Christian teachings to blame for GBV in SA
Jesus advocated for women to be treated well, yet many people of the Church do otherwise
APPARENTLY my Instagram post went viral this week. That is probably an exaggeration but, so have I been told. I had posted an image of an attractive Zulu woman with her breasts lightly draped in nothing but beaded jewellery. I had found the image on Google. A beaded Zulu bib only covered what was necessary. This was my caption:
“This is African culture. One day we need to discuss how Western Christianity created a culture of sexualisation of the body. How it controlled women’s bodies while teaching men that they can get away with looking upon a woman lustfully. Suddenly it became the churches role to monitor how women dress instead of men monitoring their lust. “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look at a young woman lustfully.” – Job 31:1
The idea is that a man did not make a covenant to control how a woman dresses. Here Job shows himself as a man who takes responsibility for his passions. In other words he could look at a woman just not with lust. There is no amount of dressing that can purge lust out of a defiled mind. It’s not the woman that arouses lust.
Our society has overburdened women with all kinds of responsibilities while expecting men to get away with their dangerous behaviour. Men you have a responsibility to cultivate pure hearts. Boys will not be boys. Teach your sons to take responsibility for their thoughts and actions. The combination of Western Christianity and our culture, which overburdens women, has created a toxic culture.”
It is my belief that gender-based violence in South Africa cannot be overcome unless and until the problem is thrown at the courts of the South African Church. Our democratic government did not create the problem we are sitting on. Freedom is like light. It reveals what has been festering in darkness.
The church is the single most consistent institution that has played the most influential role in the formation of the psyche of South African society. We owe the foundations of our education, press, health, human rights and government to the Christian church’s role in South Africa.
A few years ago, 81% of South Africans indicated that the church was the single most trusted institution in our country. Even without this statistic, the church in this land has been let off too lightly. Our democracy is young. The institution of the South African church instead has acted as the moral government for the past 300 years.
The church in these past 300 years can be credited with grooming South African leaders of all backgrounds, from the days of slavery, colonialism and apartheid. Maxeke, Sobukwe, Luthuli, Tutu, Mandela, Biko and Mama Winnie to name a few.
The church has further produced government leaders for the last 27 years of our democracy, including the likes of Ndlozi or Maimane. Leaders from all three corrupt eras sat on the pews of the church. Simon van der Stel, the reason for the name Stellenbosch, is buried in the Groote Kerk in Cape Town. Imagine being buried inside a church?
No other church more convincingly portrays the consistent quiet government of the South African church as the Groote Kerk. Its roots can be linked to Jan van Riebeeck’s boat in 1652.
This church went on to be the church of the apartheid leaders. It had long practised segregation during the colonial era, proof that the church is not a victim of a politician, but it sets the standard for the politics of the state.
Gender-based violence has long been orchestrated by the teachings of the church, long before it became the standard of the country. The government of South Africa can set laws in place. It will not solve the moral crisis that has largely been fostered by the church’s bad theology.
Women outnumber the attendance of men on any given Sunday and yet churches are overwhelmingly led by men.
This is not to say those male leaders cannot preach the liberation of women, but it is no wonder that the church has instead led in the subjugation of women.
These leaders are more likely to be perpetrators of violence through their preaching and treatment of women in the church.
The subjugation of women is often preached as the Gospel, while church leaders often sympathise with abusers. Women are taught to persevere through their abusive situations.
How many reverends abuse their wives or are avid adulators? Or pastors’ children who want nothing to do with God because of fathers who misused their position as men of the cloth?
How often have rumours circulated about famous Gospel singers and pastors, who are known for exploiting young girls?
Fanie du Toit of IJR once gave me a visual image of apartheid on a normal workday. “All you saw in the streets were men in grey suits.” Women have never known freedom in South Africa until our democracy, and yet still, our lives are at stake. Again, the constant factor, throughout the 400 years, has been the church.
The irony regarding the historical role of the church is that it supposedly draws on the teachings of Jesus.
The Catholic church supposedly upholds Mary, a woman, and yet there are cases worldwide of priests who rape nuns. Nuns, unlike the Zulu wowan I posted, are covered from head to toe.
Rape has nothing to do with what women wear.
Church leaders, male and female, have dedicated their lives to teachings that centre on controlling the appearance and behaviour of women.
My post was pointing out the need for both Western Christianity and men who follow Christian teachings that they are a part of the reason women live in this violent environment. I was challenging the skewed teachings that are not even Biblical.
In the Bible, we see Jesus liberating women from the violence of men. After 400 years of oppressive teachings towards women, perhaps it is time for the church to dedicate their teachings to those of Jesus, who came to liberate the oppressed.
Women cannot be liberated without liberating men from false beliefs about their role towards women. Jesus said: “Let he without sin cast the first stone.”
In the Bible, we see Jesus liberating women from the violence of men. After 400 years of oppressive teachings towards women, perhaps it is time for the church to align its teachings with those of Jesus who came to liberate the oppressed.
Women cannot be liberated unless men too are liberated from their false religious beliefs.
Jesus said: “Let he without sin cast the first stone.”
With those words, Jesus held every man accountable. Men old to young dropped their stones. They had believed that their belief system of oppressing women was backed by God. Jesus said no. Each man walked away from their murderous intentions.
A woman’s life was saved that day from being murdered by men because Jesus said no. We need the church to follow Jesus
Subjugation of women is often preached as the Gospel, while church leaders often sympathise with abusers