A Theoretical Model of Spouse Abuse by Christian Fundamentalists

for a fundamentalist husband.

He’s been told repeatedly that he is “in charge.” He has been told that this position is given to him directly on the authority of God. Likely, the wife has agreed to be submissive, if the marriage took place when they were both fundamentalist adherents. Also, he is probably getting regular “booster shots” of the authoritarian dribble at church and from coreligionists on a regular basis. Divorce is taboo, or close to it.

Might not such a husband become very agitated, frustrated, and angry? Additionally, might he not view his anger as a type of righteous indignation? In such a case, is it not possible that something just “snaps” and he lashes out at his wife? Perhaps physically, but if not, certainly with all kinds of psychological pressure and abuse?

This may be a phenomenon very difficult to document empirically because it depends on self-report regarding both behaviors and religious beliefs. I believe that this was the downfall in my original methodology. Since my original decision to study this phenomenon, I have been devising a different way to go about things. It just stands to reason that research to this point would tend to be inconclusive. It is likely that many men (and women) would be rather guarded and reticent to “come clean” about it all. How much are fundamentalist adherents, either abusers or the abused willing to disclose? The approaches taken thus far have relied, at least in large measure, on precisely on such self-report.

Still, I do know from my history among the fundamentalists that abusive scenarios have been played out in tragic scenes spurred on by pathological religious devotion. I do not say that such abuse is frequent. I do, however, believe that fundamentalist indoctrination and belief makes domestic violence a more likely occurrence.

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