Violence Against Women

Regular readers will remember the story I posted to Povey Prattle on 10th October 2012, It was about a man who wanted me to officiate at a wedding, and his woken friend who was "not so sure".

 see:

http://jmichaelpovey-retiredpoveinsarasota.blogspot.com/2012/10/follow-up-on-yesterdays-post-when-faith.

(cut and paste this URL if necessary)

I had heard not a thing until Saturday morning (20th October 2012) when the woman called me to tell me that the man had tried to choke her with an electric lead on Friday night.

She had called the police, not at the time of the attack, but on Saturday morning when the man had left for work. Reportedly the police told her that she could apply for a restraining order but not until Monday morning.

So on Saturday she said that wanted to talk with me, (i.e. to “solve the problem”).  I ventured that the time for talk was far gone and that urgent action was now vital.

Then she hurriedly and politely hung up on me, stating that her Landlord was there to change the door locks, and that she would call me later.

It was hard for me to leave matters “up in the air”, but I did not know her address.

So I sent her a text message, informing her about Sarasota’s “SPARCC” (Safe Place And Rape Crisis Center) and urging her to call them.

She ‘phoned me later in the day.  Her apartment locks had been changed.  Her boyfriend had arrived but had been pacific when she would not allow him into the apartment.

Best of all she had called SPARCC  (who have much more wisdom and resources than I).

I keep her in my prayers.

And I ask those of you who are sometimes dismissive about the role of Vicars/Ministers/Priests/Rabbis etc to understand that we often try to do the very best we can in the “real world”.  Our lives are not all about Church services and afternoon tea!

 In the meantime Republicans in the House of Representatives are blocking the renewal of the “Violence Against Women Act”.  Go figure.

How many women must be battered, bruised, slashed, beaten and killed before House Republicans are willing to get off their ideological high horses and enter the real world?

And fie on those Priests, Ultra-Orthodox Rabbis, Reactionary Imams, Evangelical Preachers, Bishops of the Anglican Communion, Mormon "Bishops", Eastern Orthodox Prelates -  and the Bishop of Rome (a.k.a. "The Pope" ) who insist that God has designed males for leadership and females for submission.