Be Raped or Convert
December 30, 2008
Posted by
The Voice of the Martyrs
If there is one word that I hate in the English language, it is the word rape. As a woman, there is probably nothing that we fear more than being raped or gang raped, and yet, today I read this tremendously tragic piece from Mission Network News about a woman who was raped because she refused to convert back to Islam, my heart just breaks.
I wonder if people understand the gravity of being raped. Sometimes it's like the word just trickles off of our tongues, and we think "oh that's horrible" and yet all over the world, women are raped all of the time. And yet add insult to injury by being raped because you believe in the One True God. It's hard to imagine, but women who truly love the Lord Jesus that much, are willing to endure such torture and torment as to not deny Christ. Remember when Peter denied Christ simply because he was asked if he knew Jesus...that was not even close to rape.
I would like you to think about the survivors of rape today, especially in regards to those who are undergoing such torture because of their faith in Jesus Christ.
When a woman is raped physically she may suffer from vaginal bleeding, chronic pelvic pain, urinary tract infections, decreased desire for sexual intimacy. She may also contract a sexually transmitted disease, including AIDS and HIV if her rapist has those.
Sadly, the effects a woman can go through psychologically include but are not limited to: anger, suicidality, regression, panic, panic attacks, post traumatic stress, nightmares, guilt, and depression.
And spiritually a woman can also have to struggle with their faith and never ending questions about why God allowed her to be raped.
Nothing good comes from rape, and so as we talk about women who are raped because of their religious beliefs, I urge you to remember the whole person in prayer as you read their stories.
Click here to read the full story about Martha Samuel and please pray for her.