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WTF America!

Spiderman

Veteran Member
By the suggestion of @Kangaroo Feathers
I'm starting a thread about this.

First off, I would like to give a round of applause to Kangaroo feathers for presenting the sad facts.:clapping:

Child marriage in the United States - Wikipedia

I just don't get it. I knew a guy in jail who got 12 years in prison for an 8 year old giving him oral sex.

It was consensual. if that same man had talked a girl of that age into marrying him, he could have gotten away with the same thing?

I find this deeply troubling. I don't believe a child developing and going through puberty should be making commitments to a man and having sex when they're too young to consent.

I don't get what's the point of having statutory rape laws, when we allow it to happen legally in this manner.

A child has no clue what they're getting into to make that decision at such a young age.

Anyone else feel that child marriage should be banned from America?
 
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Daemon Sophic

Avatar in flux
First; there is no such thing as “consensual” when a minor is involved. It is just what the adult wants, and has convinced the child of.

Second; Where are you getting your info from? Nationally the laws prohibit marriage younger than 17, and if a minor (i.e. 17) then the other cannot be 4 or more years older. Some exceptions and state-to-state variations do exist.
 

Spiderman

Veteran Member
I had more faith in American government and the American people. A man having sex with a minor gets beat up sometimes beaten to death in prison. It is the most shameful thing you can go to prison for.

Our law says that a child is too young to consent, and makes exceptions to the rule. In other words, what the law defines as rape is permitted.
 
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Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
By the suggestion of @Kangaroo Feathers
I'm starting a thread about this.

First off, I would like to give a round of applause to Kangaroo feathers for presenting the sad facts.:clapping:

I just don't get it. I knew a guy in jail who got 12 years in prison for an 8 year old giving him oral sex.

It was consensual. if that same man had talked a girl of that age into marrying him, he could have gotten away with the same thing?

I find this deeply troubling. I don't believe a child developing and going through puberty should be making commitments to a man and having sex when they're too young to consent.

I don't get what's the point of having statutory rape laws, when we allow it to happen legally in this manner.

A child has no clue what they're getting into to make that decision at such a young age.

Anyone else feel that child marriage should be banned from America?
Since your claims are rather extreme, I recommend citing some states & their laws for a little context.
 

Spiderman

Veteran Member
First; there is no such thing as “consensual” when a minor is involved. It is just what the adult wants, and has convinced the child of.

Second; Where are you getting your info from? Nationally the laws prohibit marriage younger than 17, and if a minor (i.e. 17) then the other cannot be 4 or more years older. Some exceptions and state-to-state variations do exist.
2010 in Tennessee, three 10-year-old girls were married to men aged 24-31
Child marriage in the United States - Wikipedia

Robbing a child of innocence and making them agree to such a commitment is disgusting. I value innocence especially do I value the importance of a healthy childhood and purity. This is simply wrong!
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
2010 in Tennessee, three 10-year-old girls were married to men aged 24-31
Child marriage in the United States - Wikipedia

Robbing a child of innocence and making them agree to such a commitment is disgusting. I value innocence especially do I value the importance of a healthy childhood and purity. This is simply wrong!
I oppose child marriage.
(Let's for the moment set aside the what age a child becomes of age & ready.)
But it's not as simple to do according to your link.
 

SomeRandom

Still learning to be wise
Staff member
Premium Member
2010 in Tennessee, three 10-year-old girls were married to men aged 24-31
Child marriage in the United States - Wikipedia

Robbing a child of innocence and making them agree to such a commitment is disgusting. I value innocence especially do I value the importance of a healthy childhood and purity. This is simply wrong!
From your own link the state has since raised its minimum age for marriage to 17. Which is more or less in keeping with the rest of the modern West anyway.
Only making allowances for legally emancipated minors. Which I might quibble at but whatever.
Granted it did so way too late to be socially and ethically acceptable and it should never have happened in the first place (at least not in the 21st century.)

Not saying it isn't still an issue but the very link you posted pretty much states that a lot of laws that allowed child marriage have been updated or even done away with.
 

Spiderman

Veteran Member
I oppose child marriage.
(Let's for the moment set aside the what age a child becomes of age & ready.)
But it's not as simple to do according to your link.
I sort of over reacted to it. I know it's extremely rare, but making exceptions to pedophilia is extremely wrong imo

Children are not capable of making such a commitment and it could ruin their life. They are too young to consent, and the law should never make exceptions.

They don't have the maturity, prudence, good judgement, and wisdom to be making such a decision or commitment. Not to mention, the person they are getting married to is sick.

I believe that child will have permanent mental and emotional wounds, and possible physical consequences as well.
 

Spiderman

Veteran Member
From your own link the state has since raised its minimum age for marriage to 17. Which is more or less in keeping with the rest of the modern West anyway.
Only making allowances for legally emancipated minors. Which I might quibble at but whatever.
Granted it did so way too late to be socially and ethically acceptable and it should never have happened in the first place (at least not in the 21st century.)

Not saying it isn't still an issue but the very link you posted pretty much states that a lot of laws that allowed child marriage have been updated or even done away with.
I am glad to see that the problem is being corrected hopefully.
 

Spiderman

Veteran Member
From your own link the state has since raised its minimum age for marriage to 17. Which is more or less in keeping with the rest of the modern West anyway.
Only making allowances for legally emancipated minors. Which I might quibble at but whatever.
Granted it did so way too late to be socially and ethically acceptable and it should never have happened in the first place (at least not in the 21st century.)

Not saying it isn't still an issue but the very link you posted pretty much states that a lot of laws that allowed child marriage have been updated or even done away with.
Fine!

18 states
have no minimum age of marriage in some cases.

What do you think that means exactly?
 

Saint Frankenstein

Wanderer From Afar
Premium Member
Honestly, I only hear of this happening in backwaters with extremist cults. It's very sad and I hope the laws are fixed to make it illegal.
 

stvdv

Veteran Member: I Share (not Debate) my POV
Fine!

18 states
have no minimum age of marriage in some cases.

What do you think that means exactly?

It might mean that Americans who want to have sex with a minor make a homerun to that state to get it done
 
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Shad

Veteran Member
I think America should have a base age law. But I don't know how your legislation works

There is a divide between federal and state due to being a union of sovereign states forming a government. If the federal government does not create a federal law about X by default the matter becomes a state issue hence states have different laws. Congress has not pass a law yet.
 

Twilight Hue

Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
From your own link the state has since raised its minimum age for marriage to 17. Which is more or less in keeping with the rest of the modern West anyway.
Only making allowances for legally emancipated minors. Which I might quibble at but whatever.
Granted it did so way too late to be socially and ethically acceptable and it should never have happened in the first place (at least not in the 21st century.)

Not saying it isn't still an issue but the very link you posted pretty much states that a lot of laws that allowed child marriage have been updated or even done away with.
You're correct it's 17 in New York . Most people I think would abide by the California standard of 18 as age of consent. I'm not sure how they would deal with extenuating circumstances with somebody younger. Like two teenagers who got together and had a baby.
 
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