Child Marriage in Religions

Hinduism

Claims and Reasoning

• The wife must be one third of age (because ___ )
• The girl must be married off before puberty (to avoid lust, dating, which are all considered immorality)

Ruling In Favour

NOTE: Source and more information for rules 1-15: https://hinduism.stackexchange.com/questions/44019/why-does-the-vishnu-purana-and-mahabharat-promote-child-marriage

First:

If he marry, he must select a maiden who is of a third of his age; one who has not too much hair, but is not without any; one who is not very black nor yellow complexioned, and who is not from birth a cripple or deformed. He must not marry a girl who is vicious or unhealthy, of low origin, or labouring under disease; one who has been ill brought up; one who talks improperly; one who inherits some malady from father or mother; one who has a beard, or who is of a masculine appearance; one who speaks thick or thin, or croaks like a raven; one who keeps her eyes shut, or has the eyes very prominent; one who has hairy legs, or thick ancles; or one who has dimples in her cheeks when she laughs. Let not a wise and prudent man marry a girl of such a description: nor let a considerate man wed a girl of a harsh skin; or one with white nails; or one with red eyes, or with very fat hands and feet; or one who is a dwarf, or who is very tall; or one whose eyebrows meet, or whose teeth are far apart, and resemble tusks. Let a householder marry a maiden who is in kin at least five degrees remote from his mother, and seven from his father, with the ceremonies enjoined by law 9.

Vishnu Purana Book III, Chapter X

Second:

Manu 9.94 - A man thirty years old shall marry a charming girl twelve years old; or one twenty four years old, a girl eight years old; in the event of his duties suffering, he may do it sooner.

Third:

Yama (Do.)—(Same as Manu.)

Fourth:

Āpastamba (Do., p. 767).—‘A man thirty-years old shall take a wife ten years old, before she has attained puberty; and one twenty-one years old, a girl seven years old.’

Fifth:

Āśvalāyana (Do.).—‘A maiden seven years old is called Śaiśavī; a man eighteen years of age shall marry her; a maiden eight years old is called Gaurī, conducive to richness of sons and grandsons; and she shall be married by a man twenty-five years old; a girl nine years old is called Rohiṇī conducive to richness of wealth; a wise man shall wed her for the accomplishment of all his desires; a girl over ten years age, until she has her courses, is called Gāndhārī; and she shall be married by a man desirous of living long.’

Sixth:

Manu 9.96 - Women were created for the purpose of child-bearing, and men for the purpose of procreation. hence it is that Religious Rites have been ordained in the Veda as common between the man and his wife.

Seventh:

Gautama (18-21).—‘A girl should be given in marriage before puberty.’

Eighth:

Vaśiṣṭha (17.70).—‘Out of fear of the appearance of the menses, let the father marry his daughter while she still runs about naked. For if she stays in the home after the age of puberty, sin falls on the father.’

Ninth:

Baudhāyana (4. 1.11).—let him not keep the daughter in his house after she has reached the age of puberty.’

Tenth:

Manu 8.226 - The marriage-ritual texts are applicable to virgins only, and nowhere among men, to non-virgins; and this because these latter are excluded from religious acts.

Eleventh:

Manu 9.90 - Having reached puberty, the maiden may wait for three years; after that time, she shall procure a suitable husband.

Twelfth:

9.91 - When a maiden, when not given away, herself procures a husband, she incurs no sort of sin; nor does the man whom she weds.

Thirteenth:

Manu 3.27 - When one himself invites a man endowed with learning and character and gives to him his daughter, after having dressed and worshipped (them),—this is called the “Brāhma” form.

Fourteenth:

Manu 3.32 - The mutual union of the bride and bridegroom, through love is to be known as the “Gāndharva” form; it has sexual intercourse for its end and it has its source in lust.

Fifteenth:

Manu 3.39 - Only from the four marriages mentioned successively, beginning with the Brāhma, are born sons endowed with Brahmic glory and respected by cultured persons.

Some other scriptures say that the girl should be same in caste, education and age. This contradicts these statements above, however Hinduism is much more nuanced, and several scriptures are not the main scriptures, so I must distinguish between them.

Ruling against

However, discard the desire (kama) and material wealth (artha) if contrary to Dharma; as also, any usage or custom or rules regarded as source of Dharma if at any time they were to lead to unhappiness or arouse people's indignation.

Manu Smriti 4.176

Islam

Law in India

• Muslim Personal Law set the marriageable age of women at the age of 15, when puberty is attained, while they are still a minor.

Christianity

Mary was estimated to be 12 or so when she had Jesus

Isaac literally married a 3-year-old. One can see that with simple math:

• Sarah was 90 when Abraham was 100 (Genesis 17:17).
• Abraham was 100 when Isaac was born (Genesis 21:5).
• Sarah died at aged 127 (Genesis 23:1-2) [Thus, Isaac would be 37 as 127-90=37]
• Isaac was 40 when he married Rebekah (Genesis 25:20)
• Abraham told others about Rebekah’s birth when Sarah was 127 (So, Rebekah was born the same year that Sarah died, and therefore Isaac would have been 37).

So, 3 years passed between the death of his mother, the birth of Rebekah, and then his marriage.

But this could just be a mistake in the chronology of storytelling, but anyways that points to how the story is false, because those events took place, and if the timing is off, then events will unfold in different ways only (especially whenever there's a lot of activity).

Jesus never outlawed the Talmudian tradition of having sex with 3 year olds.

Judaism

As per the Talmud, a 3 year old can marry and be had sex with.

A Jew may have sex with a girl as long as she is less than nine years old.