There is a chilling case out of Port St. Lucie, Florida where a couple allegedly kept a 13-year-old girl as a sex slave while home schooling her in an isolated existence. In a Christian counterpart to ISIS (which has a widespread sex slave system of captive girls), the couple reportedly taught the girl passages of the Bible that they say justified such sexual domination and abuse. Rob Johnson, 44, and his wife, Marie Johnson, 43, have been released on bail (of $60,000 each) pending trial on felony sexual assault charges.
The girl was taken into the home after the death of her mother but was allegedly told immediately that she would have to have sex with both adults and was forced to call the husband “master.” She was beaten for disobeying.
The girl finally was able to leave the home when her grandmother sent her a plane ticket.
The Johnsons have two sons under 10 years old and two adult-age sons.
I am surprised to see only two felony charges for sexual assault and not charges linked to the alleged imprisonment of the girl against her will. The news stories indicate that the girl was kept from the outside world but there is indication of charges related to that aspect of the alleged crime.
It is not clear what passages are cited but the Bible does discuss slavery and the right to beat and have sex with slaves. For example, Exodus 21:26-27 states “And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid, that it perish; he shall let him go free for his eye’s sake. And if he smite out his manservant’s tooth, or his maidservant’s tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth’s sake.”
The most famous examples involved wives who could not have children:
Genesis 16:1-2: “Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.”
Genesis 30:3-4: “And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her. And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her.”
Genesis 30:9-10: “When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife. And Zilpah Leah’s maid bare Jacob a son.”
Indeed, it appeared only if the slave or servant was betrothed to another that a master had to make a sacrifice for raping her:
Leviticus 19:20-22: “And whosoever lieth carnally with a woman, that is a bondmaid, betrothed to an husband, and not at all redeemed, nor freedom given her; she shall be scourged; they shall not be put to death, because she was not free. And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, even a ram for a trespass offering. And the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before the LORD for his sin which he hath done: and the sin which he hath done shall be forgiven him.”
Of course, none of this is admissible as a religious defense in a criminal trial. It could still be entered as evidence of the conditions and underlying facts of the crime. However, if admitted, I would expect an instruction from the court on such claims not being viable defenses to a crime like rape.
NOBODY will “charge into a diatribe” and polemic quicker and more tediously than Isaac. NOBODY. He must get paid by the word, w/ a bonus for sanctimony.
Yes people kill people, with guns. The irresponsible, mentally incompetent, and criminal to be more precise. Educate the irresponsible, identify the mentally incompetent, and deny the criminal. Guns are a privilege granted by the founding fathers who were by the way the representatives of the people. Polls upon polls have shown that the people want greater restrictions on gun purchases, greater education regarding gun ownership, and greater scrutiny on gun ownership. BUT the NRA and the gun industry along with the fringe finance campaigns against the wishes of the people by making or breaking politicians.
By the way the fringe are those that immediately jump to the extreme when responsibility, scrutiny, and oversight are mentioned. They mount their steeds and charge into the diatribe of government stormtroopers waiting to lock everyone up. They mount the greatest argument for gun control.
issac wrote: “Guns are a privilege granted by the founding fathers who were by the way the representatives of the people.”
No, it is not a privilege or right granted by the founding fathers or government. The right of self defense is an inalienable right that cannot be taken away by government.
Every person has the right to secure both himself and his family. As the head of my home, I have not just the right, but the duty and obligation to provide security for everyone in my family. I have a duty to protect my wife and children from the harm that criminals might bring against them. No government has the right to prohibit me from securing firearms that would assist me in fulfilling my duty to my family. Take all the polls you like of a feminized society who forsake their duty and obligations to their family. They are cowards who want the duty they have to be shifted to law enforcement officers so they can blame someone else. You want me to bring a knife when the criminal brings his gun. No thank you. I think your advice is foolish.
PS: I find it astounding that Obama can trust Iran with nukes, but not Marines with hand guns.
Thank you Davidm2575 – Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.
I’m have a CHL and I can tell you for a fact that my guns lounge around the house all day and have never even hurt a fly.
It’s mental illness that needs addressed. All those who are out to harm or rob, will always target those with no guns or in no gun zones.
Barkin Dog: Me too! We should see how the librarians feel about this. 🙂 From my childhood perspective they saw EVERYTHING.
“Many so called “Liberals” would not agree with my position on Second Amendment rights and duties. But Libertarians might agree. I wonder how the librarians feel about this.”
Jane – I do not think the librarians have much to say. They famously hold “Banned Book Week” every year to show us that we should be reading all these books that that been banned, but they ban books and magazines themselves.
LOL So true. Sad.
