Oppressive husbands

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I’ve really found myself in a hornet’s nest of bitter old hags.
You post in one thread that you’ve never seen a hard-working women and in another that “a lot” of women make their life harder because they don’t do what you would tell them to do. You didn’t post those things thinking this would win you any popularity contests, did you?

I think you took a stick and went and found yourself a hornet’s nest to stir up, then managed to be surprised when you succeeded.

So much for your decision-making ability. :rolleyes: 😃
 
Some husbands use or go beyond Church rules to oppress there wife. A good submissive wife maybe trying to be submissive to God’s Will but her husband may by his nature takes advantage of her submission to God’s will to give him more power over her as her husband. The idea of being submissive to God’s will for women tends to lead to abusive men taking advantage of it.
You are right that some men take advantage of a submissive attitude and are abusive or oppressive, but there is nothing in the idea of submission itself that causes this. God has called each to submit to the other, and submission is His will for us all. Therefore, submission is a means of grace. The fact that some do not walk in that grace causes dysfunction and sin.
Because some husband abuse this power of submission it cause the wife to but trapped in abuse, even it its just emotional abuse. It can even go so far as to prevent a wife a way out of a abusive relationship or at least make it more dangerous and a life time of suffering either way.
There is no doubt that this is true, but it is not caused by submission. It is caused by the sin of oppression.
Oppressive men tend to be very attracted to the Catholic Church because its rules can be easily abused and kept hidden. it makes me sick because I love my Catholic faith but hate how some people abuse it. Women aren’t perfect either but this thread is about oppressive men. this kind of man usually refueses coounseling or spiritual guidance and if they do go they tend to think they are smarter then everyone else and therefore its bad advice they received. IMPO a abusive father is worse than no father at all.
Having grown up with an abusive father who was a violent alcoholic, I can’t deny that having no father was better. It was also necessary for my mother to obtain a civil divorce and separate from him in order to protect us kids, and to motivate him to go to treatment.

The oppressive tendency is also equally supported in non-Catholic venues. One only need to read the experiences of women in the mid East to see that oppression is not Catholic. There are plenty of fundamental religions that feed that oppressive tendency.
How do we teach/change men like this to become better husbands and fathers?
This has to start with early intervention, with the children when they are still in pre-school, so that they have an alternative presented to them about how men could and should behave.
if a wife does leave a husband like this how does she prevent his marcissistic brainwashing upon the children? (more then likely he will get some custody).
Sometimes this cannot be prevented,but can be healed later. It is important that the woman not enable the sins (because that is a sin also) by tolerating abuse.
 
Yes, when you tell someone that they ought to see a person with their parents before marrying them, you do have to explain what that means, what the red flags are, and when red flags are or aren’t deal-breakers. After all, the definition of a dysfunctional family that says, “A dysfunctional family is any family with more than one person in it” is only partly tongue-in-cheek! When talking about extended families, that goes double. If you hold out for somebody with a perfect family, you’re probably never going to marry.
 
Mostly it was a joke. But there’s some truth to it as she does seem to find a way to make her life more difficult than it has to be in just about every area. I see a lot of women do this. If she’d listen to me more her life would be much easier, but alas, I give her too much freedom. I’ve always told her she can do whatever she wants, for the most part. If I would only oppress her a little, she’d be much happier and our lives would be easier. I’m resisting the urge to become an oppressor, but it seems like a very reasonable and logical avenue to take.
Her husband. Is it not my duty to care for my family?
Absolutely! You are the spiritual head of the household. Your focus is off, though. It is not you she needs to listen to, but God. Your duty is to encourage and enhance her walk with God, to hear the voice of the HS in her life. To the extent that you and the HS are in harmony, she will then listen to you better as well.

Oppression of other human beings is never appropriate, and is a sin against the freedom for which Christ was crucified. Oppression is also not “reasonable and logical”. There are other more appropriate ways for you to influence her to make good decisions.
 
You sound like a very unhappy person.
No, she does not. On the contrary, you are the one who is coming across as reflecting contempt for women in general, and your wife in particular. It has been mentioned that one can look to how a man relates with his mother to see how things will go for a wife. It seems you may need some healing in your relationship with your mother. This is the best way to prevent oppression and contempt in the marriage. God can heal these sins by HIs grace, if we are willing to give them over to HIm. That requires, of course, that we first recognize and take responsibility for them.
 
Oh man, thanks so much for the brilliant advice! I had never considered that this could all be used against me in the court of law when people find out the truth about me! I am so grateful, you may have just saved me a lot of trouble.
Actually no. Your trouble will follow you to the judgement seat of Christ, where you will give an account of every word that you have placed here. Your sarcastic response is evidence that you are unable to accept feedback / correction from your brethren in Christ. This is a sign that we are lacking in humility. If a person such as myself gives you a comment that does not fit, you can still accept it graciously, rather than sarcastically. If someone chides you about your lack of charity(as has happened to me here more than once 😊) the appropriate response is to take it to heart and pray that the HS will form the Spirit of Christ in you, and that your attitude toward women will be the same as His.

