Faith and family have been the core of society for decades. Faith has long dictated beliefs and attitudes about gender roles and family. Those gender roles gave way to patriarchy which gave men absolute authority over the family. Women and children were considered property and had no rights under the law. The law permitted men to abuse their wives and children as punishment for whatever they thought they needed punishment.
In the 15th century the “Rules of Marriage” was established by the Catholic Church (Team, 2023). These rules classified the husband as judge over his wife and considered abuse to be an acceptable form of discipline that would benefit her soul.
The belief that abuse was a spiritual benefit became a part of culture and laws inside and outside of the Christian World. Even today many Bible verses are used to justify abuse in marriage. The Rules of Marriage allow men to claim the abuse of their wives and children as their religious freedom.
Puritans also believed that abuse was acceptable. Men could physically punish, discipline, and abuse their wives and children as long as it did not disturb the neighbors. Puritans strictly enforced their interpretations of Bible verses about obedience and submission to the husband.
My faith and my family are the core of my life. As a survivor of domestic abuse, I can tell you there is nothing spiritual about abuse. There is no benefit in abuse for any person. To be sure I am not making assumptions or trying to make the scriptures fit my beliefs I read, studied, and reread scriptures on abuse and violence.
John 13:34 says, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” If you love one another as Christ has loved you there should never be any abuse. Christ did not abuse anyone, not even His enemies.
Abuse is abuse and it does not benefit anyone!
Team, B. E. (2023, December 29). A history of domestic violence: Has anything changed?. BetterHelp. https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/domestic-violence/a-history-of-domestic-violence-how-much-have-things-changed/