There is a large difference between a Libertarian and a Liberal. In America that is. Yet there is a central focus in many respects. I believe in the Second Amendment and the right of bears to have arms or weapons. I believe in the right of a militia in Ferguson to stop the Al Sharptongues of the world from looting and burning stores. The city deferred to the county, the county to the state, the Governor called out the national guard and then told them to stand down while the looting occurred when the No True Bill was issued on officer Wilson in the Michael Brown case. Many so called “Liberals” would not agree with my position on Second Amendment rights and duties. But Libertarians might agree. I wonder how the librarians feel about this. The store owners on West Florissant in Dellwood and the edge of Ferguson want some answers as to who stands up for them.
Can we send in some Al Sharptongues to burn your neighborhood stores and would you object?
There are rules and laws and sacred iterations and then there are people.
issac wrote: “Most of the gun deaths in this country are a result of the lack of control.”
Not true. Most gun deaths are caused by people, not lack of gun control laws.
I need say no more.
Karen S
My understanding is that you are a student of statistics. I wonder if you would consider critiquing the attached article from Pulitzer prize winner, Politifact, which disputes your position on violent crime in the UK.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2013/jun/24/blog-posting/social-media-post-says-uk-has-far-higher-violent-c/
Another unsurprising religious incident. Imaginary leaders inspire real danger. Always.
Oh, and most gun deaths in this country is because of gangs. What did we do about it? We cracked down on proactive policing and profiling because of riots, and violent crime has skyrocketed many times over.
Isaac:
The problem with giving the power to government to bestow permission to buy a gun, as a privilege rather than a right, is that absolute power corrupts, absolutely. The more power we give to government, the more it will use that power and become a dictatorship. Since the founding fathers had fought so hard to escape tyranny, they left this safeguard in place.
I would not particularly like to have to apply to a government agency, with all the efficiency and humanity of the DMV, and plead my case that I need a firearm because of snakes. Because I have the 2nd Amendment, I don’t have to.
You might also be surprised that most states do not utilize the database for background checks very well at all. The majority of disqualifying mental issues and felonies are not reported to the database, rendering background checks almost useless. I support background checks, but it’s absurd that the relevant data is not even imported into the database. Cho shouldn’t have been able to buy the gun with which he shot 20 people at Virginia Tech. But he passed the background check because VA did not submit that court ordered him treatment for mental illness. The last time I checked more than 20 states had submitted only 100 mental health records.
We don’t need more laws; we just need to enforce the ones we have, and ensure they are reasonable. It was the law that the mental illness treatment be reported to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. It was against the law for Cho to enter VA Tech property with a firearm. It was against the law for him to shoot those people. The illegal alien who shot that young lady in San Francisco broke the law by entering here illegally after getting deported 5 times. He broke the law to get 7 felonies on his record. SF broke the law by not handing him over to ICE as requested. He broke the law when he stole a gun. He broke the law when he shot her.
No civilization has ever lasted forever. The Romans were the pinnacle of civilization at one time; they probably thought their way of life would last forever. Now archeologists piece it together from digs, shards of pottery, and midden heaps. One day ours will end, too. If you allow a government to disarm a populace, then if and when that government becomes a tyranny, then the people are helpless to fight. A government should have a healthy respect for citizens, that it can never have if they are helpless. Chairman Mao outlawed firearms shortly before he killed those citizens who disagreed with him. This experiment has been repeated many times. Even in the UK, where arms are now forbidden, your chance of being the victim of a violent crime is many times higher than it is in the US.
Karen
The travesty with the way the 2nd amendment is being interpreted these days, and for some time to come it seems, is with the mindless protection of the right to bear arms. The amendment specifically includes restrictions of regulated militias along with this right. Instead of attaching proper and reasonable regulations to this right the NRA along with the SCOTUS has hindered to stopped licensing, education, registering in the right to bear arms. Most of the gun deaths in this country are a result of the lack of control. This doesn’t mean you can’t have a gun to kill snakes or mountain lions. It simply means that it should be against the law to transfer an arm from one person to another without judicious scrutiny. It means that a person should not be able to buy a gun without a back ground check if that check is not done in three days, as is the case throughout the US. It means that the right to bear arms should be taken more seriously as a privilege to be awarded by the society not something that is in a bible of sorts. The Constitution of the US was written in another time by men who were not facing anything like this travesty of gun availability that we have today.
There is no difference between someone quoting the bible to obtain sexual gratification at the expense of others and someone who won’t have any whatsoever care taken in the right to own guns. Your taking this to extremes is indicative of the tactics of the NRA and other gun nuts that would fight to the death against a threat that does not exist. I am not for repealing the 2nd amendment. I am for a reasonable and sensible application of it.
