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Battered (church) wives
BY JANICE BUDD Associate Editor — Sunday buddj@jamaicaobserver.com
Sunday, December 09, 2012
A study by a local pastor has suggested that some Jamaican Christians believe that men are superior to women and have the right to physically 'punish' their wives.
The study — The Battered Woman: the Attitude and Response of the Church — conducted by Reverend Ian Muirhead, pastor of the non-denominational Upper Room Community Church on Shortwood Road in Kingston is being used to change how religious leaders and Christian counsellors handle domestic abuse.
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Muirhead, who was a research scientist for 15 years before going into the ministry, set out to discover the prevailing attitudes of male and female church members towards domestic violence against women. His study also sought to define how young people in the church (ages 12-14) perceive violence against women; as well as the prejudices and mindsets within the church community that foster violence against women.
The pastor conducted his research among Corporate Area churches over a six-month period in 2008 as part of his theology thesis, and what he found disturbed him. The results confirmed that there is still support inside the church for orthodox Christian views which justify the subordination of females.
The majority of male respondents said they believed that the Bible teaches that men are superior to women. What also startled church leaders was that young female churchgoers also supported attitudes that promote their inferiority to men.
"Forty-six point seven per cent of males and 39.7 per cent of females showed some degree of support for attitudes that support the superiority of men over women," the survey said. Eighteen per cent of women interviewed were not sure what to believe, compared to 6.7 per cent of the men.
The results, according to Muirhead's summary, "point to the durableness of a belief system which supports the right of men to use violence to discipline their spouses".
"It showed a shocking tolerance, even acceptance, among many church members for women to be 'punished' by their spouses," said Reverend Courtney Stewart, the general secretary of The Bible Society of the West Indies which has been mounting anti-domestic violence workshops across the Corporate Area supported by Muirhead's data.
These views are also supported by particular interpretations of the Bible, he said, referring to Ephesians 5:22-24; a part of which says, "wives, submit to your husbands".
"It (the survey results) showed a gross misunderstanding of the Biblical injunction for women to be submissive to their husbands, not understanding that is an appeal for voluntary submission on the part of the wife, while appealing for 'love of wife' on the part of the husband," said Stewart.
Muirhead concurred. "I believe that the Bible does not in any way support violence against women. It does not support men using violence in order to subdue or maintain control over women. In fact, when the Bible says wives must submit themselves to their husbands, it says, 'As unto the Lord'," he explained.
"When you look at the Greek word for 'submit', it means 'voluntarily putting yourself under'... and I don't think the Bible means submitting under any and any conditions... If what is being put to her is not wholesome, and is not of a Godly nature, I think the woman has the right to say, 'No'.
His study also showed more men than women saying that they were supportive of attitudes justifying physical abuse of women. But, at the same time, younger persons surveyed were generally found to be more supportive of these attitudes than older folks.
"It also demonstrated a greater tolerance for domestic violence on the part of younger persons. This is quite troubling as it indicates that a significant number of young persons see the abusing of women as acceptable," said Stewart.
Reverend Muirhead was himself taken aback that younger respondents seemed to embrace the attitudes of superiority to, and subordination of women by men, including violent abuse.
"In terms of young people, they had attitudes that were more supportive of violence than the older people. So basically, the end (of domestic violence) is not in sight," he lamented.
Also, 90 to 95 per cent of respondents either believed church men are guilty of little or no domestic abuse, or were uncertain of what to believe, or were in denial. However, of this group, young female respondents generally disagreed.
Thirty-one per cent of church-going females and 46.7 per cent of their male counterparts also supported attitudes that hold abused women responsible for maintaining the sanctity and wholesomeness of 'hearth and home'. In essence, that it is battered wives' duty to stay in the marriage and keep the home together.
Still, over 95 per cent of those sampled felt that the church should offer support to victims of domestic violence by providing counselling and other forms of intervention.
"Results indicate that a campaign is needed to convince some women that domestic violence against them is unacceptable," Muirhead summarised.
But domestic violence often goes unreported, especially among couples inside the church, he noted, pointing to his having to intervene and counsel couples in the throes of an abusive marriage. Hence, his decision to offer his research for illustrative purposes in the Bible Society's workshops.
He says the church must be educated and sensitised on the issue, and added that if the church is to tackle domestic abuse it must target the young women as well as the men.
"Yes, men are usually the ones who violate women, but in the church there are women who need to understand that domestic violence against women is not right. There was also a fairly high percentage of women who did not even know what it means."
"The very high incidences of domestic violence in the Caribbean and in Jamaica, in particular, moved us to investigate what we could do to empower and better equip the churches to become more effective in dealing with this matter," Stewart told the Jamaica Observer as he explained why the domestic violence workshops are being held.
"Also, because the church is one of the first institutions to which the victims of domestic violence turn for help, we felt as if we had a mandate to get involved and to seek the support of an organisation such as Woman Inc," he added.
