Church leaders commits to spread the word against FGM in rural Ethiopia

Bezunesh and Tesfaye is sending greetings to us. They have been teaching key persons in Ethiopian churches in Funto Bible School. The church leaders were very interested in the teaching and they will take that teaching forward to their communities.

Bezunesh ja Tesfaye lähettävät terveisiä kaikille. He ovat olleet opettamassa etiopialaisten kirkkojen avainhenkilöitä Funto Bible Schoolissa. Kirkon johtohenkilöt olivat erittäin kiinnostuneita opetuksesta ja aikovat viedä sanomaa eteenpäin omiin yhteisöihinsä.

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Dear as we informed you last time, this time our teaching is focusing on Bible: What does our bible says about FGM? We know that the bible does not support the circumcision of women. We gave the training for three days in Funto Bible school for youth group and different age level in the church. Also they are very interested to hear us to get the recognizing of FGM and how it affects women’s life when they give the birth and in their marriage time. Their response was: We need again this kind of teaching because we have been killing our girls for too long time. 

Church leaders attending anti-FGM teaching by Bezunesh and Tesfaye in Funto Bible School.

This is a sample of our teaching:

What Does Our Bible Say About FGM?

The common reason given for FGM is that it ensures the wife's faithfulness to her husband and to preserve girls virginity. According to this view circumcision is a tool to control women’s sexual desire. We criticized this view by saying female virginity and faithfulness are considered to be important standard to maintain while it is silently accepted that men will be free to seek additional sexual partners when they desire. This understanding makes wife as a tool of her husband. In the Bible both of woman and man are created for the purpose of faithfulness to rule and subdue creatures. We are stewards of God’s creation including our body.

FGM is also considered to be an issue of acceptance by the adults of the clan. This view is centered on the cultural understanding of marriage. Cultural acceptance by itself is considered as very important. But the Bible teaches about marriage differently from this social belief. Marriage is an institution created by God. Physical harm and abuse may affect the marriage between husband and the wife. Therefore, FGM should have to be stopped. Further, FGM is not the only issue of women. It is also the issue of the whole community. Therefore, it is impossible to abolish it without the support of men. Our argument is also that God made everything good including those parts of female body that are important for child bearing and a healthy relationship within marriage.

The Bible is silent about FGM. In OT we have a brief explanation about male circumcision. The NT shows that we are free from the bondage of the law of circumcision. Circumcision is unnecessary even for male for his salvation. We can’t afford spiritual quality by being circumcised. FGM is something which is developed within the human history but not from biblical and theological bases. In Ethiopia the Christian community has been practicing FGM for many years as biblical based practice, but it is not biblical.

We ended our teaching by saying: We have responsibility for our body which is created by God. Don’t cut the body of girls; it is very important for her marriage and giving birth.

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Bezunesh and Tesfaye is funded by private donations collected by my NGO called Bezuneshin ystävät ry. If you are interested to support us, you will find the details here. Let's keep the work going on! Thank you! <3