The access to guns in the US is out of control. The 2nd amendment can still stand and the situation can be brought into control. That, I know, is a fact. In Canada, if you want, you can own a gun. You simply can’t buy it through the mail from some nut. You can’t arm yourself to the teeth and walk around packing a sidearm. Guns don’t even need to be registered in Canada anymore. It is the extremes or the perversions wherein lie the problems, with religion and the 2nd amendment.
issac wrote: “Most of the gun deaths in this country are a result of the lack of control.”
Not true. Most gun deaths are caused by people, not lack of gun control laws.
issac wrote: “The Constitution of the US was written in another time by men who were not facing anything like this travesty of gun availability that we have today.”
I am not sure you understand their times at all. It was considered a duty and obligation to have arms and to bear them. During the colonial period prior to the Constitution, there were laws that prohibited men from going to work if they were not armed. Towns passed ordinances that required every household to have arms.
We have never had a society that was more disarmed than what we have now. The question really hinges on how much trust you have in police and sheriffs to protect everyone. If you trust them to do protect you, fine, give up your gun. If you don’t trust them, then don’t take away our right to have and bear arms. Every person has the right to provide for his own security.
I see nothing wrong with homeschooling, but I think that if it’s combined with some sort of extreme belief system in which the children are isolated it can make it easier for the abusers to get away with it for a longer period of time. Kids need to be socialized and to have an opportunity to reach out to others, especially if their home life is abusive.
It’s amazing how Christianity has morphed into a nationwide mental illness.
JimC – if they are using the Old Testament then it is Judaism.
Homeschooling is very popular in my area, where the public schools are failing. They have very interesting programs now where the kids can get class instruction a couple of days a week, and then home study the rest of the week. A lot of the moms come together for group instruction or field trips.
Homeschooling can be an educational advantage, or it can be a very poor education.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2961897/Sexually-abused-home-schooled-offered-arranged-marriage-25-000-unable-work-didn-t-exist-extraordinary-story-victim-extreme-fundamentalists.html
“At 20, Jennyfer Deister was all set to be married off to a man twice her age. Her family, she says, had taken $25,000 in installments from the prospective groom and in return they were to give him her hand.”
This young woman was adopted into a fundamentalist family, homeschooled and kept isolated. How many stories will be coming out in years to come? Thank goodness she escaped.
You are allowed to believe whatever you want, as long as you do not hurt other people. You are allowed to think that homosexuality is wrong, as long as you do not hurt gay people. You are allowed to think that any sex before marriage or adultery is wrong, as long as you do not hurt people who do so. And you are allowed to oppose gay marriage or polygamous marriage.
People have a wide range of beliefs in this nation.
smipyr:
What does “people like themselves” refer to? If law abiding people own firearms for protection, it is not to protect against other law abiding people. It’s to protect against firearms. If I lived in a gang infested neighborhood, I would absolutely want a firearm.
I’m glad you can understand the need for protection from wildlife as a reason to own a firearm. But there are other reasons, too. The first firearm that I owned was a gift from a cop I used to date. He said in all his years on the force, he never once arrived in time to prevent a violent crime from occurring. Since he was well aware of my own past history with a dangerous stalker, he bought me the gun. He never wanted me to be helpless again in such a situation. If a man wants to kill a woman who’s weaker than him, he’s going to do it, and the fear of getting caught is not going to be enough to stop him. The only prayer a female has of fighting off a much stronger opponent is a firearm or truly excellent martial arts. And a firearm will prevent him from ever getting close enough to touch you.
This may come as a surprise to those who oppose the 2nd Amendment, but not every gun is used in a gang shootout. Owning a gun, like owning a knife, does not turn a law abiding citizen into a violent criminal. And not everyone can afford to hire armed security if they find themselves in bad circumstances. Look at the recent story about the former CNN reporter. Someone followed her to her hotel room, robbed her and her husband, and as he was leaving opened fire. The husband returned fire and killed the attacker, likely saving them both.
You have a high greater risk of being the victim of a violent crime in the UK, where gun ownership is illegal. Criminal know their soft targets won’t be able to defend themselves.
When someone commits a crime with a knife, hammer, cliff, car, poison, ice pick, icicle, their fists, or a gun, it is the person who is at fault, not the tool they used.
My neighbor sells guns. I depend on him to protect me. 🙂
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-details-in-stabbing-deaths-of-5-oklahoma-family-members/
The two homeschooled brothers murdered five members of their family according to a sister that survived. It does make one wonder what happens when fundamentalism, extremism and homeschooling which isolates the children in some cases, come together in the perfect storm of dysfunctionality?
Andrew Kehoe killed 44 people and went to public schools. Wonder what it was about the school’s that make him kill so many.
Further proof that the Bible is the Anti-Christ. Christians can justify the most horrific actions simply by quoting the Bible.
More people have been murdered, tortured, terrorized, raped, looted and plundered in the name of Jesus than all other religions combined.