Abstract
The aim of this research was to understand the views of a sample of women in a classical Pentecostal church in Johannesburg, on the relationship between religion, culture, and gender-based violence (GBV). The study explores the connection between religion and culture and the influence the duo has on the understanding of the study participants on GBV, with the main research being: How do women in a selected Pentecostal church understand the relationship between religion, culture and GBV? The motivation for this study was the high rate of GBV in South Africa coupled with the fact that church and culture appear to have the capacity to encourage as well as discourage GBV.
The methodology employed in this study is qualitative method with semi structured interviews and the Contextual Bible Study (CBS) method as its data collection methods. A total of ten participants were selected for the study from two parishes of the Church of His Saints (pseudonym) in Johannesburg. Of these participants eight were interviewed individually online via WhatsApp voice call. Five out of the eight participants who were individually interviewed and two others participated in online CBS sessions which were also held via WhatsApp. The interview and CBS transcripts were analyzed using open coding, and the concepts that were generated in this way which were further merged to form categories. Analysis of the data was done using the theoretical lens offered by Musimbi Kanyoro’s cultural hermeneutics, which emphasizes the treatment of women’s experiences as unique to them, as there is no uniform experience of women.
For the research participants, GBV meant certain kind of things done against a woman but also certain things that they expected should be done for women (by men) not being done. The study shows that though most often it is men who perpetuate GBV against women, in the context of these research participants, women and others, including family and church members, also perpetuate abuse against women. In these women’s narratives perpetrators of GBV against women were the beneficiaries of the abuse while women remained victims; these benefits constitute the reason why relatives of victims of violence do not let them speak out because they do not want to lose whatever gain they may be enjoying. The study also draws
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attention to a belief among these women that sometimes men who abuse/violate women do not intend to abuse them, but act under the influence of evil spirits. However, they did not conclude that being possessed by evil spirits exonerates an abuser, because it is his own responsibility to seek help. Despite abuse and violation, the study shows that some women in this context are often silent on abuse due to the following reasons: not knowing who to trust, threat from the abuser or those benefiting from the abuse, sense of shame, and so on.
Furthermore, based on the analysis of the women’s stories, it appears that the Bible and culture are used to back up abuse. The research participants perceived both culture and the Bible as having gender roles assigned differently to men and women and this differentiation influenced their understanding of what GBV is. It is considering this that they count it as violation when men do not perform the said roles. Women remaining in abusive marriages was discussed as an example that sheds light on the ways in which culture and religion intersect in the context of GBV. The research participants spoke of women who remain in abusive marriages, arguing that they do not leave those marriages because both culture and their interpretation of the Bible does not give such room, also because religion and culture have influenced them to the point that they are not able to take an uninfluenced decision.
Based on the above, the study argues that there is a thin line between what is considered cultural and what is considered as religious gender roles. Again, both religion and culture have a lot of influence on individual’s beliefs, choices, and preferences. Also, there is no clear definition of GBV because the definitions differ based on different understandings, perceptions, and experiences people have, with regards to religion and culture. More so, the victim’s choice to remain silent most of the time is not for their personal benefit, but for family protection. Finally, remaining in abusive marriage is not a choice, because victims of abusive marriages often make culture-based and religion-based choices.