Abstract:
Literature about and research on moral injury most often links moral injury with
war. Moral injury is usually defined as an act of transgression against moral beliefs
in wartime among military personnel. This article explores moral injury as not only
an injury of war but also an injury caused by the gender-biased war in our society
and homes. Moral injury occurs early in life with the teaching of the gender binary
as “masculine” and “feminine”. This essay will focus on patriarchy as a deeper root of
the trauma of moral injury. The article will also focus on how moral injury can cause
gender-based violence. A feminist pastoral approach will aim to bring awareness to the
cultural attitudes and practices that create the contexts where a moral injury occurs
and explore ways to transform the patriarchal gender-biased dominant narrative to
facilitate freedom and healing from the internal gender identity conflict.
