I think it’s time we have a serious conversation about Dinah and how the church portrays her. For those of you not really familiar with the Old Testament/Torah start at Genesis 34:1-5
Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the women of the land. 2 And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he seized her and lay with her and humiliated her. 3 And his soul was drawn to Dinah the daughter of Jacob. He loved the young woman and spoke tenderly to her. 4 So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, “Get me this girl for my wife.”
Actually go ahead and read the rest of Genesis 34. I’ll wait.
The way the church frames this story has always bothered me. Especially because the scripture and the way the story is told in your usual youth group setting do not line up. This is why it’s important you always read the scripture for yourself. Don’t just allow someone else’s commentary become your Biblical facts.
The story of Dinah is always taught to young girls as a cautionary tale. When I first heard this story it was told to me that a girl went out into the big bad world and was hurt because she didn’t stay at home. She brought her rape upon herself. On more than one occasion I’ve heard this story used to manipulate girls and strike fear into them.
But take a look at the very first verse! It very specifically says she went out to see the women of the land. And it doesn’t say anything about her disobeying her parents or sneaking off. She simply went visiting other women. This to me sounds like a very typical thing to do when you move to a new area.
I am very curious to know where believers stand when it comes to the Bible. Because either we are embellishing scripture or ignoring, and I want to know how seriously we are taking the word of G-d. Because if you read this scripture plainly there’s no way you blame Dinah for her own rape.
Now, I’m sure someone out there is going to say I’m putting a feminist spin on this or I am trying to reframe this story so it fits in the #MeToo movement, but really I’m just trying to have scripture read plainly and free women from some shackles. I need to tell you all something.
Rape is never the victim’s fault, and the Bible never says that it is. And I won’t shame anyone because I read this story again recently. And I am woman enough to admit this is the first time I read that story without that lens and praise G-d for it.
Whoever preaches Dinah’s rape is her fault has been lied to themselves and has unlearning to do.
And I would say this is particularly important as I read a recent article about the sharp decline by youth/young adults in the church. One especially unsurprising static said:
“Seventy-three percent said the church or pastor-related reasons led them to leave. Of those, 32 percent said church members seemed judgmental or hypocritical and 29 percent said they did not feel connected to others who attended. “
If the church wants to increase it attendance. It would behoove the church to start being honest about it’s Holy Scripture. And they can start with a correct re-telling of the story of Dinah.
Insert your profile info here, by going to Users -> Your Profile -> Biographical Info. Profile image (avatar) comes from gravatar.com. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nullam faucibus ornare lectus nec cursus. 
