The age of consent/marriage: Why the Bible has answers

Many people think that the age of consent/marriage in biblical times allowed for older men to date younger girls. This is a common myth about the biblical context. Most adults, however, believe these myths about the Bible. The fact of the matter is that sexual relations with children was always wrong to begin with, and always will be wrong.

The most common form of child sexual abuse is father-daughter incest. One verse that prohibits such wickedness is Leviticus 18:17 KJV:

Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, neither shalt thou take her son's daughter, or her daughter's daughter, to uncover their nakedness; for they are her near kinswomen: it is wickedness.

This passage, in its context, was understood by the courts as prohibiting all father-daughter incest, not just incest when the mother was around. Most father-daughter incest was initiated then by the daughters, usually with alcohol being administered by the daughters. Even then, however, the father was prosecuted by the court merely for allowing sexual relations with daughters. Law in the Old Testament was applied flexibly, not narrowly. The Greek root word cross-referencing this commandment is πορνεία (Latin: porneia) and refers to any sexual behavior outside of proper channels, as understood in the context. 

The cardinal rule of the context is to only have sexual relations within a marriage, with that marriage being an equal marriage. In the Early Church, marriages had to be between same-age peers, with the father having the right to stop an unequal marriage. Marriage customs in the Early Church were similar to today. The couple usually agreed to get married when they were fast friends, and the wedding involved the exchanging of vows. Women vowed to submit to their husband, and husbands vowed to love their wives. 

Marriages, even then, had to be equal in nature. When the marriage was not equal in nature, the father of the bride would interject his objections at the wedding, when the question was asked "if there are any objections to this marriage, voice them now or forever hold your peace". Fathers in the Early Church were protective in most cases, and didn't want his daughter to marry a "loser" older than his daughter. 

Most lies about the context come from Pro-Spank, who invented the Revised context to hide the Hebraic context, while accusing the Hebraic context falsely of endorsing child sexual abuse. This lie was intended to keep parents away from the anti-spanking Hebraic context. The Hebraic context, however, is tame, with the Revised context being the rough and rowdy context.

It is a myth that brides were acquired by grooming in the Early Church. In fact, virgins went naked out in the open, and attracted young men that way. When a woman was naked, she was communicating that she was unmarried. She met young men that way, and took them home for her father to inspect. The father then gave his blessing if he approved of the marriage. Sometimes, the marriage went on without the father's blessing. But, if the marriage was unequal in nature, the father could voice his objection at the wedding. The Hebraic context endorses courtship, not grooming for a bride. If the young man didn't get the bride he was courting, and she turned him down, he had to atone for approaching a woman falsely, with that approach counting as sexual entitlement.

The age of consent/marriage should be at the age of majority, wherever it stands. The age of majority is at age 18 in most places around the world, and thus the age of consent/marriage should be at those ages. The age of 18 might be a bit young for my approval, as the brain isn't fully formed until age 25. In the Early Church, the age of consent/marriage was aligned with the age of majority, meaning you couldn't get married until you were legally an adult. Maybe the ages were younger then, but that was only because people didn't live that long, with many people dying by age 18. The age of majority is nowhere mentioned in the Bible, except one place. See Romans 13:1-4 KJV:

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers aren't a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and have praise of the same. For he is a minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do what is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. 

The law of the land, in all states except one, mark the age of majority at age 18. In Mississippi, the age of majority is 21. The age of majority should also serve as the age of consent/marriage, with all sexual relations outside of marriage being banned. In the Early Church, sexual relations was not seen as a right for all to have, but instead a privilege reserved for adults who were married. Children were expected to remain pure and chaste until marriage, meaning they were expected to wait until marriage. Marriages in the Early Church had to be licensed by Rome, just like marriages today are required to be licensed in order to be officiated. 

Marriage, in the Early Church, looked similar to marriages today. Marriage was not just about signing on a dotted line, meaning sexual relations in and of themselves were not a marriage. A Christian wedding involved getting a license from Rome, and then exchanging vows. Marriages had to be between one adult man and one adult woman in the same place in life. 

Today, "same place in life" means that children in the early years - before age 18 - are not marriageable. College-aged women and men are marriageable to same-age classmates. It is the latter years that allow some freedom, meaning you can marry anyone you want past the college years if you are a single adult not in college.

The biblical standard on sexual entitlement is not based off of simply avoiding looking at a woman or child. The Greek root word denoting sexual entitlement is έπιθυμέω (Latin: epthumeo) and is defined as, officially speaking, sexual want, to the point of sexually motivated approach. This means that a man cannot approach a woman except with the intent to marry her later, and cannot approach a child at all with the intent to flirt with or proposition a child. A man is to gauge his intent when walking around an attraction figure, and if he has the intent to do the deed outside of marriage, he should not be approaching her. Doing the deed outside of marriage includes flirting or propositioning with intent for extramarital sexual relations. There is a big difference between thinking the think and doing the deed. Doing the deed at all with a child is the moral crime of fornication. Approaching the approach is the first steps leading up to doing the deed, meaning things such as walking up to the child with intent to flirt or proposition. However, the first step towards fornication counts as approaching the approach. You can look the look at any child dressed in a revealing manner, and even think the think about her later. You cannot go up to her to approach her if your intent is to do the deed. Doing the deed involves not only propositioning or flirting, but also touching a child or woman anywhere where a swimsuit normally covers up. The way around the approach is looking the look, and thinking the think later through righteous masturbation. Righteous masturbation purges the body of all unrequited lusts, and was seen as akin to a purity ritual in biblical times. Some adults will need aversion imagery to avoid child targets fully, but many adults will find inner peace the moment they masturbate to sexual thoughts of a child/ 

The depraved and decadent, defiled adults who rape or sexually assault children will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them descent into torrents of Hell-fire prepared for Satan and his accomplices! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!