Relation violences sexuelles basées sur le genre, coutume et église

L'église est un lieu d'amour, de protection, de paix où l'homme et la femme créés à l'image de Dieu doivent vivre en harmonie. Dieu dans sa bonté, a permis l'utilisation des femmes pour le bien être de son peuple malgré la déconsidération de la femme. C'est dans cet environnement que Jésus est né. Il a encouragé la promotion de la femme, c'est pourquoi il n' a pas condamné la femme adultère, il a eu un entretien avec la femme samaritaine, Marie sa mère a eu le privilège de le porter dans son sein, Déborah est allé au champ de bataille, Miriam a dirigé le peuple d'Israel avec ses freres, etc, ce sont des exemples édifiants de la Bible qui montre que la femme a des atouts et qu'elle a servi à coté de l'homme. Cependant, l'impact de la coutume est toujours visible dans l'église, la femme continue à être marginalisée, déconsiderée, loin des instances des décisions. Dans certaines églises, elle est évangesliste, choriste, intrecesseur, encadreuse des enfants dans l'école de dimanche, s'occupe du sociale( deuil, mariage, naissance, démunis, veuves orphelins....) et quelques oeuvres du développement au profit des hommes dans l'église car la plupart de fois, son élèvage sert à récevoir les visiteurs de l'église, son argent, sa force, son intelligence, sont utilisés à d'autres fins de l'église etc... simplement par ce que la femme ne doit pas repliquer quand l'homme a déja parlé. D'ailleurs elle n"est pas permise de parler devant les hommes ni s'exprimer librement car certains pensent que la femme ne peut rien dire de bon. Si un homme lance une idée terre à terre, les autres le reprimande qu'il parle comme une femme. Si une femme a bien agi, celle-là n'est pas une femme c'est un homme comme si les bons actes sont posées par les hommes seulement et l'homme n'est peut jamais se tromper. Les personnes de mauvaises volonté en profite pour mal interpréter quelques versets bibliques tels que 1Corinthien 14, 34-35 qui defend à la femme de parler dans l'assemblée; et 1Thimothée2,10-15 parle de la soumission et ne doit pas enseigner. Pour cela nous n'avons pas des pasteurs femmes ni des prêtres, ni anciens de l'église dans plusieurs communautés religieuses. Combien des femmes professeurs des universités chrétiennes qui enseignent les pasteurs? Après les études, les pasteurs recoivent des églises à diriger et pas leurs professeurs. La coutume en soi est elle à écarter totalement ou quel est le rôle de l'église vis a vis de la coutume ? A suivre

English translation by PulseWire member milsgra

The church is a place of love, of protection, of peace where men and women created in the image of God must live in harmony. Although women have been discredited, God has granted their purpose for the well being of his people. It is in such an environment that Jesus was born. He encouraged the advancement of women; hence he did not punish the Samaritan woman. His mother, Mary, had the privilege of carrying him in her bosoms. Deborah went to the battlefield. Miriam along with her brothers led the people of Israel etc. These are edifying examples found throughout the Bible proving how valuable women are and how she served alongside men. Meanwhile the cultural impacts are still visible in the church, women are still marginalized, discredited, kept far from decision-making roles. In some congregation she is, evangelist, choir member, intercessor, she shoulders the young through her teaching in Sunday school, takes care of the social obligations (mourning, weddings, birth, the homeless, the widows and the orphans….). She is also in charge of other aspects of the church such as the developmental aspects to support the men of the congregation, for in several instances, her herd is used to feed guests, her money, her strength, her wisdom are all used for the progression of the church etc.. Only because she is a woman she is not allowed to have the last word when a man has spoken. Moreover she is not allowed to speak in the presence of men nor to express her point of view freely for some believe that women have nothing positive to say. If a man throws a closed-minded idea, it is said he is speaking like a woman. If a woman acts honorably, she is thus not a woman, rather a man as if good deeds only come from men and men are never wrong. People of ill-faith have taking advantage of this to misinterpret certain biblical verses such as 1corinthians 14:34-35 which does not permit women to speak in the assembly; and 1thimothy 2: 10-15 which talks about submission and to not teach. Thus we have no women serving neither as pastors or priests, nor as elders in many religious communities. How many women scholars in the universities teaching pastors? After the diploma, the pastors are assigned churches to lead but never do their professors get that opportunity. Should culture have a role to play in the church or vice versa? To be continued

Violence towards women in the church

Should culture be ignored? No, there are some traditional values and African customs specially some Congolese ones to keep. These are: Respect, solidarity, work initiative, obedience, virginity for the young girls etc. All these are in place to eschew certain nefarious consequences in an individual’s life, namely the bible stresses these particularly. The church should draw its inspiration from the Holy Scriptures to insure women’s liberation lauded by Jesus-Christ. Certain practices such as: Levirate (the custom of marriage by a man with his brother’s widow), sororate (subsequent or concurrent marriage with a wife’s sister), forced marriages, premature marriages (child brides), and sexual harassment should not be present in the church. Regrettably, the church accepts to validate and bless those unions. And lately the widowers marry the granddaughters who will remain with the grand kids in the care of the older siblings when the father-grand father passes away. Certain churches or prayer cells dare break up marriage under the pretenses that the husband or the man is not the right spouse. Others support prostitution in the church especially towards sterile women who are being duped by accepting sacred seed that are being compared to traditional purification rituals where the widow before remarrying has to sleep with a very well known purifying man to avoid bad luck with the new husband or to spare the children. Fortunately the church has finally opened it eyes on that aspect. Understandably the church has a long journey ahead. It must continue to play its prophetic and theological role for a better society free of discrimination and marginalization, for it is where one must find the meaning of life.