"By assisting the churches to identify the signs of DV (domestic violence) and by them participating in these workshops, it gives evidence that the church is taking the matter of DV seriously and wants to be involved in addressing the matter. This approach might just have the effect of helping the victims within the church community to muster the courage to seek help from within the ranks of the faith community, and not believe that they are bound to suffer alone and without hope of intervention from the wider church community," he added.
Joyce Hewett, co-ordinator for public education and legal reform for Woman Inc — the leading non-government organisation that addresses domestic violence issues, and facilitator of the workshops — is thrilled about its partnership with the church.
"I think it's very commendable that The Bible Society of the West Indies has taken this important step," she said.
She pointed to the absence of empirical data, noting that the issue is kept "hush-hush", and that churches do not necessarily keep a record of, nor are they willing to share information on battered wives or the husbands who beat them.
"However, it is fair to assume from anecdotal data that most, if not all, pastors have to face this matter on a regular basis. It is interesting to note that it is not only persons within the church community who come to the pastor seeking help, but perhaps, the majority are outside of the church. Yet they see the pastor and the church as resources that they can trust and who will want to assist and support them. Also, there are those elements of confidentiality, empathy and care that they believe the church can and will offer them that are not always found in less formal sources," Hewett told the Sunday Observer.
"If domestic violence is even a half of the problem that the police and other agencies say that it is, then the church cannot be content with merely offering counselling to the abusers. We must get involved in more proactive and deliberate ways to reduce this problem. If it is identified within the worshipping community, then there must be a commitment to address this issue, irrespective of who the perpetrators are and what prominent roles they may be playing in the church community. It must not and cannot be allowed to continue... not in God's church," she admonished.
The Bible Society of the West Indies' workshops target pastors and pastoral teams, Sunday School teachers, youth leaders, and anyone who functions as a mentor, counsellor, or who offers guidance within the community of faith. They are instructed on how to identify the signs and characteristics of domestic violence, the psychology behind those who abuse, how the victims can be assisted, and intervention strategies that can be employed, among other tools.
Five free workshops have been held for 2012 under the theme, 'When Violence Begins at Home'. Over 50 persons from diverse denominational groups across the Corporate Area have attended.
"We want to hear people talking about it from the pulpit in the churches, discussing it among themselves, and within their respective communities... We want to really break the back of domestic violence in Jamaican society," Hewett said.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...#ixzz2EYSfrjSd
BY JANICE BUDD Associate Editor — Sunday buddj@jamaicaobserver.com
Sunday, December 09, 2012
A study by a local pastor has suggested that some Jamaican Christians believe that men are superior to women and have the right to physically 'punish' their wives.
The study — The Battered Woman: the Attitude and Response of the Church — conducted by Reverend Ian Muirhead, pastor of the non-denominational Upper Room Community Church on Shortwood Road in Kingston is being used to change how religious leaders and Christian counsellors handle domestic abuse.
1/1 Muirhead, who was a research scientist for 15 years before going into the ministry, set out to discover the prevailing attitudes of male and female church members towards domestic violence against women. His study also sought to define how young people in the church (ages 12-14) perceive violence against women; as well as the prejudices and mindsets within the church community that foster violence against women.
The pastor conducted his research among Corporate Area churches over a six-month period in 2008 as part of his theology thesis, and what he found disturbed him. The results confirmed that there is still support inside the church for orthodox Christian views which justify the subordination of females.
The majority of male respondents said they believed that the Bible teaches that men are superior to women. What also startled church leaders was that young female churchgoers also supported attitudes that promote their inferiority to men.
"Forty-six point seven per cent of males and 39.7 per cent of females showed some degree of support for attitudes that support the superiority of men over women," the survey said. Eighteen per cent of women interviewed were not sure what to believe, compared to 6.7 per cent of the men.
The results, according to Muirhead's summary, "point to the durableness of a belief system which supports the right of men to use violence to discipline their spouses".
"It showed a shocking tolerance, even acceptance, among many church members for women to be 'punished' by their spouses," said Reverend Courtney Stewart, the general secretary of The Bible Society of the West Indies which has been mounting anti-domestic violence workshops across the Corporate Area supported by Muirhead's data.
These views are also supported by particular interpretations of the Bible, he said, referring to Ephesians 5:22-24; a part of which says, "wives, submit to your husbands".
"It (the survey results) showed a gross misunderstanding of the Biblical injunction for women to be submissive to their husbands, not understanding that is an appeal for voluntary submission on the part of the wife, while appealing for 'love of wife' on the part of the husband," said Stewart.
Muirhead concurred. "I believe that the Bible does not in any way support violence against women. It does not support men using violence in order to subdue or maintain control over women. In fact, when the Bible says wives must submit themselves to their husbands, it says, 'As unto the Lord'," he explained.
