Christianity and domestic violence - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The correlation between Christianity and domestic violence is subject to debate, partly because there have been few studies to correlate the two, and complicated by a culture of silence and acceptance among abuse victims. There are some Bible verses that abusers use to justify discipline of their wives. A United Nations report on violence against women shows domestic abuse rates vary considerably among countries with a high majority of Christian people.

Definition of Domestic Violence

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary definition, domestic violence is: "the inflicting of physical injury by one family or household member on another; also: a repeated or habitual pattern of such behavior."

Kofi Annan

Kofi Annan

Kofi Atta Annan is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the UN from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006...

, Secretary-General of the United Nations, declared in a 2006 report posted on the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) website that:

Violence against women and girls is a problem of pandemic
Pandemic
A pandemic is an epidemic of infectious disease that is spreading through human populations across a large region; for instance multiple continents, or even worldwide. A widespread endemic disease that is stable in terms of how many people are getting sick from it is not a pandemic...

proportions. At least one out of every three women around the world has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime with the abuser usually someone known to her.

Women in Christianity

As of the early 21st century, Christianity

Christianity

Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

has around 2.1 billion adherents. The faith represents nearly one-third of the world's population and is the largest religion in the world, with approximately 38,000 Christian denominations. Christians have composed about 33 percent of the world's population for around 100 years. The largest Christian denomination is the Roman Catholic Church

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

, with 1.17 billion adherents, representing half of all Christians.

Christian

Christianity

Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

groups and authorities generally condemn domestic violence

Domestic violence

Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...

as counter to the general Christian duty to love others and to the scriptural relationship between husband and wife.

Degree of equality

Both men and women were created in His image, as equal partners with distinctively different roles. Genesis 1:27.

Bible verses that give credence to patriarchy:

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Ephesians 5:22-24.

According to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, "Men who abuse often use Ephesians 5:22, taken out of context, to justify their behavior, but the passage (v. 21-33) refers to the mutual submission of husband and wife out of love for Christ. Husbands should love their wives as they love their own body, as Christ loves the Church."

Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. 1 Peter 3:7.

A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. 1 Timothy 2:11

Some Christian theologians, such as the Rev. Marie Fortune and Mary Pellauer, have raised the question of a close connection between patriarchal Christianity and domestic violence and abuse. Steven Tracy, author of "Patriarchy and Domestic Violence" writes: "While patriarchy may not be the overarching cause of all abuse, it is an enormously significant factor, because in traditional patriarchy males have a disproportionate share of power... So while patriarchy is not the sole explanation for violence against women, we would expect that male headship would be distorted by insecure, unhealthy men to justify their domination and abuse of women."

Few empirical studies have examined the relationship between religion and domestic violence, however, four major surveys of wife assault found no causal relationship between men raised in a "patriarchal system" and incidence of wife assault, and faith groups endorsing hierarchical marital structures do not appear to report higher rates of interpersonal violence. and from his study in 1988, no single factor explanation for wife assault was sufficient to explain the available data. A study by Dutton and Browning in the same year found that misogyny is correlated with only a minority of abusive male partners. Campbell's study in 1992 found no evidence of greater violence towards women in more patriarchal cultures. Pearson's study in 1997 observed "Studies of male batterers have failed to confirm that these men are more conservative or sexist about marriage than violent men".

In Responding to Domestic Abuse, a report issued by the Church of England in 2006, suggests that patriarchy should be replaced rather than reinterpreted: "Following the pattern of Christ means that patterns of domination and submission are being transformed in the mutuality of love, faithful care and sharing of burdens. ‘Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ’(Ephesians 5.21). Although strong patriarchal tendencies have persisted in Christianity, the example of Christ carries the seeds of their displacement by a more symmetrical and respectful model of male–female relations."

Bible

Verses

Chapters and verses of the Bible

The Bible is a compilation of many shorter books written at different times and later assembled into the Biblical canon. All but the shortest of these books have been divided into chapters, generally a page or so in length, since the early 13th century. Since the mid-16th century, each chapter has...

that support discipline

I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. 1 Timothy 2:12.

