I am sorry if a clear presentation of truth is so troubling for you.

First and foremost, I want make certain that I am crystal clear. A husband who abuses his wife is wrong. I never have and never will advocate any person abusing another. I know that was not the point of many here, but some seemed to be heading that direction with their thoughts, so I wanted to keep clarity at the forefront of this discussion.

Now on to the topic at hand. To understand this, I think it would help to understand a Christians purpose on earth. Our purpose can be summed up in three statements, each of which hinges on the next.

We are to Love God
because of our Love for God,
We are to Love Others
because of our Love for Others and our Love for God,
We are to be working to influence Others toward Loving God more.

With that in mind, even when we are in an abusive relationship, spouse or otherwise, we are to do all we can to help that person see God’s love more.

The two greatest examples of this come from the Bible. I know many of you look at the Bible as merely myth, but if one is looking to see how a Christian should live, then the Bible would be the natural source material.

The first example is Jesus. When he was abused, he did not resist, he did not pull away, no he stayed, engaged, and loved. Even to the loss of his life.

Paul is another example. His personal safety was not a litmus test in whether or not he should proceed with his mission for God, but safety was actually disregarded for the sake of sharing God’s love.

So based on this, I think a Christian woman should have the goal of showing a husband love regardless of her personal safety.

That being said, as a Christian would I condemn or look down on a woman who escaped from an abusive husband?

Never! That is between her and God.

I hope that helps clarify some things, feel free to respond.

yoyo: I think you need to understand that not all slavery back in Biblical times was the kind of slavery we have had here in America. Please take the time to research this and you’ll find that slaves were a lot of times just employees. Yes, they were technically “owned” but usually treated as one of the family, not beaten up and lynched. The way it applies to us today is that we need to be treating our bosses with respect. That’s how it has something positive for us today.

VJ: I take extreme offense to you saying my God is sick and sadistic. I’m not sure where you get that from? I know you can twist what submission means into saying that wives must obey their husbands, but in a healthy relationship that’s now how it works. The wife’s opinion matter so much that the husband should always be taking his wife’s opinion into account. Jesus (whether you believe it or not) died on the cross for us… and that’s what a husband should do.. lay down his life, his desires, his motives, his needs… for his wife.