To remove women survivors of intimate partner violence to a stable and theological mindset
Introduction
Wife abuse is not desirable, but at times it is not inevitable. Many wife abuse incidences occur mainly in bad marriages. Domestic violence occurs to all women of all races, religions, and economic statuses, with many data showing the devastating effects of domestic violence on the wrecked women's lives. Men are also casualties of intimate partner violence, but women are more likely to be victims of the abuse[footnoteRef:1]. Many Christians think that abuse only occurs in non-Christians' homes and poor marriages, but it happens to everyone. Domestic violence has been happening throughout the world for centuries, and many had considered it a family problem and not one that required intervention by the community. Many policies, statutory changes, domestic violence laws, and policies have increased due to people experiencing it worldwide. [1: Steven J Saul, The Response Of The Church To Domestic Violence, 2011]
Prohibiting domestic violence has become necessary to protect victims who experience violence at their intimate partners' hands. The criminal justice system increases the risks and punishments to the people who carry out domestic violence by creating compulsory arrests for those who carry out abuse and having restriction orders to protect the domestic abuse victims from holding them accountable for their actions[footnoteRef:2]. There is an association between people who practice mass murders and other crimes with domestic violence victims. Features such as power and control, violent occurrences of rage, aggressiveness occur in many domestic violence victims[footnoteRef:3]. Many similar characteristics found in domestic violence crimes get found in people who commit crimes such as sexual assault, damage to properties, murders, and thefts. [2: Samantha Hackbarth, An Exploratory Study Of The Prevalence Of Domestic Violence Related Criminal History And Gender Within A Sample If Inmates In Minnesota Minnesota: St. Cloud State University, 2018.] [3: Phyllis Holditch Niolon et al., "Preventing Intimate Partner Violence Across The Lifespan: A Technical Package Of Programs, Policies, And Practices",National Center For Injury Prevention And Control, 2017.]
Wife abuse is depressing and something that most people opt not to think about it. Many people who go through such a situation believe that God has abandoned them; as Psalms 22:1-5, David asks why the Lord has left him when he cries for help; there is no response everyday night. Despite the loneliness David feels, he remembers how his ancestors who put their trust in God got saved and, due to the confidence they had in God, were not disappointed. There are many counseling options for the victims by institutions such as churches, private organizations, and treatment programs that the government has established. Companies such as National Coalition against Domestic Violence and World Health Organization help address domestic violence[footnoteRef:4]. The church tends to disregard some issues, claiming that evangelism's the primary focus. Church leaders' involvement in these issues is low, and human rights get overlooked, yet many leaders face similar problems in their marriages. With the increase in the number of people who experience domestic violence, the church has stopped overlooking the issue that affects people outside the church. They have started recognizing it as an issue that affects even the church members[footnoteRef:5]. [4: Steven J Saul, The Response Of The Church To Domestic Violence, 2011] [5: Kendra Lynn Yoder and Mary Jo Neitz, Churches Addressing Domestic Violence, 2013.]
Christians are not immune to abuse and can also be victims. Abuse is uncontrolled to a particular social structure, and that no matter the religious beliefs, they do not exempt anyone from being a victim. Domestic abuse is blind to age, social status, color, culture[footnoteRef:6]. The consequences of abuse…
To remove women survivors of intimate partner violence to a stable and theological mindset
Introduction
Wife abuse is not desirable, but at times it is not inevitable. Many wife abuse incidences occur mainly in bad marriages. Domestic violence occurs to all women of all races, religions, and economic statuses, with many data showing the devastating effects of domestic violence on the wrecked women's lives. Men are also casualties of intimate partner violence, but women are more likely to be victims of the abuse[footnoteRef:1]. Many Christians think that abuse only occurs in non-Christians' homes and poor marriages, but it happens to everyone. Domestic violence has been happening throughout the world for centuries, and many had considered it a family problem and not one that required intervention by the community. Many policies, statutory changes, domestic violence laws, and policies have increased due to people experiencing it worldwide. [1: Steven J Saul, The Response Of The Church To Domestic Violence, 2011]
