years ago, 1400 years ago, etc.
It was acceptable for"some"church leaders to do so in the 1880's...Not sure what the acceptable age was prior to the 1500's....also pretty sure it was not just church folks taking the young girls because of the short life expectancy up through the 1890's?
I want to keep an open mind since I dont know how it was back then. Usually Muslims say it was a different time and place, theres probably other arguments. About 1400 years ago, in the world or in the middle east, in his community. Can a 9 year old girl or around that age be physically and mentally ready/prepared to have sex, can she understand what it is and also would there be any physical harm done to her body because of the sex.
If it was ok then then why isnt it ok now, did girls "devolve" from being able to have sex and maybe be a mom to being kids. Maybe they honestly didnt know it was bad for the girl, they just acted on their instincts. I dont know how relationships/sex were in the distant past, 3000 years ago, 1400 years ago, etc.
You say "usually Muslims say" like you've talked to a lot of Muslims on the subject. How many have you talked to? Best thing to do would be to hear directly from them and not someone who may hold prejudices and stereotype a religion. But lets not talk too much with them, we don't want to find any common ground in core values and become friends.
I'm not a Christian and find the Bible has some very disturbing parts. Yet the vast majority of people I love are Christians and simply cherry pick parts they like. I'm fine with that and would think many other religions do the same.
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