Perspective

I was checking CNN.com this morning for random news tidbits when I stumbled across this article, about how the king of Saudi Arabia has pardoned a victim of rape from being severely punished because of what happened to her. Many thoughts came to mind, despite the fact that it's Monday morning and I'm so sleepy that my eyes keep crossing.

In college, I took a lot of anthropology classes, one of which was aptly named "Cultural Anthropology of Women." We studied the roles of women in different societies by reading books about them, and were able to get new and different perspectives on things we hear about in the news when we heard the women talk about the issues in their own voices. Particularly interesting was the realization of just how ethnocentric we are in the United States. Obviously, I knew this was a problem; how could I not, when we are steadily working to Americanize the world? We are so convinced that if it's what we do, it's right, and anything that might be different from that standard is, by definition, wrong. We never stop to consider how it feels to the people living in it, and we never think that maybe we're the ones who have it wrong.

In any case, the one thing that stuck with me was the personal testimony of a woman in Iran, who wears the traditional head scarf and is obedient to the norms established for women by the culture. I was surprised by what she had to say, as I think most of us in the class were. She didn't object to the requirement that she cover her face and body entirely at all times. Her thought was that if people couldn't see her, they couldn't very easily have lustful or inappropriate thoughts about her. That, to her (and to me), is a very good thing. How many of us, modest in our approach to dressing and presenting ourselves, have felt dirty and angry when the object of catcalls and whistles? By covering herself, this Iranian woman was glad to have a way to avoid that hassle. She was grateful to the tradition that we see as so restrictive and stifling. The same was true of the requirement that she stay separate from men at all times, for much the same reason.

It's interesting for me to have cultural perspective and be a follower of Christ. Clearly, some things that are done in other countries and other cultures are not biblical....but it has to be considered that those people are not followers of Christ, and therefore have no reason to adhere to the structure that we do. Can we say that something should not be done if it is perfectly fine according to their cultural standards and religious norms? I realize I'm bordering on complete permissiveness, but let me explain.

When I was in Spain, I attended 3 separate bullfights. Each "corrida" consists of 3 matadors, who each participate in two rounds. Let's do the math......that means that during any one afternoon of bullfighting, 6 bulls will die. Americans, accustomed to the demands of PETA and the Humane Society, find this appalling. "How can you call it a 'fight'? The bull doesn't stand a chance!" In Spanish culture, though, it's seen differently. Yes, there are those who don't like the custom, but generally bullfighting is seen as an art. It is a tribute to the power of the animal and honors the truly brave, both in the matador and the bull. It is a celebration of the beauty of animal instinct. It isn't seen, for the most part, as a brutal attack on an animal. In Spanish eyes, there is a lot more to it than that. It's really about context.

Can we judge them for the way they see things when they could just as easily judge and criticize us for our views? Can we condemn anyone simply because they do something differently than we do? In their eyes, are we not just as wrong?

It seems to me that if we are going to believe we are so right, we need to know as much as we can about the opposition so that we can meet their criticism of us head on. Why do they feel the way they do? Why do they do things that way? Once we see that, or at least try to see that, we can explain why we do things the way we do....and can begin to relate to one another as people. Before we were enemies because of the way we do things, we were all children of God. Until we are able to see that, we can never imagine that people will one day come to Christ.

So back to the article that sparked this whole philosophical discussion.... The world community was outraged by the treatment of the rape victim. Yes, in our cultural context, we should have been. She was a victim, but was being punished. That's not right. In the Saudi culture, though, it made sense. She - in their eyes - had violated an essential part of their cultural and religious norms. (It occurs to me now, as I'm writing this, that perhaps she herself, in their cultural context, thought she deserved to be punished. Let that roll around in your head for awhile.) The fact that the Saudi king has recanted and decided to pardon her, though, shows mercy...not that she has done something wrong and is now getting something she doesn't deserve...but that the king has seen something wrong...somehow changed his mind to see that maybe - just maybe - the way they've always done things might be wrong, and maybe a critical mindset needs to shift...has boldly stepped out to express this to a culture that probably won't understand. This is progress. Not in the sense that the western way has won out. Rather, this is progress in the sense that Jesus' way has won out, and while they may not acknowledge His name, they see that something about His way is right.

It only takes one person. That's how it has to start.