what happened to free will?
Christianity's version of free will:
You're free to choose not to follow me. But then you'll go to Hell, where there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Or you can do exactly what I say and believe in me without me demonstrating myself. Then you'll be eternally rewarded.
It's the equivilent of the mafia boss pointing a gun to your head saying it's your choice to pay him but he'll shoot you if you don't.
Some (myself included) do realize how screwed up it is, but half-heartedness is about on the same level as sin, or at the very least, shameful.They're told to put their lives fully into serving God [Deuteronomy 6:5]. . Anything less is like a disappointment to Him.
Fair enough. Although what I was thinking was that the religious that believe this law maybe don't think of it as much, and while they believe they are following all of God's laws fully, they wouldn't **** an infant every day even if they believed god wanted them to. Some might, but not the generally decent but misguided religious.
Who said they had to live together, they wouldn't have to look at each other, the rapist would just have to make sure she is cared for (and any children that may have resulted).
note, I am just theorizing.
You're not winning me over. Since you can get stoned for just about anything else, the rapist should be stoned. The woman should not be punished. As Kasic pointed out, marriage back then was the joining of a man and a woman. If your house was robbed and they caught the robber, the correct course of action is to punish the robber with jail or, in the bloody biblical times, torture and death. The robber doesn't become your roommate and share the rent. That's insanity.
Most religions have some way of saying "follow these rules to prosper", such as the eightfold path. Nearly all religions each claim to have the only correct set of rules/guidelines, as they all stem from someone's/something's views of right and wrong.
Even when we find things in these rules that are good, they aren't good because god said them. They are good because they are good. What is least harmful and most productive for people is in general how we derive our morality. Religion was created by primitives so naturally it had a bunch of primitive, misguided, sadistic and evil rules within it. If it came from an all-loving god it would look much different than it does.