The Women and Male Authority

The women identify how authority operates through the bishop, elders, husbands, and even sons, then act without their permission.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

Silencing the Injured

Authority Denies the Harm Official Explanations Peters and community leaders invoke sin, Satan, or imagination rather than recognize the assaults. The institution treats the victims’ accounts as a threat to order. No Remedy Offered Medical care and outside help are restricted. The men with authority control not only interpretation but also access to assistance.

Men Return for Bail

The Return Is Planned Bail Money The colony’s men go to the city to post bail for the accused. They expect the women to forgive the men when they return. A Threat of Exile Peters frames refusal as grounds for expulsion. The women’s choice is shaped by an authority that can define both belonging and salvation.

Women Name Their Position

Members or Commodities A Structural Charge Salome Friesen argues that women are not full members but commodities in a colony organized by men. Her speech connects individual assaults to an entire social order. Power Becomes Visible The women recognize that authority has been built through their dependence and silence. Naming this structure makes leaving a political response, not merely a private retreat.

Scripture Reconsidered

Obedience Questioned Who Taught Submission The women have been told that the Bible requires wives to obey husbands, but cannot independently consult the text. Salome Friesen exposes the dependence built into that teaching. A Collective Interpretation The women consider whether leaving can be understood as love and peace rather than disobedience. Their discussion challenges the men’s monopoly on religious meaning.

An Independent Departure

Authority Is No Longer Asked Decisions Made Together The women choose a route, gather supplies, and decide what children may accompany them without seeking approval from the elders. Their assembly becomes an alternative center of authority. Consequences Remain The men may return to an emptied colony, and the women may never see some loved ones again. Collective action begins without guarantees of recognition or safety.

2005–2009, during the assaults

June 6, 2009, before the assembly’s decision

June 6, 2009, during Salome’s speech

June 7, 2009, during the second meeting

June 7, 2009, as the women leave