Tough Stuff

In Pastoral Care class today we talked about sexual and physical abuse. It just amazes me how people can do some of the things they do, and, in the worst cases, to their own children. We watched a video which I had seen previously about children's abuse cases and it was really gut wrenching in some regard. I remember at Wake we did the Speak-Out program during Rape Awareness week. Students would anonymously submit personal narratives about rape or sexual abuse to be read aloud by other students to an full chapel audience. Those were stories that took place on my campus and I was amazed and horrified. The ones which I remember really striking me were stories submitted by men reporting rape. We touched briefly on this in class today and I think its a tough issue. How do you get a man to a point where he can say, "I was raped," or, "A woman is beating me,"? I remember the feelings of horror and anger I felt when I recognized a young lady's voice that was reading a story. Then, my friend informed me that the folks reading the stories were not the folks who had written them. It was a relief to me personally, but there was still someone out there who had expeienced that crime. Overall, its just a disgusting topic.

A couple of years ago I read a good novel about the emotional, physical, and sexual abuse of a young woman and how she dealt with her life. It took place in a highly religious context, which is what made it so strikingly awful. I reccommend it to you: The Rapture of Canaan, by Sheri Reynolds.

-R