Here is a good rule in the Bible:
“If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, 29 he shall pay her father fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the young woman, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives.” -Deuteronomy 22:28-29 of the NIV.
If we can take a moment to ignore all the psychological and moral implications of this law the Bible attempts to teach us, I think we should take a second to convert shekels and see how much rape costs. According to this website (http://coinmill.com/ILS_USD.html#ILS=50) 50 Israeli New Shekels converts to 13 dollars and 50 cents. A mighty steep fine for any man to pay. With his newly acquired $13.50 and his daughter’s psychological state in shambles, the father could take his daughter to the nearest Subway and enjoy a couple of those $5 foot-longs. Or better, he should pocket and save the $13.50 because he has a wedding he will need to help support.
Rape victims often suffer from psychological trauma afterwards (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_trauma_syndrome). To force the victim and victimizer to marry is not a penalty to the rapist, it’s penalizing the raped. To force the two people to a lifelong bond is salt in the wounds for the victim.
Good rule dude.
