Our present emotional landscape contains the fear of all who have been raped and all who rape. That is a devastating picture of our world. There is no possibility of finding wholeness in the midst of silence. In the context of religious community, or even just the context of a spiritual journey, the effects of sexism are far-reaching. I am reminded of an observation bell hooks has made about sexism.
Sexism is unique.
This is why our religious communities are so important in understanding and responding to the problem of violence against women. In a religious setting, a context established for the purpose of binding what is broken, we may not be able to overcome the dangerous myths, but we can answer them. We can refuse to be silent. We can listen as others break the silence. We can draw each other into community.