Black and Pinay

FACTS:

Every year in the United States there are over 3 million incidents of domestic violence. That means that every nine seconds someone is beaten by their domestic partner.

Every year over 4000 victims of domestic violence are killed.

95% of domestic violence victims are women.

Domestic violence causes more injuries to women in the USA between the ages of 15 and 44 than car accidents, muggings, and rape combined.

Domestic Violence can take different forms, but its goal is always the same:

Batterers want to control their domestic partners through fear. They do this by regularly abusing them physically, sexually, psychologically and economically.

Here are some of the forms domestic violence can take:

PHYSICAL ABUSE

Hitting, Slapping, Kicking, Choking, Pushing, Punching, Beating.

VERBAL ABUSE

Constant criticism, Making humiliating remarks, Not responding to what the victim is saying, Mocking, Name-calling, Yelling, Swearing, Interrupting, Changing the subject.

SEXUAL ABUSE

Forcing sex on an unwilling partner, Demanding sexual acts that the victim does not want to perform, Degrading treatment.

ISOLATION

Making it hard for the victim to see friends and relatives, Reading mail, Taking the victim's car keys.

COERCION

Making the victim feel guilty, Pushing the victim into decisions, Sulking, Manipulating children and other family members, Always insisting on being right, Making up impossible "rules" and punishing the victim for breaking them.

HARASSMENT

Following or stalking, Embarrassing the victim in public.

ECONOMIC CONTROL

Not paying bills, Refusing to give the victim money, Not letting the victim work, Interfering with the victim's job, Refusing to work and support the family.

ABUSING TRUST

Lying, Breaking promises, Withholding important information, Being unfaithful, Not sharing domestic responsibilities.

THREATS AND INTIMIDATION

Threatening to harm the victim, the children, family members and pets, Using physical size to intimidate, Shouting, Keeping weapons and threatening to use them.

EMOTIONAL WITHHOLDING

Not expressing feelings, Not giving compliments, Not paying attention, Not respecting the victim's feelings, rights and opinions, Not taking the victim's concern seriously.

DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY

Destroying  furniture, Punching walls, Throwing things, Breaking dishes.

SELF DESTRUCTTIVE BEHAVIOR

Abusing drugs or alcohol, Threatening self-harm or suicide, Driving recklessly, Deliberately doing things that will cause trouble.

How can we have a complete picture of how God views women? One way is to examine the attitude and conduct of Jesus Christ, who is "the image of the invisible God" and who reflects perfectly God's view of matters. (Colossians 1;15) The dealings Jesus had with the women of his day show that God and Jesus respect women and that they certainly do not approve of the oppressive treatment that is so common in many lands today.

Consider for example, the occasion when Jesus spoke to a woman at a well, A woman of Samaria came to draw water". Jesus said to her:  "Give me a drink", Jesus was willing to talk to a Samaritan woman in public, even though most Jews had no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus, however, treated women with respect and consideration and was neither racially prejudiced nor gender prejudiced. On the contrary, it was to the Samaritan woman that Jesus for the first time plainly identified himself as the Messiah (John 4:7-9, 25, 26)

On another occasion Jesus was approached by a woman who for 12 year had been suffering from an embarrassing and deliberating flow of blood. When she touched him, she was instantly healed. "Jesus turned around and noticing her said: Take courage daughter, your faith has made you well." (Matthew 9:22)

After Jesus was resurrected, his first appearance was to Mary Magdalene and another of his disciples, whom the Bible refers to as "the other Marry". Jesus could have appeared first to Peter, John, or one of the other male disciples. Instead, he dignified women by allowing them to be the first eyewitnesses of his resurrection. Jesus said to the women: "Go, report to my brothers" (Matthew 28:1, 5-10). Jesus was certainly not affected by the prejudices common to Jews of his day, according to which women could not serve as legal witnesses.

So, far from being biased against women or condoning chauvinistic attitudes toward them in any way, Jesus showed that he respected and appreciated women. Violence against them was completely contrary too what Jesus taught, and his attitude, we can be sure, was a perfect reflection of the way his Father sees things.

God's concern for the welfare of women is evident from the several instances in which he acted in behalf of his female worshippers. Twice he intervened to protect Abraham's wife, Sarah (Genesis 12:14-20). God showed favor to Jacob's less-loved wife, Leah by opening her womb, so that she bore a son (Genesis 29:31-32).  He also answered Hannah's fervent prayer (1Samuel 1:10-20) God enabled prophet Elisha to multiply her supply of oil so that she could pay her debt and still have sufficient for her family (Exodus 22:32-23; 2 Kings 4:1-7)

The prophets repeatedly condemned the exploitation of women or the use of violence against them. The rich and powerful in Israel were condemned because they had evicted women from their homes and mistreated children (Micah 2:9). The God of justice sees and condemns as evil such suffering caused to women and their children.

Women are not to be oppressed victims of men who take advantage of them, mistreat them, or subject them to abuse of any kind. Instead, the married woman is to be the happy and accomplished "complement" of her husband. (Genesis 2:18)

When writing to Christian husbands about how they should treat their wives, Peter urged husbands to imitate the attitudes of  Jesus Christ. "You husband, continue assigning them honor (1 Peter 3:7). Assigning honor to a person implies that one VALUES and RESPECTs such a one highly. Thus, the man who honors his wife does not humiliate her, downgrade her, or treat her violently. Rather, he demonstrates by his words and his deeds in public and in private that he cherishes and loves her. Honoring one's wife certainly contributes to happiness in a marriage.

Since mankind's fall into imperfection, women  in many cultures have been treated dishonorably. They have been physically, mentally and sexually abused. But that is not the treatment God intended for them. The Bible record clearly shows no matter what cultural views may prevail, all women should be treated with honor and respect. It is their God-given due.