I am new to QL and this thread has been very interesting to read indeed. Initially I was not going to add my two cents but I can't help it! So with the risk of offending some here it is.
For the life of me I can't understand why some on this thread focus on the ridiculously myopic issue of God's so called reason behind giving some women (certainly not all) a hymen. Well no one knows the mind of God but God (yes that is a big call) - I certainly don't pretend to - why was their an earthquake in China recently that has killed tens of thousands? No idea, God's plan perhaps? Anyway - I think we should park this and look at some facts that we can determine for certain:
1.Purpose of the hymen: The main purpose of the hymen appears to be protection of the vaginal opening and the areas immediately surrounding the "introitus" during a female's developing years. I assume protection from infection. Perhaps this is why a male does not have such a so called "sign" of his virginity as he has no opening to cover during development.
2. For the same reason, I believe, hymens are common in other female animals as well such as:
I don't think that a male Chinchilla or Ladybird is too concerned about his mate's virginity or otherwise lol - hence the argument that this is part of some "plan" in my mind makes no sense - as we can give this part of the female anatomy a function other than "proving" virginity - which it does not.
3. The condition of the hymen is not a reliable indicator of whether a woman past puberty has actually engaged in sexual intercourse (accidents, lack of hymen, some hymens don't break during inital intercourse). Furthermore some statistical studies state that fewer than 30% of women who have gone through puberty and have consensual intercourse bleed the first time. Again - this dosn't seem to fit with what some would see as God's perfect hymenotic plan to test womens virginity...
Therefore in short it seems pretty clear to me that (and it was clear to me before I looked this stuff up - but thought it would be helpful for others here who hold different views) the hymen is simply part of the female anatomy of some women that serves some practical purpose - nothing more.
It's also clear that many women don't have a significant "sized" one, they don't bleed or they break for other reasons such as sport, or they don't break etc. So a hymen's "status" is not a reliable "virgin checker". Surely God would not want such an unreliable "virgin checker" - if indeed this is what He intended (which clearly in my view he dod not.
So those are the "facts". Analysing facts is always better then conjecture.
Lastly (and I know this is a long long post) facts aside - If one believes in God - doesn't this issue come down to human dignity? If you believe God created man and woman are equal in human dignity then why would God possibly wish to use the hymen to somehow check on their virginity but not mans? This is illogical - and if you believe in God, God is not illogical.
I am new to QL and this thread has been very interesting to read indeed. Initially I was not going to add my two cents but I can't help it! So with the risk of offending some here it is.
For the life of me I can't understand why some on this thread focus on the ridiculously myopic issue of God's so called reason behind giving some women (certainly not all) a hymen. Well no one knows the mind of God but God (yes that is a big call) - I certainly don't pretend to - why was their an earthquake in China recently that has killed tens of thousands? No idea, God's plan perhaps? Anyway - I think we should park this and look at some facts that we can determine for certain:
1.Purpose of the hymen: The main purpose of the hymen appears to be protection of the vaginal opening and the areas immediately surrounding the "introitus" during a female's developing years. I assume protection from infection. Perhaps this is why a male does not have such a so called "sign" of his virginity as he has no opening to cover during development.
2. For the same reason, I believe, hymens are common in other female animals as well such as:
Bats
Cats
Chimpanzees
Dogs
Elephants
Llamas
Galago (Bush babies)
Guinea pigs
Horses
Humans
Lemurs
Manatees
Moles
Rats
Seals
Toothed whales
Chinchillas
Platypus
Narwhals
Alpacas
Bobolinks
Clams
White Footed Deer Mice
Meerkats
Moose
Ponies
Rattlesnakes
Shrews
Ladybird
I don't think that a male Chinchilla or Ladybird is too concerned about his mate's virginity or otherwise lol - hence the argument that this is part of some "plan" in my mind makes no sense - as we can give this part of the female anatomy a function other than "proving" virginity - which it does not.
3. The condition of the hymen is not a reliable indicator of whether a woman past puberty has actually engaged in sexual intercourse (accidents, lack of hymen, some hymens don't break during inital intercourse). Furthermore some statistical studies state that fewer than 30% of women who have gone through puberty and have consensual intercourse bleed the first time. Again - this dosn't seem to fit with what some would see as God's perfect hymenotic plan to test womens virginity...
Therefore in short it seems pretty clear to me that (and it was clear to me before I looked this stuff up - but thought it would be helpful for others here who hold different views) the hymen is simply part of the female anatomy of some women that serves some practical purpose - nothing more.
It's also clear that many women don't have a significant "sized" one, they don't bleed or they break for other reasons such as sport, or they don't break etc. So a hymen's "status" is not a reliable "virgin checker". Surely God would not want such an unreliable "virgin checker" - if indeed this is what He intended (which clearly in my view he dod not.
So those are the "facts". Analysing facts is always better then conjecture.
Lastly (and I know this is a long long post) facts aside - If one believes in God - doesn't this issue come down to human dignity? If you believe God created man and woman are equal in human dignity then why would God possibly wish to use the hymen to somehow check on their virginity but not mans? This is illogical - and if you believe in God, God is not illogical.