Bible Passages Used by Perpetrators of Family Violence - Research Paper Example

Bible Passages used by Perpetrators of Family Violence Violence within the family setting is an issue that is well documented in human history. Domestic violence does not take place in families that are not religious only given that there are Christian families that have reported violence among spouses as well as those committed against children (Fortune, Abugideiri and Dratch, 2010; Cummings, 2010; Tracy, 2007). Perpetrators of the domestic violence in Christian families often cite Bible passages to justify their actions against members of their while claiming that they have been given authority to discipline what they see as disobedience. This essay makes a literature review of frequently cited Bible passages perpetrators of family violence quote to justify their actions while also assessing the common contours that the arguments take. Fortune, Abugideiri and Dratch (2010) explores how misinterpretation of religious texts can have a detrimental result for members of the family when handling disagreements. The authors note that many confrontations within the family are as a result of facing a crisis in determining meaning in one’s life. The authors note that religion is the most preferred basis for individuals to try and identify meaning and direct their lives. However, since many individuals have a narrow grasp of the religious concept, they end up relying on inadequate religious resources to come up with solutions for complex human experiences such as domestic violence. Fortune, Abugideiri and Dratch (2010) cite Ephesians 5:22 and Colossians 3:18 as the misinterpreted parts of the Bible that perpetrators of violence in the family use to justify their violent actions to counsellors, members of the clergy, and to the victims of the abuse. The As a consequence of misinterpretation of religious doctrines individuals end up suffering in the family due to the pain inflicted on them by spouses or other members. Cummings (2010) notes “My sheep hear my voice and another he will not follow” in John 10:27 as being among the verses that men cite to justify physical violence against their wives. As a Christian counsellor who specializes in women who are victims of domestic violence, the author creates a parallel between the sufferings of Jesus and what these women are going through. Cummings (2010) asserts that putting oneself in the position that Jesus was during his persecution will be an important step in determining the best step to be taken when one is hurt by the spouse. The author singles out the church as propagating domestic violence in situations where they fail to summon men who abuse their wives and instead choose to pray for them with the hope that they will change. Cummings (2010) quotes a number of verses such as Romans 16:17-18, I Cor. 5:9-11 that call upon the church to single out those who go against the teachings of Jesus and therefore against the doctrine of the church. Tracy (2007) critiques the application of feminist theory in exploring how patriarchy has contributed to domestic violence in the American society. The author notes that the curse form God to eve in Genesis 3:16 which states “he shall rule over you” might be predicting that men will henceforth seek to harshly dominate women. The author notes that men who physically abuse their wives justify claims that the Bible recognizes them as heads of the family in addition to instructing women to be submissive to their husbands. Tracy (2007) also notes the feminist assumption that when quoting these verses from the Bible these men are only seeking to justify their actions when the real reason for violence is always the perception that their position as leaders in the homestead is being threatened by their wives. However, Tracy (2007) disagrees with the feminist view that all domestic violence are instigated by men and points out that studies have identified only 10 percent of men batter their wives. Tracy (2007) is a build up of Tracy (2006) which also explored the feminist arguments on patriarchal nature of Christianity as the reason for continued domestic violence especially violence against women by men. Based on the teachings of 1 Peter, Tracy (2006) notes the call for women to be submissive and the teaching of redemption by the church as factors that perpetuate domestic violence in Christian families. Tracy (2006) notes the teaching in 1 Peter 2:21-22 that compares the physical abuse of women by men as God’s “chastising sandpaper” and should therefore be persevered as part of feminist argument that the church promotes subjugation of women. However, the author asserts that such claims are not based on a fully understanding of the doctrine of Christianity since the teaching of 1 Peter was given under a specific setting and reflects particular circumstances where Christians were being persecuted by a pagan authority. The author notes that even as the abused victim restrains from fighting back in a manner that will make them resemble the perpetrators, modern societies have mechanism that can be used to bring out the issue with a view of solving the existing causes of physical abuse from a spouse. Apart from Ephesians 5.22-24 that calls for women to be submissive to their husband, Fortune and Enger (2006) also give various examples of stories in Christian Scriptures such as that of Dinah in Genesis 34, Tamar in 2 Samuel 13, the concubine of Levite in Judges 19 as well as the persistent widow in Luke 18. This tales call upon women to persevere their physical violence from their husbands since Christianity does not condone divorce. Fortune and Enger (2006) note the church enforces the doctrine of perseverance and be better wives to their husbands based on the teaching that they are to subject to their “husbands as you are to the Lord” and that wives should be everything to their husbands just like the church is subject to Christ (Ephesians 5.22-24 NRSV). The author notes that in handling domestic violence, the church should be flexible enough to accommodate other aspects of relationship such as ethical, theological, and the religious doctrine. Gillham (2012) takes notes that in Genesis 3:16, NIV where Got tells eve that her desire well be for her husband and he will rule over her which is misinterpreted by perpetrators of domestic violence to mean that women do not have any independence over their lives. This is also misinterpreted in a way that it is compared to women being subjective to their husbands and should not object to any demands from their husbands. However, Gillham (2012) disputes this assumption noting the transition of biblical teaching from the Old Testament to the New Testament changed the way human beings relate between themselves and to God regarding ones status as a Jew, Greek, slave or free male or female as cited in Galatians 3:26-29 where there is no more distinction in the eyes of God. Violence in the family is not only perpetrated by one spouse against the other, but also by both or one parent against the children. Servant (2007) notes the Bible in Ephesians 6:4 give fathers the right to discipline their children. The Bible in this case allows the parent to use a cane to spank the child as it directs them not to spare the rod. Parents in some cases might take advantage of this teaching to inflect extreme pain on the body of their children which goes beyond the need to discipline and direct the child to take the right course in life. Therefore, Servant (2007) notes that spanking that goes beyond correcting the behaviour of a child is not recommended in the bible. From the foregoing literature review, the bible has extensive teaching on how members of the family are to relate with each other. However, justification of violence against members of the family reflects a narrow interpretation of the Bible. The Bible does not instruct members of the family to inflict pain against each other but to be happy by loving each other. Consequently, those who use the Bible to justify physical violence against their family are seen to have a narrow interpretation of how God commands them to exercise their roles. References Cummings, C. (2010). What Would Jesus Do About Domestic Violence And Abuse Towards Christian Women? A Call to Today’s Church to Act as Jesus would. Booklocker.com, Inc. Fortune, Abugideiri, S. and Dratch, R. (2010). A Commentary on Religion and Domestic Violence. In Lockhart, L. L., & Danis, F. S. (Eds.). Domestic violence: Intersectionality and culturally competent practice. Columbia University Press. Fortune, M. & Enger, C. (2006, March). Violence against Women and the Role of Religion. Harrisburg, PA: VAWnet, a project of the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence/Pennsylvania Coalition against Domestic Violence. Gillham, S. (2012). Combating gender based violence: The Bible’s teaching on gender complementarity. In Hendriks, H. J., Mouton, E., Hansen, L. D., & Le Roux, E. (Eds.). (2012). Men in the Pulpit, Women in the Pew? Addressing Gender Inequality in Africa. Toronto: Sun Media Corporation. Tracy, S. (2007). Patriarchy and Domestic Violence: Challenging Common Misconceptions. journal of the evangelical theological society. 50(3), 573–94. Tracy, S. (2006). Domestic Violence in the Church and Redemptive Suffering in 1 Peter. Calvin Theological Journal, 41, 279-296. Servant, D. (2005). The Disciple Making Minister. Pennsylvania: Ethnos Press. Read More