In the wake of revelations of systemic sexual harassment and assault in Hollywood and elsewhere, women all over the world are tweeting personal stories of abuse in the church to expose the religious teachings, leaders and cultures they say are contributing to sexism and violence against women.
Started by spoken word poet Emily Joy and writer and religious trauma researcher Hannah Paasch, the hashtag #ChurchToo has quickly become an online repository of women's – and men's – accounts of being groped, raped, coerced and disbelieved by parishioners and pastors in church communities.
The pair began #ChurchToo – a hashtag inspired by the #MeToo campaign documenting women's accounts of sexual harassment and assault – on behalf of abuse survivors who have been "silenced and erased".
In fact, ABC News had investigated and reported on domestic violence in faith communities in Australia in much of 2018 and, during that time, had received reports of hundreds of women and even some men who had experienced abuse in religious settings.
It seems that many survivors say the teaching in some churches on male headship and wifely submission had "laid the groundwork" for and exacerbated their abuse.
Paasch, who writes about purity culture and the role and status of women in evangelical churches, said she hoped the chorus of voices would lead to a "cultural and theological upheaval".
"This is not just a matter of 'people hurting people'", she said. "The ubiquity of abuse within the church is upheld by harmful, misogynistic, and racist theology", she said.
It’s good that these injustices are now out in the open. Stop the oppression!
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