Rape Apologists Don’t Belong In The Pulpit

TW: Sexual Abuse; Rape Apologists; Victim Blaming; Strong Language

There’s an image making its rounds on social media this week. It shows the exchange between a pastor and (presumably) a parishioner. The woman asks, as many theist victims of abuse do, why God would allow her to be sexually assaulted at only 10 years old. The pastor answers “Who knows? It could have been a blessing in disguise. Maybe a life lesson for a sin you’ve committed.” He then goes on to quote scriptures out of context, closing his response with “God doesn’t need a reason to punish you. You need to pay your tithes and repent.”

What in the ENTIRE Hell?

To say I am seething with anger is an understatement. Y’all wonder why I constantly discuss the problem with small churches, preachers with no seminary training, and things that Christians do wrong.

I try to write with eloquence and objectivity. This will not be one of those times.

This is some fuck shit. This is fucked up. His response is the epitome of rape apologism and I refuse to stand with or for it. His response is what happens when you teach that “God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called” without any accountability for making sure the called at some point become qualified.

You do not get to offer your loose interpretation of the biblical text with respect to rape and sexual assault. You do not get to tell a hurting person that rape is their fault or result of a sin. Rape is never the fault of the victim. EVER.

You especially do not get to tell a child rape victim that their rape is the result of a sin. There is no damned “blessing in disguise” with rape, you sick son of a bitch. You, Pastor Jackleg, are a demon in the disguise of a shepherd. Your response both angers and terrifies me. Because it shows you have the capacity to not only condone such a monstrous act but commit it as well.

Doesn’t the Bible Support & Encourage Rape?

Contrary to what your local atheist spouts, the answer is no. Deuteronomy 22:25-27 says that a man who rapes a woman should be stoned to death and the woman should be considered innocent. There is uncomfortable passage in the bible, an oft cited standard of atheists, in Numbers 31. The allowance of taking women captive is not a direct implication for the promotion or allowance of rape. There is no specific mention of rape, and introduction of the idea of the captives being raped is one done by assumption, not interpretation of the text.

Here’s the thing though: Rape is morally reprehensible, and [usually] illegal, regardless of what any religious sacred text states. As a Christian, you’re called to obey the laws of the land (Romans 13:1) so even if the bible was promoting rape, the law does not.

There is much to be said for theists and nontheists alike who interpret scripture in the literal sense without historic context. But that’s another post for another time.

Sexual Abuse & Assault Victims Deserve Better

Victims of these atrocities deserve better protection and justice under the governing law. Sexual assault victims also deserve better emotional and spiritual support in our churches. No pastor, ministry leader, or Christian should ever fix their mouths to say that SEXUAL ASSAULT IS PENANCE FOR SIN! The unmitigated gall required to even come out your mouth with that shit is beyond my comprehension.

THEN you say “you need to pay your tithes and repent”? Nigga, what? Get the entire fuck outta here. Fuck you and the horse you rode in on, you pulpit pimping bastard.

If you can’t offer a rational, reasonable, and scripturally sound response to a theological inquiry, JUST DON’T DAMN ATTEMPT TO ANSWER IT.