The human court of law is the least of your troubles. It is the eternal court to which you will answer!
 
Look, I was joking. And I even made a reasonable explanation. I think the problem here is that I outed myself as being a man in this thread. lol

Maybe you should re-read that post in a more charitable light as there is already plenty of explanation in it.

Let’s say some kid built the classic water trap along a dirt path. You know, dug a hole, filled it with water and threw a layer of dirt to float on top so that it looks just like the rest of the dirt path. Here comes my wife down the path pushing the baby in the stroller.** Now what do I do? If I tell her about it, I will be oppressing her, forcing my will on her, bending her to my desires by telling her an easier way to go about her day.**
What this tells us is that you don’t know how to communicate with your wife in a manner that will be conducive to her listening to you. If the only way you know how to “tell her” is one that is oppressive and forceful, or that is intended to “bend her” to your deisres, then you need some work on your communication skills.

Of course it is your responsibility to warn her about such a tragedy, but to be effective, one must do so skillfully.
So, should I just let her barrel on into the water trap and then tell her how she should have noticed it? Which of these two avenues of action do you believe would more exhibit charity, love, and compassion?
It is rarely charitable to give anyone “shoulds”. It is also rarely helpful to scold someone AFTER they have made a mistake. Here is a good standard for charity I was taught once by a pastor:

1 Cor 13:4-7
white sheep is patient and kind; white sheep is not jealous or boastful; 5 white sheep it is not arrogant or rude. white sheep does not insist on its own way; white sheep is not irritable or resentful; 6 white sheep does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. 7 white sheep bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Your posts are coming across somewhat differently…

One can assess oneself by substituting one’s name.

1 Cor 13:4-7
Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; 5 it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
 
LOL is this guy for real??? :rotfl:

If so, I sure am happy MY husband doesn’t feel this way!
Just in case he is, let us all say a prayer for him?

Lord God, give your servant white sheep a heart like your own, that he may fulfill the icon of your relationship with the Church in his marriage. Let him come to understand your own love for your Bride, that he may lay down his life for her as you have. In humility like your own, may he give up his life for her that she may be set free from sin and death, and may the two of them sanctify one another, so that they may dwell for eternity in your Holy Place.
 
Lets just admit that there is not way to completely prevent an husband (wife too, but that would be a different thread) from being oppressive. Therefor the best way to handle this is to avoid it. Why would someone be involved with an oppressive person? Did a future wife overlook signs that would have raised red flags on her future husband? While people can change for the worst over time, I find that usually there were signs before. Clear signs.
 
Just in case he is, let us all say a prayer for him?

Lord God, give your servant white sheep a heart like your own, that he may fulfill the icon of your relationship with the Church in his marriage. Let him come to understand your own love for your Bride, that he may lay down his life for her as you have. In humility like your own, may he give up his life for her that she may be set free from sin and death, and may the two of them sanctify one another, so that they may dwell for eternity in your Holy Place.
If White Sheep is what we think he may be, he won’t be on CAF for much longer anyway.
 
I’ve been here longer than you have. Anyway, this thread reminds me why it is best for me to take extended breaks from the forum. See you in a few months!
 
You post in one thread that you’ve never seen a hard-working women and in another that “a lot” of women make their life harder because they don’t do what you would tell them to do. You didn’t post those things thinking this would win you any popularity contests, did you?

I think you took a stick and went and found yourself a hornet’s nest to stir up, then managed to be surprised when you succeeded.

So much for your decision-making ability. :rolleyes: 😃
EasterJoy, you are hilarious. :rotfl:
 
I’m not sure what you’re trying to get at with this.

A man must have respect for his mother. This DOES NOT mean that once he is married, he is to continue to put his mother before his wife.

Once a man is married, his wife must be the number one person in his life - even before children, and most certainly before parents. Same goes for the wife.

This is something we specifically learned about in our Pre Cana (engaged couple’s) retreat at our parish.
 
I know a lot of women who want to be abused. They think that their husbands don’t love them if they don’t hit them. If the husband doesn’t hit them they will do something to make him strike. I even know one who burned their house down because her husband didn’t do what she told him to do.

On the other hand the man is supposed to be the head of the household and should be obeyed without resorting to hitting his wife.
 
I’ve been here longer than you have. Anyway, this thread reminds me why it is best for me to take extended breaks from the forum. See you in a few months!
just take it as a lesson in humility. sometimes thats what CAF is best at.
 
I’ve been here longer than you have. Anyway, this thread reminds me why it is best for me to take extended breaks from the forum. See you in a few months!
I think humility is a good thing to have. I too take breaks from CAF once in a while.

I hope in a few months you are a bit more charitable towards women. We have feelings too and we get hurt when a man underscores our intelligence and assumes that we are the “weaker sex”.

I lived on my own until I was 30 and paid my own way through university. I sure am glad I can make good decisions without my husband. I definitely do not opress myself in any way and I sure hope your wife doesn’t feel that way either.

God bless.
 
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