Prohibiting domestic violence has become necessary to protect victims who experience violence at their intimate partners' hands. The criminal justice system increases the risks and punishments to the people who carry out domestic violence by creating compulsory arrests for those who carry out abuse and having restriction orders to protect the domestic abuse victims from holding them accountable for their actions[footnoteRef:2]. There is an association between people who practice mass murders and other crimes with domestic violence victims. Features such as power and control, violent occurrences of rage, aggressivness occur in many domestic violence victims[footnoteRef:3]. Many similar characteristics found in domestic violence crimes get found in people who commit crimes such as sexual assault, damage to properties, murders, and thefts. [2: Samantha Hackbarth, An Exploratory Study Of The Prevalence Of Domestic Violence Related Criminal History And Gender Within A Sample If Inmates In Minnesota Minnesota: St.…
To remove women survivors of intimate partner violence to a stable and theological mindset
Introduction
Wife abuse is not desirable, but at times it is not inevitable. Many wife abuse incidences occur mainly in bad marriages. Domestic violence occurs to all women of all races, religions, and economic statuses, with many data showing the devastating effects of domestic violence on the wrecked women's lives. Men are also casualties of intimate partner violence, but women are more likely to be victims of the abuse[footnoteRef:1]. Many Christians think that abuse only occurs in non-Christians' homes and poor marriages, but it happens to everyone. Domestic violence has been happening throughout the world for centuries, and many had considered it a family problem and not one that required intervention by the community. Many policies, statutory changes, domestic violence laws, and policies have increased due to people experiencing it worldwide. [1: Steven J Saul, The Response Of The Church To Domestic Violence, 2011]
Prohibiting domestic violence has become necessary to protect victims who experience violence at their intimate partners' hands. The criminal justice system increases the risks and punishments to the people who carry out domestic violence by creating compulsory arrests for those who carry out abuse and having restriction orders to protect the domestic abuse victims from holding them accountable for their actions[footnoteRef:2]. There is an association between people who practice mass murders and other crimes with domestic violence victims. Features such as power and control, violent occurrences of rage, aggressiveness occur in many domestic violence victims[footnoteRef:3]. Many similar characteristics found in domestic violence crimes get found in people who commit crimes such as sexual assault, damage to properties, murders, and thefts. [2: Samantha Hackbarth, An Exploratory Study Of The Prevalence Of Domestic Violence Related Criminal History And Gender Within A Sample If Inmates In Minnesota Minnesota: St. Cloud State University, 2018.] [3: Phyllis Holditch Niolon et al., "Preventing Intimate Partner Violence Across The Lifespan: A Technical Package Of Programs, Policies, And Practices",National Center For Injury Prevention And Control, 2017.]
Wife abuse is depressing and something that most people opt not to think about it. Many people who go through such a situation believe that God has abandoned them; as Psalms 22:1-5, David asks why the Lord has left him when he cries for help; there is no response everyday night. Despite the loneliness David feels, he remembers how his ancestors who put their trust in God got saved and, due to the confidence they had in God, were not disappointed. There are many counseling options for the victims by institutions such as churches, private organizations, and treatment programs that the government has established. Companies such as National Coalition against Domestic Violence and World Health Organization help address domestic violence[footnoteRef:4]. The church tends to disregard some issues, claiming that evangelism's the primary focus. Church leaders' involvement in these issues is low, and human rights get overlooked, yet many leaders face similar problems in their marriages. With the increase in the number of people who experience domestic violence, the church has stopped overlooking the issue that affects people outside the church. They have started recognizing it as an issue that affects even the c.......11] [5: Kendra Lynn Yoder and Mary Jo Neitz, Churches Addressing Domestic Violence, 2013.]
