Sexual Violence and Sacred Texts

At the heart of many religions are sacred texts that depict or even incite sexual violence. Most of this violence is directed against women and girls. Sexual Violence and Sacred Texts opens up an informed, passionate, interfaith dialogue for scholars and activists seeking to transform social problems that impact women and girls globally. Situated within struggles toward gender equity and widespread spiritual flourishing, these essays empower religious leaders, academics, and laypersons to confront and to creatively engage with sacred texts that re-inscribe sexual violence.

Readers will find in this book suggestions of how to make sense in the face of violent religious texts and to craft for themselves ways of bringing healing to themselves, and to the victimized so they can have a voice.

Mercy Amba Oduyoye, Women in Religion and Culture Institute, Trinity Theological Seminary, Legon, Accra, Ghana

This highly readable and insightful collection accomplishes several things at once: it lift s up the reality of gender-based violence in Jewish, Christi an, and Muslim Scriptures in ways that illuminate the roots of violence in our own time; it offers numerous concrete strategies for using painful texts as tools for healing and liberation; and it offers a variety of terrific models for thinking through how to deal with the hard places in Scripture.

Judith Plaskow, Professor Emerita of Religious Studies at Manhattan College

Sexual Violence and Sacred Texts takes an unflinching look at violence in religious texts from the perspective of women who are scholars of and participants in the traditions in which the texts are venerated. What emerges is a series of deep, faithful, brutally honest engagements with the scriptures of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Wil Gafney, Episcopal priest and Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible, Brite Divinity School