Biblical Battered Wife Syndrome

[Ludicrus]

Great thread, with so much information in one place. Persecution happening internally -- within the churches, within the homes -- is just as valid as houses being burned in distant lands.

I would like to mention that wife-submission did not used to be taught so aggressively as it is now, and couples did just fine.

I don't mean there weren't troubles, but at least the offenses weren't defended with religious vigor. The abused were not confused by extra dogma that pulled them away from reporting the crimes. These ARE crimes. Abuse is sin, not "godly order of the household."

When one verse is accentuated, it often leads to theological error. Look at all the church movements that were considered off-base, cults and sects that twisted scriptures to increase loyalty and submission. This imbalance creates distortion of truth, while it shouts out how much it promotes truth.

This phenomenon is not rare, and is not limited to small sectors of the church. I have witnessed it locally and in spiritually-intense churches.

It is true that Moses' law provided for divorce, so we have no right broadcasting dogmatically that God disallowed divorce. That is simply not true. Not scriptural. If we neglect to look to the Torah, we misunderstand what Jesus taught -- that was His premise for explaining the nuances of the Law of Moses.

The New Testament church had female leaders, couples that team-led, females that were over men. The letters gave provision for divorce of Jewish couples who found irreconcilable differences with their faith. What is being taught in many churches today is very slanted and distorted.

Within the teachings throughout the Bible, there is also an emphasis on the community defending justice, protecting the innocent, providing for the downtrodden, and helping bring out truth. The church is in a place right now, generally, where members would rather float on coattails of popular figures, than protect an abused person.

I am for Apollo, I am for Cephas, that woman wants to bring him down ...

We need to listen to ourselves talk.

There's an awful lot of apostasy out there with a lot of abuse to try and keep people in line.

"Idol" worship has become rampant in the churches. People get violent when you point out that their pastor has gotten into error or heresies.

They've brainwashed most of their people to the point that many are even afraid to stand up for the truth against them. "Touch not my anointed..."
However, when you see a false teacher that is channeling or swapping demons, preaching opposite of the Word of God and teaching doctrines that demons teach, you've got to ask, "Anointed by whom?"

I wouldn't touch some of these "anointed" with a ten foot pole. I don't want their demons.

 

[Gottservant]

submission means know the will of a husband who is in his right mind, is sober and calm, anything else will lead to suffering

 

[lismore]

Violence is wrong, no-one should stay or be required to stay in a violent situation.

The bible does say 'wives submit to your husbands' but in the same passage it says 'husbands love your wives as Christ loves the church'

You cannot have submission without love. If you love someone you won't kick or punch them or anything like that.

 

[razzelflabben]

Violence is wrong, no-one should stay or be required to stay in a violent situation.

The bible does say 'wives submit to your husbands' but in the same passage it says 'husbands love your wives as Christ loves the church'

You cannot have submission without love. If you love someone you won't kick or punch them or anything like that.

the problem with this assumption is that scripture tells us that submission is not because of anything the husband does or does not do, but rather it is an act of obedient service to God. Therefore submission (properly done) does not rely on the husbands love or lack thereof. For the "submission means obedience" crowd, this is a teaching that is dismissed...however, if we take our understanding from I Peter 3 Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, 2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. 3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. 5 For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands,

then submission to an abusive husband is possible because submission can be done from a protective distance...iow's don't stay in an abusive situation for those that will want to argue my point by claiming I am saying otherwise.

One more comment, after this description of submission, Sarah is upheld as an example of a wife in submission, but no one wants to talk about Sarah lying to Abraham, sinning on behalf of him (which is never acceptable) being given free reign over the household even to the point of evil, or her being right while Abraham was wrong, and being told that by God. The way most people interpret submission today, Sarah would be "executed" for being disrespectful to her husband even though scripture upholds her as a submissive wife....just saying...