Liberate ‘ women, liberate society
If we praise what King David did, or even stay silent about it, we will be forced to be silent about the Davids of today who are abusing their powers to sexually exploit women in our churches and in the community at large
SA, like many other countries, is commemorating 16 Days of Activism for no violence against women and children. This is an annual UN initiative which runs from November 25 to December 10. This year s theme is
’ Women s Economic Justice for ’ a Non-Violent and Non-Sexist SA
As a country with one of the highest rates of gender-based violence (GBV) in the world, it calls for all sectors of the society, the church included, to fight the scourge.
The way some of those who stand behind the pulpit interpret circumstances behind how women were abused in the Bible help perpetuate GBV.
Let s condemn King David for abusing his power to sleep with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11). This is a very important stance to take because if we don t express disapproval of him, those who are in power will keep on using their positions of privilege to sexually abuse women. Let s say
’ it out loud: King David was wrong and selfish. As a king it was irresponsible of him to commit such an act and as a man of God this was unspeakable behaviour.
Collectively we should support Bathsheba, not David. Let us tell the world David abused his powers and abused Bathsheba. If we don t do that, those who are in power will keep on doing exactly what David did; no one will condemn them. Pastors in the church will abuse women in the name of prophet and divinity.
David had done great things for the Lord, but he also did extremely bad things, both sleeping with Bathsheba and then going further to kill her husband. He abused his power absolutely. The greatness of David should never overshadow what he did to the poor woman.
Why are we not standing firm on the side of the woman? How many preachers today condemn what David did to this woman?
If we praise what David did, or even stay silent about it, we will be forced to be silent about the Davids of today who are abusing their powers to sexually exploit women in our churches and in the community at large. Let s renew our hermeneutics for the benefit of women.
The men who found a woman in the act of adultery deserve to be asked questions too (John 8). In their collective action, they brought only the woman before Jesus, as if she was in this act alone. Why is it that they did not bring the man to Jesus for judgment as well?
If we don t ask this question, ’ women will continue to be raped and abused and blamed. Men will say it is because a woman was wearing a short skirt that she invited this atrocious behaviour on herself. Let s ’ not be like those five men in the Bible who chose to be selective in their condemnation of adultery. Let us make sure that those who commit rape are brought before the law.
If we don t ask such questions, ’ women will continue to be raped and abused and told it is their fault.
In adultery, both parties involved are equal partners in the act and there must be no prejudice in apportioning the blame. From this scripture, another question that should be asked is why all these men saw this woman committing the act.
Definitely this was not a public act, so many questions are pointing to the fact that this woman was given a raw deal by all these men. Jesus fortunately saw this and decided to be on the side of the oppressed. He asked for any one of the men without sin to throw the first stone. In the same manner, let us question the prejudices against women in all sectors of society, be it at work or in any gatherings, including religious ceremonies.
Men should be stopped from always laying the blame on women. As communities standing for truth, let us take the stand of Jesus and ask further questions from the side of disadvantaged women.
Say no to Abraham s domestic ’ violence. It must be said loud and clear that Abraham was wrong to agree with Sarah, his wife, and to sleep with Hagar without her consent (Genesis 16).
If we can t find fault nor say ’ no to that act of Abraham, domestic violence will carry on in our homes, perpetuated by high-profile people, and nothing will be done because they are known and will be treated differently.
Let us say it out loud: what Abraham did was wrong and unacceptable. By so doing we will be on the side of Hagar, the Egyptian slave woman. We will say no to many Abrahams who use their power to abuse and rape vulnerable women in our societies.
Let s condemn the son of ’ David, Amnon, for raping his sister Tamar, (2 Samuel 13). If we don t condemn this young ’ man in the strongest possible terms, girls will continue to be raped and abused by their relatives and the perpetrators will not be exposed.
Absalom, the elder son of David, must be condemned for suggesting that it was a family matter and must be discussed by family only. Let s say no to ’ Absalom and his ilk. Rape is not a family matter, it is a public matter, it is a crime, it is an attack on human rights.
If we don t say no, many ’ Amnons and Absaloms of today will keep on raping girls, knowing well there will be no consequences.
Let us thank Ruth for fighting for her husband s rights (Ruth ’ 1). She told Naomi: I will go
“with you and your people will be my people; I will inherit what is mine because of my marital status.” Ruth needs our support as a way of liberating contemporary women. If society does not emphasise this and support Ruth, women will be abused in marriages and lose their rights.
Ruth should not be seen as submissive to abuse because she fought for what rightfully belonged to her. If we don t ’ support Ruth, marriages will be used as an institution for destroying women.
Men out there need to be educated that the Samaritan woman was not promiscuous (John 4). She was divorced five times because she had no children, and men who were impatient and didn t know that ’ children are a blessing from God divorced this woman.
Remember, according to the law of Moses she had no right to divorce men. If she had children, she was going to send them to fetch water for her. If you don t liberate this woman, ’ many women will be ostracised, and labelled as bad and promiscuous on the basis of erroneous interpretation. Many preachers from all walks of life continue today to vilify, abuse and hurt such women. It is high time that society stood up for women in similar circumstances. Anything to the contrary would result in them being silenced in churches and homes.
Women should liberate Eve because she was created after God realised that it was not good for Adam to be alone (Genesis 2). If we don t liberate Eve, women will be abused on the basis that they are subordinates of men. The Bible says God created both female and male in His image. It does not say women were created in the image of men. Therefore, Eve must be accorded her rightful position lest the misinterpretations continue to minimise the role of women in society. Those who are abusing women are in fact abusing the image of God.
Society must guard against women being treated unfairly by other women. This is a common problem that goes unnoticed in most cases. In the Bible Sarah, the wife of Abraham, and Hagar fought because of a man. Instead of Sarah talking to Hagar about this problem, she hated her and inflicted pain on her (Genesis 16:6). By so doing, Abraham was freed of his responsibilities of taking care of the child.
Hagar was chased away because Sarah was unhappy about her. A man was the common denominator in the problem between the two women.
As SA commemorates 16 Days of Activism, it should be a clarion call for those in the Christian faith as well that if they can liberate women in the Bible, it will help them to deal with contemporary GBV cases. If women in the bible continue to be judged unfairly, the same treatment will be passed on to female church members and by extension to the whole society. Fighting GBV is everyone s business, ’ including those who stand behind the pulpit.
Let s make
’ sure that those who commit rape are brought before the law
Let s say no
’ to Absalom and his ilk. Rape is not a family matter, it is a public matter, it is a crime, it is an attack on human rights
Dispatch in Dialogue is a weekly feature where thought leaders will tackle topical issues. If you have any subject that you strongly feel must be debated, please send an e-mail to enerstm@dispatch.co.za