In a story that is too disgusting and despicable for words like “disgusting” and “despicable” to adequately convey how horrible it is, 18 “men” allegedly gang-raped an eleven-year-old girl. The New York Times had a public relations nightmare when the first article it first ran on the story appeared to blame the victim (sorry, “alleged victim”) or at least sympathize with the alleged rapists. More recently, a female Republican lawmaker in Florida made statements that all but exonerated the rapists. Because an eleven-year-old girl who dresses provocatively (according to the rapists and their allies) and acts older than she is (whatever that means—the lack of precise and verifiable accounts of this apparently slutty behavior on the part of a child leaves it to readers’ imaginations) obviously had it coming to her. She was asking for it. When it comes to rape, apparently, men should never be held accountable for their actions if it is remotely possible to blame the victim.
There are times when I think it would be nice to be a believer, because then I could believe that anyone who thinks that an eleven-year-old child (or anyone else, for that matter) provoked a gang-rape would spend eternity in the vilest pits of hell. On the other hand, being an atheist means I can’t pretend that there will ever be any real justice for this girl, and I can’t pretend that promises and threats of an afterlife make the crime any less heinous than it actually is. Pretending only helps the rapists.
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