Violence against women is a global scourge. A solution to it must address how we are raising our sons.
“The entire education of children should be such as to form habits of obedience to the moral and spiritual law…” wrote theologian Mary Baker Eddy.
This spiritual education is the great need of the day. It includes imparting models of men and women devoid of gender stereotypes and prejudice.
Turning to the Divine inspires and directs our teaching. My own spiritual practice has helped me understand that the real substance of men and women lies in the spiritual qualities each embodies and not in material bodies with differing physical characteristics. Spiritual qualities – honesty, wisdom, moral courage, love – are not gender-specific. Look around and you will see evidence that even the so-called masculine qualities of strength and courage or feminine qualities of tenderness and gentleness transcend gender barriers.
With this recognition of spiritual individuality, our sons will respect that individuality rather than infringe upon it. Then will we start to raise men incapable of violence against women.
The author is a practitioner and teacher of Christian Science healing
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