"When you look at the Greek word for 'submit', it means 'voluntarily putting yourself under'... and I don't think the Bible means submitting under any and any conditions... If what is being put to her is not wholesome, and is not of a Godly nature, I think the woman has the right to say, 'No'.
His study also showed more men than women saying that they were supportive of attitudes justifying physical abuse of women. But, at the same time, younger persons surveyed were generally found to be more supportive of these attitudes than older folks.
"It also demonstrated a greater tolerance for domestic violence on the part of younger persons. This is quite troubling as it indicates that a significant number of young persons see the abusing of women as acceptable," said Stewart.
Reverend Muirhead was himself taken aback that younger respondents seemed to embrace the attitudes of superiority to, and subordination of women by men, including violent abuse.
"In terms of young people, they had attitudes that were more supportive of violence than the older people. So basically, the end (of domestic violence) is not in sight," he lamented.
Also, 90 to 95 per cent of respondents either believed church men are guilty of little or no domestic abuse, or were uncertain of what to believe, or were in denial. However, of this group, young female respondents generally disagreed.
Thirty-one per cent of church-going females and 46.7 per cent of their male counterparts also supported attitudes that hold abused women responsible for maintaining the sanctity and wholesomeness of 'hearth and home'. In essence, that it is battered wives' duty to stay in the marriage and keep the home together.
Still, over 95 per cent of those sampled felt that the church should offer support to victims of domestic violence by providing counselling and other forms of intervention.
"Results indicate that a campaign is needed to convince some women that domestic violence against them is unacceptable," Muirhead summarised.
But domestic violence often goes unreported, especially among couples inside the church, he noted, pointing to his having to intervene and counsel couples in the throes of an abusive marriage. Hence, his decision to offer his research for illustrative purposes in the Bible Society's workshops.
He says the church must be educated and sensitised on the issue, and added that if the church is to tackle domestic abuse it must target the young women as well as the men.
"Yes, men are usually the ones who violate women, but in the church there are women who need to understand that domestic violence against women is not right. There was also a fairly high percentage of women who did not even know what it means."
"The very high incidences of domestic violence in the Caribbean and in Jamaica, in particular, moved us to investigate what we could do to empower and better equip the churches to become more effective in dealing with this matter," Stewart told the Jamaica Observer as he explained why the domestic violence workshops are being held.
"Also, because the church is one of the first institutions to which the victims of domestic violence turn for help, we felt as if we had a mandate to get involved and to seek the support of an organisation such as Woman Inc," he added.
"By assisting the churches to identify the signs of DV (domestic violence) and by them participating in these workshops, it gives evidence that the church is taking the matter of DV seriously and wants to be involved in addressing the matter. This approach might just have the effect of helping the victims within the church community to muster the courage to seek help from within the ranks of the faith community, and not believe that they are bound to suffer alone and without hope of intervention from the wider church community," he added.
Joyce Hewett, co-ordinator for public education and legal reform for Woman Inc — the leading non-government organisation that addresses domestic violence issues, and facilitator of the workshops — is thrilled about its partnership with the church.
"I think it's very commendable that The Bible Society of the West Indies has taken this important step," she said.
She pointed to the absence of empirical data, noting that the issue is kept "hush-hush", and that churches do not necessarily keep a record of, nor are they willing to share information on battered wives or the husbands who beat them.
"However, it is fair to assume from anecdotal data that most, if not all, pastors have to face this matter on a regular basis. It is interesting to note that it is not only persons within the church community who come to the pastor seeking help, but perhaps, the majority are outside of the church. Yet they see the pastor and the church as resources that they can trust and who will want to assist and support them. Also, there are those elements of confidentiality, empathy and care that they believe the church can and will offer them that are not always found in less formal sources," Hewett told the Sunday Observer.
"If domestic violence is even a half of the problem that the police and other agencies say that it is, then the church cannot be content with merely offering counselling to the abusers. We must get involved in more proactive and deliberate ways to reduce this problem. If it is identified within the worshipping community, then there must be a commitment to address this issue, irrespective of who the perpetrators are and what prominent roles they may be playing in the church community. It must not and cannot be allowed to continue... not in God's church," she admonished.
The Bible Society of the West Indies' workshops target pastors and pastoral teams, Sunday School teachers, youth leaders, and anyone who functions as a mentor, counsellor, or who offers guidance within the community of faith. They are instructed on how to identify the signs and characteristics of domestic violence, the psychology behind those who abuse, how the victims can be assisted, and intervention strategies that can be employed, among other tools.
Five free workshops have been held for 2012 under the theme, 'When Violence Begins at Home'. Over 50 persons from diverse denominational groups across the Corporate Area have attended.
"We want to hear people talking about it from the pulpit in the churches, discussing it among themselves, and within their respective communities... We want to really break the back of domestic violence in Jamaican society," Hewett said.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...#ixzz2EYSfrjSd
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