A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. (Separate or isolate) 1 Timothy 2:11.

The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" John 8:3-5.

The husband has authority to discipline the wife. The wife does not have authority to discipline her husband. Genesis 3:16.

Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Hebrews 12:11.

Bible verses are often used to justify domestic abuse, such as those that refer to male superiority and female submission, but use of violence is a misintepretted view of the male role. For instance, Eve (Genesis 2-3), is often misinterpretted, particularly by Christians, to be disobedient to patriarchal God and man, and to many a generalized symbol of womanhood that must be submissive and subject to discipline.

There are some Christians who believe that it is the man's duty and right to discipline his wife, ususally by spanking, such as the consensual Christian Domestic Discipline (CDD).

Verses that do not support beating

Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. Colossians 3:19.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.

Undesirability of beating

There is a variety of responses, though, by religious leaders in how victims should handle abuse.

Marjorie Proctor-Smith in "Violence against women and children: a Christian Theologocial Sourcebook" states that domestic physical
Physical abuse
Physical abuse is abuse involving contact intended to cause feelings of intimidation, injury, or other physical suffering or bodily harm.-Forms of physical abuse:*Striking*Punching*Belting*Pushing, pulling*Slapping*Whipping*Striking with an object...

, psychological
Psychological abuse
Psychological abuse, also referred to as emotional abuse or mental abuse, is a form of abuse characterized by a person subjecting or exposing another to behavior that may result in psychological trauma, including anxiety, chronic depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder...

or sexual
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester...

violence is a sin
Sin
In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...

. It victimizes family members dependent on a man and violates trust needed for healthy, equitable and cooperative relationships. She finds that domestic violence is symptom of sexism
Sexism
Sexism, also known as gender discrimination or sex discrimination, is the application of the belief or attitude that there are characteristics implicit to one's gender that indirectly affect one's abilities in unrelated areas...

, a social sin.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said in 2002, "As pastors of the Catholic Church in the United States, we state as clearly and strongly as we can that violence against women, inside or outside the home, is never justified."
The Church of England's report, Responding to Domestic Abuse advises that Christian pastors and counselors should not advise victims to make forgiving the perpetrator the top priority "when the welfare and safety of the person being abused are at stake."
Significant numbers of Christian pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....

s ordinarily would tell a woman being abused that she should continue to submit and to "trust that God would honor her action by either stopping the abuse or giving her the strength to endure it" and would never advise a battered wife to leave her husband or separate because of abuse. One mid-1980s survey of 5,700 pastors found that 26 percent of pastors ordinarily would tell a woman being abused that she should continue to submit and to "trust that God would honor her action by either stopping the abuse or giving her the strength to endure it" and that 71 percent of pastors would never advise a battered wife to leave her husband or separate because of abuse.

A contributing factor to the disparity of responses to abuse is lack of training, many Christian seminaries had not educated future church leaders about how to manage violence against women. Once pastors began receiving training, and announced their participation in domestic violence educational programs, they immediately began receiving visits from women church members who had been subject to violence. The first Theological Education and Domestic Violence Conference, sponsored by the Center for the Prevention of Sexual and Domestic Violence, was held in 1985 to identify topics that should be covered in seminaries. First, church leaders will encounter sexual and domestic violence and they need to know what community resources are available. Secondly, they need to focus on ending the violence, rather than on keeping families together.

Incidence of domestic violence among Christians

Christian women are often silent and accepting of any domestic violence that they may suffer. In the 1970s when programs were initiated to train church leaders about domestic violence, But no one ever comes to me with this problem was the most common response. Church leaders often believed that if no one was reaching out for assistance within the church that there was no problem in their church, however, women often withheld discussing their problems over concern that it would not be handled appropriately. When women became pastors they found that much of their time became devoted to handling domestic abuse and other forms of violence against women; Their involvement included crisis intervention.

Among all Christians, 37.5% live in the Americas

Americas

The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...

