Beth Richie and bell hooks
Those who spare the rod hate their children, but those who love them are diligent to discipline them (Prv. 13:24, NRSVUE)
As students of Bible, and for many raised within Christian households, have we struggled to critique violence? Do you fear exposing the violence within your own family? Can you truly be healed while holding those secrets in place? Bell hooks states, and many of us would agree, that violence often starts in the home. In fact, "Spare the rod, spoil the child," is one of the most often quoted and misquoted verses of the Bible.
When a father uses physical (or verbal) beatings to discipline his daughter, and then he tells he does because he loves her, how does this imprint violence as acceptable and necessary on women's lives?
Do we still advocate that we must "break" the will of our children as a way of protecting them from the police? If so, how do current events reveal that compliance is not a guarantee against violent forms of harm?
How is violence celebrated and even demanded within some of our favorite sports - and why are we surprised when athletes are often unable to "turn off" that violence in their private lives?
This critique of violence provides value as we consider its usage as a mechanism of control: whether in private homes, in wider society, or even the use of violence against other countries. If violence of any kind has been of concern, you will find value in this discussion.
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