Myths of family violence with special analysis and theological reference to the myth that love and violence can’t go together

Članak se bavi pitanjem “mitova” o obiteljskom i partnerskom nasilju i njihovom “demitologizacijom”, odnosno znanstvenom pro- vjerom niza uvjerenja, postavka ili učenja o nasilju kao i teološkim opravdanjem supostojanja ljubavi i nasilja u partnerskom odnosu. U članku su prvi put predstavljeni ishodi istraživanja o mitovima o obiteljskom nasilju koje je Franjevački institut za kulturu mira na općoj populaciji u Republici Hrvatskoj proveo krajem godine 2005. Prema ovom istraživanju ispitanici u najvećem broju podržavaju mit da ljubav i nasilje ne idu zajedno. U podržavanju tog mita nema statistički značajnih razlika prema spolu, obrazovanju, dobi i religioznosti. Razlike koje se pojavljuju ukazuju na tendenciju da su to mišljenje sklonije podržati žene, mladi, visoko obrazovani i ateisti. Statistički značajna razlika pojavljuje se samo u odnosu na pokrajinu. U većem broju nego drugi ovaj mit podržavaju stanovnici Istre i Primorja. Za tumačenje tih razlika potrebna su dodatna istraživanja. Budući da razna istraživanja upućuju da u partnerskom odnosu mogu su-postojati i ljubav i nasilje te da partneri u tumačenju toga paradoksa uz kulturalne rabe i kršćanske sadržaje, osobito Isusov križ, u trećem se dijelu članka na okosnici teologije nasljedovanja Isusove patnje i križa Jürgena Moltmanna, propituje i osporava opravdanost takvoga tumačenja.This article discusses the issues of “myths” of family and partnership violence and their “demythologization”. It also gives a scientific verification of numerous convictions, propositions and teachings about violence, explaining the theological justification of co-existence of love and violence in a partnership relation. For the first time, in this paper we present the results of the research on the myths about family violence, carried out by the Franciscan Institute for the Culture of Peace carried out on the general population in the Republic of Croatia, at the end of 2005. According to this research, a great majority of the examinees support the myth that love and violence can’t go together. In support of that myth there are no statistically relevant differences regarding sex, education, age and religiosity. The differences that appear show a tendency that women, the young, higher educated and atheists are more inclined to support this opinion. Statistically relevant difference which appears is related only to region. In a greater number than in other regions, this myth is supported by the inhabitants of Istria and Primorje. For the explanation of these differences, further researches are needed. Various researches indicate that in a partnership-relation love and violence can co-exist, and that partners, when explaining this paradox, use cultural as well as Christian contents, especially the Cross of Jesus Christ. Having this in mind, in the third part of the article, on the basis of the theology of inheritance of Jesus’ Cross and suffering by Jürgen Moltmann, we rethink and question the justification of this explanation