(11.4% in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

), 25.7% live in Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

, 22.5% live in Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

, 13.1% live in Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

, 1.2% live in Oceania

Oceania

Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...

and 0.9% live in the Middle East

Middle East

The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...

.

The following information is for some of the countries with 92% and more Christians in their total population.

Nation	Abuse	Laws and prosecution
Barbados Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...	30% of the women (age 20-45) in a UN national study in 1990, whether previously partnered with someone or not, were victims of domestic abuse during some period of their life. Since the findings represent a population that included people who had not been in a relationship, the rate of domestic violence may have been higher.
Dominican Republic Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...	11% of the women (age 15-49) in a UN national study in 2002, who are or have been married, were victims of domestic abuse within the previous 12 month period. 22% of the women had been subject to domestic violence during some period of their life.
Ecuador Ecuador Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...	From a United Nations United Nations The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace... (UN) study, 12% of the women (age 15-49) were victims of domestic abuse within the previous 12 month period.
Great Britain and Ireland United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....	A study of North London in 1993 found that 12% of women (age > 16) in a UN national study in 1997, who had or had not been in relationships, were victims of domestic abuse within the previous 12 month period. 30% of the women had been subject to domestic violence during some period of their life. In a national study in 2001, 3% of women (age 16-59), who had or had not been in relationships, were victims of domestic violence within the past 12 months. 19% had been subject to domestic abuse since age 16. Because the results include women who had not been in relationships, the incidence of domestic abuse may have been higher than the reported statistics. A governmental Forced Marriage Unit provides services for 300 cases of forced marriage a year. The government finds that the cost of domestic violence is about £440 per person for a total of 23 billion pounds sterling (£) per year, including the costs of health care, housing, justice, legal, social services and lost output, pian and suffering.
Guatemala Guatemala Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...	8% of the women (age 15-49) in a UN national study in 2002, who recently had a partner, were victims of domestic abuse within the previous 12 month period. Studies of women who had been murdered in Guatemala showed a high incidence of domestic violence, honor killing Honor killing An honor killing or honour killing is the homicide of a member of a family or social group by other members, due to the belief of the perpetrators that the victim has brought dishonor upon the family or community... s, or dowry disputes as the cause of death. The victims in were also often victims of sexual attacks at the time of their murder.	The legal definition of domestic abuse has been expanded in Guatemala to include both psychological abuse Psychological abuse Psychological abuse, also referred to as emotional abuse or mental abuse, is a form of abuse characterized by a person subjecting or exposing another to behavior that may result in psychological trauma, including anxiety, chronic depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder... and economic violence.
Mexico Mexico The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...	From a 1996 UN study on violence against women, 27% of the women (age > 15) in Guadalajara study and 17% of the women (age > 15) in Monterrey, who are or have been married, were victims of domestic violence during some period of their life. 9% of the women (age > 15) in a UN national study in 2003, currently married or partnered, were victims of domestic abuse within the previous 12 month period. Studies of women who had been murdered in Mexico showed a high incidence of domestic violence, honor killing Honor killing An honor killing or honour killing is the homicide of a member of a family or social group by other members, due to the belief of the perpetrators that the victim has brought dishonor upon the family or community... s, or dowry disputes as the cause of death. The victims in were also often victims of sexual attacks at the time of their murder. There had been a high incidence of abduction, rape and murder of hundreds of women over 10 year period in the Ciudad Juárez Ciudad Juárez Ciudad Juárez , officially known today as Heroica Ciudad Juárez, but abbreviated Juárez and formerly known as El Paso del Norte, is a city and seat of the municipality of Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Juárez's estimated population is 1.5 million people. The city lies on the Rio Grande... , Mexico area that were treated with impunity Impunity Impunity means "exemption from punishment or loss or escape from fines". In the international law of human rights, it refers to the failure to bring perpetrators of human rights violations to justice and, as such, itself constitutes a denial of the victims' right to justice and redress... , treating these cases as "common acts of violence belonging to the private sphere." The UN Committee found that not investigating nor prosecuting these cases, the "most brutal manifestation [was] extreme violence against women." The solution, they found, could only be found through a global integrated approach towards social and cultural programs so that violence against women is not considered inevitable.
