Islamists Stone a Couple Engaged in Fornication

Source: "Islamists in Mali stone young couple to death," The New York Times, 31 July 2012

"Islamists stoned a young couple to death after accusing them of having children outside of marriage, said a local official who was one of several hundred witnesses. ... They were forced into holes about 4 feet deep, with their heads protruding, and then stoned to death."

While fornication is wrong, it was never punished by death in the Bible. In the Old Testament, unmarried couples having sex were to either get married or the man had to pay a large fine to the father of the woman that was equal to about seven year's wages.

"If a man finds a young woman who is a virgin, who is not betrothed, and he seizes her and lies with her, and they are found out, then the man who lay with her shall give to the young woman's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife because he has humbled her; he shall not be permitted to divorce her all his days" (Deuteronomy 22:28-29).

"If a man entices a virgin who is not betrothed, and lies with her, he shall surely pay the bride-price for her to be his wife. If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money according to the bride-price of virgins" (Exodus 22:16-17).

In the New Testament sins, such as fornication, are met with exclusion from the church. "I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner -- not even to eat with such a person" (I Corinthians 6:9-11).

Islam is touted as a religion of "peace." It is promoted in public schools in the name of tolerance while Christianity is opposed with hostility. And there is even a trend to accept Islamic law as precedence in our courts. I think people are deceiving themselves in thinking that all religions are alike and that one can accept one part while excluding other parts.