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| We have not found
any national studies on abuse in Christian homes, but independent
denominational studies reveal the following: |
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Domestic
Violence is happening in middle class church couples who are
both professing Christianity, with conservative upbringing, as
well as couples without those advantages. |
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28% of Reformed
Church in America members surveyed said they experienced abuse
in marriage. |
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In a Methodist
survey of 600 women, 1 in 6 were abused by their husbands, specifying
battering. |
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In 1992,
U.S. Roman Catholic Church issued a pastoral response condemning
DV as sinful, and proclaiming that women were not religiously
bound to stay in abusive relationships. |
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American
Baptist Church prepared a resource magazine on DV. They sent
it to 7,000 pastors in the USA. Only 400 wanted to continue receiving
yearly updates on this subject. |
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A local
Rabbi reports that Jewish law is very clear. It says "Treat
each other in the image of God." In his words, "Spouse-beating
has been a criminal act in Jewish law for 2,000 years. Also,
Jewish women have the right to refuse sexual advances. So, in
many ways, Jewish law anticipated where Western law is now moving." |
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Some churches emphasize
passages in Ephesians 5 on wives being submissive to their husbands
as unto the Lord, but neglect those passages that instruct husbands
to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself
for it:
" Submitting yourselves one to another in the reverential
fear of God.
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The husband is head of the wife in the same way Christ is head
of the church and He is the Savior of the body. (not the abuser
of the body).
" Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church
and gave Himself for it, that he might sanctify it and cleanse
it with
washing of the Word.
(using the Word of God not violence).
" That He might present it to Himself a glorious church
not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing but that it should
be HOLY and without BLEMISH!
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So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies (they wouldn't
batter or abuse their own bodies). He that loves his wife
loves himself." (he that does not love his wife does not love
himself, and there lies the problem) |
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