Thoughts on celeb status, the church and our attitude to rape
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I’ve been pondering this whole Russell Brand rape case for the weekend. For me there are many factors but two or three here that I’ll mention
Firstly CHURCH and the way the congregation Brand attended handled him. I’m not going to say much about it as Jon Kuhrt does a great piece here on cheap grace and the truth – Russell Brand: three lessons in grace + truth – Grace + Truth
But I would like to add that we, as in church and as in human beings and how we live life now don’t do accountability well. I remember my first husband worked in a factory that was family run – father and his best mate started the company and their sons worked on the shop floor and would eventually take it over. Some of the conversations he had, as an teenager starting work at 16 and onwards, helped him in many areas of life. There was lots of “walking together”. Now my current husband works from home at a computer all day, rarely sees anyone and rarely has those “life” conversations. I’d also say too that school has changed. There is much more competition and less collaboration. It is hard to be accountable and open with each other when you are in competition with each other.
Even when I first became a Christian over 30 years ago there was much hanging out together, eating together, sharing lives together. Now I don’t remember the last time I was invited for a meal. People are busier. There might be discipleship groups and bible study groups and events but it is not the same as just being together and talking life.
Then there is our attitude to RAPE. I think too often we don’t understand how a woman, or a man for that matter – and that is another whole matter!! – feels when they are rape or when they live with the fear of rape. Someone I know was raped over 60 years ago and she still has flashbacks. It is a deep trauma that we don’t like to talk about. Really this case with Brand has only come to court because a reporter went all out to make a case and prove his guilt. It is hadn’t been for Urwin and her team this would never have come to court. How many other women, who were raped by men who are not big name celebrities, have never been able to get to their case heard? Have had to be told to “get over it” to “move on”? Or been taken through the ordeal of a court case only for it to be throw out due to lack of evidence? Due to a judge who thought maybe they “asked for it”?
It is said that the number of rape cases reported are only a small proportion of the number of rapes that happen. And of those that get reported there are only a small number where there is enough, what would be called “clear concrete” evidence to take them to court. So there are a lot of men out there who don’t get tried, who don’t get convicted, who then go and do it again because there really is no team of reporters working towards getting them to court. How do you try a case that happened 60 years ago, that still affects the victim, but the perpetrator may have forgotten about?
I would like it if this famous case helps us open our eyes to rape, to how hard it is to convict people of rape, and to the damage it does not just to those raped, not just at the time but how it affects their futures.
And many it would be great if the Christian church could take the lead on this? Wouldn’t that be a testimony?
So what do I think? Well for someone to win the majority of the voting public must have voted for them, even if by a small majority. I know after Brexit there was a lot of talk of the percentage that didn’t vote and that if they had voted then there would be no Brexit. Um! How was one to know what they would have voted for? The same here. I don’t know how many Americans voted yesterday and one can claim that if the rest had voted the result would have been different but would it? I really do hope we don’t get into that because that’s silly.
finding it easier to keep in touch, people knowing what the rest of the world is like, and also migration became easier. But it appears from these two times of voting that the majority of people who voted do not want that. They do not want to be multicultural. And actually when they see what the media is throwing at them why should they? If you live somewhere that has very few people of a different ethic mix to you but you watch the media and all you see is people of cultures and colours you do not know fighting and killing each other do you really want them living by you?
and killing, to stop integration of those of a different race, colour, religion, background. And in stopping that integration they are working on a basis of ethnic cleansing or assimilation.
But my hope and prayer is that this vote is accepted, that people are kind about it and that
We seem to be in a time of great political change in our country. For the first time ever we have an uncontested leader of our country. Is this right? Who can say. But it is a first, at least since the time of voting democracy. Watching satire programs in fascinating because by the time they are screen, having been recorded 24 hours earlier they are no longer news but old news. Things have moved so fast. All program makers know that there can often be items that are changing, like with an election coming up or a big football match – like the Wales/Portugal semi-final. Oh and as an aside – I thought it was great that the team that beat Wales went on to win Euro2016. Wales was beaten by the best not the second best 🙂 Anyway that is an aside.
someone is uncontested like this. But again it is saying something about the speed things are moving – within 3 weeks the UK is a very different place.
friend and thinks I’m it 🙂 That’s good news but again it is faster than I thought. She goes to the Bible study group we sometimes go to on a Thursday evening. We are still at the point of trying to work out what church we want to connect with and get involved with but here is a girl who wants me to do the discipling/bible study/mentoring bit already.
that I can do, the things I’m meant to do. Trusting God isn’t an idle time but a time of listening doing what He is leading me into – which at this moment means posting this and getting on with some publicity stuff 🙂
Well I cannot believe what I am reading. I know that some of my friends voted to remain and some voted to leave but I cannot believe the vitriolic comments I am reading on various sites from both sides – vitriolic anger from the Remains and vitriolic glee from those who won. What is the matter with people!!! And also the level of sadness, verging on depression, from those who lost.
football teams, the team loses, those in charge step down. David Cameron put forward this idea of a referendum on Europe surely a real leader should be willing to help whatever the outcome was. In my opinion, humble as it is, I feel that he should be willing to help and support the change that he ensued.
As some on the Northumberland Community facebook page said “How can we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?” And for all whether believer in the Lord or not we do all need to work out how we can sing and live in this strange new land rather than rant or sulk about it.
So tomorrow Britain goes to the polls to decide whether it wants to stay in the European Union or leave. By Friday lunchtime – less than 48 hours away – we will know. I am not going to say what I’m voting but I know that I too have been sway by who is voting for what and how it will affect me personally. If we are honest who isn’t?
But also, as was seen with Jo Cox, there is a possibility that one can be killed or as many other politicians, stalked and sent hate mail not just to them but to their families. I know that would sway how I spoke out.
neighbour and be reconciled with itself. There has been talk of a third world war if …. but I just hope that we can all let peace reign no matter what happens tomorrow.
