tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16582851566802990502024-03-04T22:17:02.181-08:00Inspire Hope -Speak Up Against Violence Toward WomenAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18139951540051527012noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1658285156680299050.post-3414069355820055082014-05-14T17:26:00.001-07:002014-05-15T14:56:56.001-07:00Inspire Hope -Speak Up Against Domestic Violence<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicTmC0Gk3SHVuXNOWTvKouUV_OtRSHMr_o_3lywgyqAZmFRemsoVbDei41HAiNQyw99dXmwqenv5US17NrmJMmZHQiXVmBHjM5xfl7D9QhHLNzvDPeCEnXotahCoIXg2LO11qPSzHVwkg/s1600/Speak+up+against+DV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicTmC0Gk3SHVuXNOWTvKouUV_OtRSHMr_o_3lywgyqAZmFRemsoVbDei41HAiNQyw99dXmwqenv5US17NrmJMmZHQiXVmBHjM5xfl7D9QhHLNzvDPeCEnXotahCoIXg2LO11qPSzHVwkg/s1600/Speak+up+against+DV.jpg" height="329" width="640" /></a><br />
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Wednesday, 15 May 2014<o:p></o:p></h4>
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<o:p>Inspire Hope - Speak Up Against Domestic Violence</o:p></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Suffering is a theme
that runs through the Bible and through the lives of battered women as
well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some battered women mistakenly
believe that they are suffering abuse because of some past sin they have
committed, or because God wants them to suffer. Indeed, there are several
biblical passages that suggest that suffering is good and will be rewarded in
heaven, for example, 1 Peter 4:12-19 suggests that those who suffer will be
saved.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">The message is complicated
further by a theology that says Jesus suffered in obedience to his Father's
will. Divine child abuse is paraded as salvific and the child who suffers
‘without even raising a voice’ is lauded as the hope of the world. Those whose
lives have been deeply shaped by the Christian tradition feel that
self-sacrifice and obedience are not only virtues but the definition of a
faithful identity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">John 7:53-8:11: double standards;
Ezekiel 18:21-32: The principle of individual responsibility, are two passages
ideal for exploring issues of sin and accountability. Perpetrators usually
refuse to take responsibility for their actions; like the scribes and Pharisees
who bring the woman to Jesus, they are outraged by her behavior, but silent on
the subject of their own sins. Ezekiel discusses the need for real and lasting
behavioral change – ‘get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit!’- in order to
be a part of the Reign of God. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: large; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Abuse is not the same as normal marital
arguments. Abuse is an ongoing pattern of power and control that progressively
limits the thoughts, words and actions of the victim, out of fear of the
abuser. Abuse is like addiction: it never gets better by itself and it requires
in-depth work by the abuser to change his/her way of relating to others. When
there is abuse in a marriage, couples counseling cannot help until there is
first a change in the abuser and he or she stops the abuse for good.</span><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></i><br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Christian leaders must
teach that theologically and ethically, sexual and domestic violence constitute
sin-the physical, psychological, and spiritual violation of one person by
another. Any form of personal violence destroys trust in the other person and
trust in the basic security of one's world, more so when perpetrated by a
person one knows. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">To assert that violence
against women is a sin <i>is </i>consistent with the portrayal of God, e.g., in
Hebrew and Christian scriptures as one who stands with the vulnerable and
powerless and speaks judgment against those who choose to use their power in
ways that harm others. (See, Hebrew Bible, Leviticus 19:9-10, 14; Isaiah
58:6-7; Luke 17:1-2). <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Christian leaders have not only an opportunity to
challenge the theology and teaching in our churches that create an environment
in which domestic abuse is acceptable, ignored, or excused but <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>also to articulate a faith that will provide
women with resources for strength rather than resources for endurance. This is
our challenge. It is also our sacred obligation. "If not now, when?"
(Mishnah, Avot 1:14).<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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