How Jesus Views Women

Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson have more in common than the fact that their domestic violence has become headline news. They’re both running backs in the midst of successful careers. Both have wives and child(ren). And both men are, apparently, Christians.

Adrian Peterson, in his first “official” statement after being indicted by a grand jury for injury to a child, posted a photo of Bible verses to his Twitter account. Ray Rice, who was cut from the Baltimore Ravens once video surfaced of him punching his wife so hard she lost consciousness, reportedly became a “born again” Christian after the incident. He claims to be a “changed man.”

At face value, their crimes seem different. Peterson, acting in what he saw as an appropriately loving way, beat his son bloody with a “switch”–or, as he called it, “whooped” him… in the legs, buttocks, and scrotum. Many people, including celebrities and former athletes like Charles Barkley, have defended Peterson’s actions. Spanking is not abuse, they say. Since they themselves survived being “switched,” so can their kids.

Not as many people have sought to defend Ray Rice’s actions, which, unlike Peterson’s, were caught on video. Rice can be seen punching his wife Janay in an elevator, then standing over her unconscious body, apparently unphased. While Peterson was just suspended for his actions, Rice was (eventually) cut by the Ravens.