ABSTRACT
A brief overview of the relationship between religion and the secular world is an important starting point when laying the groundwork for understanding one of the ways in which religion shapes family violence and, especially, the religious response to it. This chapter provides an overview of the role that religion has played in shaping family violence. It identifies the specific texts and passages that institutionalized religions rely on for shaping appropriate gender roles and parent–child roles. The chapter explores the ways in which institutionalized religions have responded to family violence vis-a-vis texts and passages. It provides the tensions and the ways in which religious doctrine and practice have shaped all aspects of family violence, including prescriptions for gender roles and parent–child relationships that set the stage for family violence. The chapter examines the institutional responses to the phenomenon of family violence that arise when individuals seek help from priests, ministers, rabbis, and other religious leaders.