Moldova Moldova Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...	8% of the women (age 15-44) in a UN national study in 1997, who are or have been married, were victims of domestic abuse within the previous 12 month period. 15% of the women had been subject to domestic violence during some period of their life.
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...	67% of the women (age 15-49) in a UN national, village and rural study in 2002, who are or have been married, were victims of domestic abuse during some period of their life.
Paraguay Paraguay Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...	10% of the women (age 15-49) in a UN national study in 1995-6, who are or have been married, were victims of domestic abuse during some period of their life. 7% of the women (age 15-44) in a UN national study in 2004, who are or have been married, were victims of domestic abuse within the previous 12 month period; 19% of the women had been subject to domestic violence during some period of their life.
Peru Peru Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....	Statistics from thee United Nations United Nations The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace... studies show that 2-25% of married or partnered women (15-49) were victims of domestic abuse within the previous 12 month period. 42-62% of the women had been subject to domestic violence during some period of their life. The studies were performed nationally (2000) with the lowest rate of domestic violence, Lima Lima Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima... (2001) and Cusco Cusco Cusco , often spelled Cuzco , is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region as well as the Cuzco Province. In 2007, the city had a population of 358,935 which was triple the figure of 20 years ago... (2001) with the highest rate of domestic violence.	The Convention of Belém do Pará resulted in review and revision of some of Peru's domestic violence laws to fit good practices for protecting women from violence. The Peru Penal Code was amended to no longer provide impunity Impunity Impunity means "exemption from punishment or loss or escape from fines". In the international law of human rights, it refers to the failure to bring perpetrators of human rights violations to justice and, as such, itself constitutes a denial of the victims' right to justice and redress... (legal protection) to men who married the women that they raped.
Philippines Philippines The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...	10% of pregnant women (age 15-49) who participated in a UN national study in 1993 were subject to domestic violence during some period of their life. In 1998 in Cagayan de Oro City and Bukidnon, 26% of currently married or partnered women (age 15-49) were subject to domestic violence during some period of their life. 6% of the pregnant women (age 15-49) who participated in a UN national study in 2004 were victims of domestic abuse within the previous 12 month period. 21% of the women had been subject to domestic violence during some period of their life. Shelter, home visits, counselling and legal services are offered by Gabriela, a Non-governmental organization Non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are... (NGO) to domestic violence victims.	The Anti-Violence against Women and Their Children Act of 2004 was enacted in the Philippines to criminalize acts of several forms of domestic violence (physical, economic, sexual, and physchological), create a inter-agency council to develop domestic abuse programs, allow courts to issue temporary protection orders and mandate that rural village officials provide protection to victims.
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...	13% of the women (age 15-49), who participated in a UN national study in 1995-6, who are or have been married, were victims of domestic abuse during some period of their life.	The Convention of Belém do Pará resulted in review and revision of some of Puerto Rico's domestic violence laws to fit good practices for protecting women from violence.
Romania Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...	10% of the women (age 15-44) who participated in a UN national study in 1999, who are or have been married, were victims of domestic abuse within the previous 12 month period. 29% of the women had been subject to domestic violence during some period of their life.
Samoa Samoa Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...	From a UN national study in 2000, 18% of the women (age 15-49) studied, who are or have been married, were victims of domestic abuse within the previous 12 month period. 41% of the women had been subject to domestic violence during some period of their life.
Zambia Zambia Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....	19% of the women (age 15-49) who participated in a UN national study in 2001-2, who are or have been married, were victims of domestic abuse within the previous 12 month period. 47% of the women had been subject to domestic violence during some period of their life.

External links

FaithTrust Institute (formerly Center for the Prevention of Sexual and Domestic Violence), a multifaith, multicultural training and education organization in the United States with global reach working to end sexual and domestic violence.

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