Christians are not immune to abuse and can also be victims. Abuse is uncontrolled to a particular social structure, and that no matter the religious beliefs, they do not exempt anyone from being a victim. Domestic abuse is blind to age, social status, color, culture[footnoteRef:6]. The consequences of abuse affect families, children, friends, and the community. The family may be the most violent group that women and children.[footnoteRef:7]Violence is always present, and it exists in the social structure. The church offers compassion to the wounded individuals by encouraging them. In the book of 1st Corinthians 3;16-20, Paul states that we should dwell in God's temple, and He lives in it. The Lord's temple should be kept clean and holy; for anyone who destroys it, God will also kill him or her; most victims face life-threatening issues most of them turn to the scriptures, which guide them. [6: Phyllis Holditch Niolon et al., "Preventing Intimate Partner Violence Across The Lifespan: A Technical Package Of Programs, Policies, And Practices",National Center For Injury Prevention And Control, 2017.] [7: Kendra Lynn Yoder and Mary Jo Neitz, Churches Addressing Domestic Violence, 2013]
The bible rules our faith and discipline. Often, wives get counseled to give their husbands freedom and accept him the way he is. They get told to respect and obey their husbands as that is what God has ordered. The misinterpretation of the scripture has influenced the community to think precise ways on the various situations that we encounter regarding domestic violence on women. Christian women get taught that their anger is only sinfulness, and they have to find ways to overcome it, yet the husband's anger gets treated as usual [footnoteRef:8]. The church faces a period of readjustments, revising its thinking and its certain conceptions of its nature and structure. It cannot rest until there is clarity on the effects and ways to address abuse. [8: Steven J Saul, The Response Of The Church To Domestic Violence, 2011]
Research shows that Christian religions' patriarchal religion gets criticized as being conducive to women's submission, and it acts as a contributing factor to domestic violence in some families. Women can remain in abusive relationships and tolerate it just because of children and citing divorce's undesirability. The paper acknowledges the research on domestic violence in Christian families. It focuses specifically on supporting women survivors of intimate partner violence in promoting an emotional and theological mindset where they do not desire to remain in abusive relationships. It also focuses on how the church has contributed to domestic violence cases and hw it can reduce them. Many programs help women keep themselves mentally and emotionally to avoid depression, anxiety, and PTSD. They provide hope to them in their dark days. Different families from different Christian denominations have initiated programs that encourage awareness of domestic violence and training of church leaders, pastors, and church communities on the appropriate responses to women who suffer from domestic violence. Catholic bishops and Anglican Church leaders have produced pastoral statements on violence against women and resource kits in their various parishes to initiate domestic violence awareness.
Historical perspective of gender-based violence
What is gender-based violence?
Domestic cruelty is a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that one partner uses to maintain or gain power and control over an intimate partner[footnoteRef:9] . It can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic, or psychological actions that influence another person's actions. Domestic abuse victims can include former and even current spouses, parents, and children. People related by blood, have been living together or raised together, people involved in a romantic relationship[footnoteRef:10]. Violence occurs in all socioeconomic issues, ages, sexual orientations, genders, religions, races, and nationalities. Every person has a negative effect caused by domestic violence and its impact. Factors that contribute to violence include; witnessing abuse as a child, drug abuse, low economic opportunities, conflict, and tension in a relationship. Male chauvinism, which is male control over all decisions and assets, lacks safe spaces for women, and a lack of punishment to those who practice violence contributes to domestic violence [footnoteRef:11]. Violence can lead to harm to the victims on various levels. Individually, many children experience violence from home, witnessing the violence practiced. [9: Dytisha Davis, Rehabilitation Counseling Master's Students: Beliefs And Attitudes About Domestic Violence Toward Women Lowa: University of Lowa, 2013.] [10: Oikoumene.Org, Last modified 2015, https://www.oikoumene.org/sites/default/files/File/Gender_Based_Violence_SM.pdf.] [11: Samantha Hackbarth, An Exploratory Study Of The Prevalence Of Domestic Violence Related Criminal History And Gender Within A Sample If Inmates In Minnesota Minnesota: St. Cloud State University, 2018.]
A historical perspective
Many nations have identified that violence is not unusual but impacts the countries from their earliest existence. Many records that have existed abuse have existed as long as relationships have. Many historical records are void of any women's activity. Women were rarely remembered as individuals, even when they did something memorable. In many societies, a woman was considered her man's property. There was no mention of a woman in the historical records as it was almost unbelievable for a woman to be anything more than a wife. Women's abuse started a long time ago with the first monogamous pairing of relationships where the women accepted and were subjected to their husbands by the church. Churches and courts provided counseling to increase their devotion to their husbands and submissiveness to avoid punishment.
Patriarchal systems
Patriarchal systems show the father's role as the head of the family. The culture cultivates the belief that a male presence was necessary to keep a woman from bringing shame to her family. Mothers were the weak ones; achieving status within the community required sacrifices. Most males were the authority figure, and the son is more important than the wife. The wife's most important role in these systems is to mother her children, nurture, and socialize them [footnoteRef:12]. She also had to take care of animals and ensure that her family was well fed and visited the home. The patriarchal system gets maintained by providing women with no legitimate ways of changing the institutions that support their inferiority. Maintaining strict control over women's activities and involvement in the church retains a robust patriarchal system [footnoteRef:13]. Christianity has provided moral support to this and has taught women how
