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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.