Orality Journal Volume 3, Number 1, 2014 | Page 23

Telling God’s Story to the Sweater People

• There are also temples and
shrines for worshiping Hindu
gods or Muslim saints in their
area. There are many places in
the Bible where pagan temples
were a part of the culture.

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in the Bible (e.g., infertility, loss
of a husband, and the feeling of
hopelessness). God’s word is filled
with stories of women who are in
these situations. In the case of
infertility, if a woman could not
have children, she was considered
worthless. Her husband had the
right to take another wife or
abandon her all together.

A Sweater man or woman could
easily relate to the people in the
Bible. For example:
• Most of the Sweater People
Since the Sweater women do not
carry out the same occupations
as those in the Bible. Eighty
know God, they do one of two
percent are farmers. The rest are
things to relieve their suffering:
shepherds, government workers,
(1) they make a sacrifice to the
fishermen, shop keepers, and
Prophet Muhammad’s daughter,
homemakers.
Fatima (they take a young goat,
kill it, and give it at the Shrine of
• The majority of the people are
Fatima in exchange for a child), or
named after prophets found in
the Bible. Their names are in
(2), if this does not work, many
the Arabic form. Since
women commit suicide.
They have
many of the people of
One of the reasons for
this area cannot read, some of the
this is that if a woman has
same issues as no children, then she will
they do not know about
the prophet they are the women in
have no one to take care of
the Bible (e.g., her when she is old.
named after. This is a
great bridge to use in infertility,
loss of a
sharing God’s word.
Many Sweater women
husband, and
seem to be stuck in
the feeling of
Another bridge found in
hopeless situations. Some
the Bible is the status of hopelessness). have been exploited, forced
women. The women here
into prostitution, beaten by
are in a similar situation as that of
their husbands, and abandoned.
the women in the Bible. Progress
Others struggle with their purpose
is being made among women’s
in life. These women are like
groups, but as of now women are
Hagar, when she cried out to God.
still suppressed. They have some
God acknowledged her tears and
of the same issues as the women
promised he would take care of her.