Popular Culture Review Vol. 25, No. 2, Summer 2014 | Page 96

92 that ultimately leads her away from the Christian Jesus. Leslie is often cited making blatant claims against religion, such as “[t]here is no God” (289) and “religion should be banned in civilized countries” (234). The claims against religion further emphasize Leslie’s refusal of the Christian God. Moreover, Leslie often references evolutionary psychology, a facet of psychology that supports the theory of evolution, which is highly contested by the Christian church. Leslie’s education and career choice are determining factors in her damnation, building the foundation upon which she rejects the Christian belief and embraces an educational perspective instead. Through the construction of Leslie’s character, Peretti and Dekker create a character who reflects a damnable female according to the Christian community, specifying career-oriented women as those who lie outside of God’s grace. Though working women are a common feature of present society, females’ role in the Christian community is still one of submission and obedience. Throughout his article, Jones affirms that women are discouraged from fulfilling or even applying to leadership positions, including any station in which they would be in charge of the instruetion of men (4). Women are unable to fulfill this position due to their ranking as the more fragile sex; as Jones states, “[wjoman, as the weaker vessel, could not be trusted with “matters of doctrine”” (4). Throughout House, Peretti and Dekker perpetuate a long standing bias against women, supporting the concept of “noble” women being those who are submissive, while educated and empowered women, such as Leslie, are portrayed as a threat and ultimately depraved. Conclusion Leslie exemplifies traits deemed undesirable by the Christian community, allowing insight into the explicit and implicit moral process behind the religion. The depiction of Leslie contributes to a pertinent social issue: the treatment of abuse within the Christian community. Peretti and Dekker’s negative portrayal of sexual abuse victims is highly problematic, though possibly indicative of the mentality of various Christian communities. As demonstrated by Mercy Ministry’s sexual abuse recovery plan, the Christian approach involves admonishing those who feel anger towards their abusers while also denying victims the opportunity to overcome the abuse without the intervention of the Christian God. The treatment of sexual abuse survivors through Peretti and Dekker’s novel may reflect Christian ideologies towards the issue of abuse, denoting an underlying hostility towards the survivors.