We, as the church, should not be ‘putting a band-aid’ on this deep wound by keeping such issues ‘hush-hush’ or ‘banning’ the issue from being spoken about or brought to light in or outside of the church setting. Instead, we should be sensitive to the emotional well being of the victim by keeping certain details of the abuse private between Pastors and victim. At the same time we should be driven, as a Church, to band together as a whole on behalf of the victim or victims by being bold enough to step forward and call the church forth to enter into a time of prayer and intercession for all involved.

So how do we help someone that is going through something that we know so little about? Well, a good first step would be by educating ourselves on Domestic Abuse, in order to further be of assistance to the victim, who may not be educated as well. The more we know about it, the more we will be of help to them, and will have more of a general idea of which direction to guide them in.

For instance, many victims do not know that there are laws in place that are meant to protect them. It is my intention to bring the issue of Domestic Abuse and the laws regarding Domestic Abuse to as many people’s attention as possible, hoping that by doing so, not only will they be more thoroughly educated on what their rights are as a victim of domestic abuse, but also bring to light what they can do or request to do when it comes to fighting for their children or for their protection in a court of law, if need be.

Defining Domestic Abuse

Domestic Abuse is defined differently in every state. However, in most states Domestic Abuse is defined as:

(a) “Domestic abuse” means the following, if committed against a family or household member by a family or household member:

(1) physical harm, bodily injury, or assault;

(2) the infliction of fear of imminent physical harm, bodily injury, or assault; or

(3) terroristic threats; criminal sexual conduct; or interference with an emergency call

(b) “Family or household members” means:

(1) spouses and former spouses;

(2) parents and children;

(3) persons related by blood;

(4) persons who are presently residing together or who have resided together in the past;

(5) persons who have a child in common regardless of whether they have been married or have lived together at any time;

(6) a man and woman if the woman is pregnant and the man is alleged to be the father, regardless of whether they have been married or have lived together at any time; and

(7) persons involved in a significant romantic or sexual relationship.

Though our states define their statutes on Domestic Abuse a bit differently than the other states, I have found that all of the states are pretty much saying the same thing:

That the definition of Domestic Abuse does not just pertain to inflicted ‘physical’ injuries to the victim, but also pertains to the inflicted ‘emotional’ injuries as well. If the abuser is doing as much as even ‘threatening’ the victim to make them feel afraid of them or make them fear that physical injury may be a possibility, it is legally considered to be Domestic Abuse.

Again, the more we know about this subject, the more we can help others with it. It is up to us to continue getting educated on this sensitive issue that has been in the ‘closet’ for far too long. Please consider being a part of helping us bring this issue to light in the church and outside of it. Please click on More on Domestic Abuse or click on any of the pages on the left side to continue your education on Domestic Abuse.

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