Apparently,
in today’s Arab world, an appearance of being religious is more in vogue than
being religious. WIN/Gallup International poll reveals one million Saudis who
are “convinced atheists.”2
Religion should
draw people closer to God. Religion appeals to God, who loves people and
strengthens them to live their lives victoriously. Outside of salvation,
religion should enable its believers to live a fruitful life. Hence, religion,
be it valid or invalid, ought to positively motivate and encourage its
adherents.
In the
past, an aberration of religion was its reputation for genocides. The Christian
crusades, Muslim conquests, Aryavarta-Lanka conflict, and Mahabarata wars are some
instances of massacres in the name of religion. In our time, religion insults
and injures people.
So, people
are abandoning religion. Not just Christianity, all religions are experiencing
abandonment.
Sure
enough, the secular world has pounced on this opportunity by coining the term, Religious Trauma Syndrome and have established
outfits such as Recovering From Religion.3
Then they utter ridiculously bewildering statements such as, “We are recovering from every imaginable
religion: Baptists, Mormons, Catholics, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Hindus, Muslims,
Lutherans, Pentecostals, Evangelicals, and many more,” 4 as if they
have the cure to alleviate the problems of those abandoning religion.
Why do
people abandon religion?
People
could abandon religion for their own selfish reasons i.e. to live a hedonistic
life. Conversely, when religion fails to serve needy people, people abandon religion.
Would it be
accurate to affirm the failure of religion to serve its adherents? Most
certainly! Consider Christianity as a case in point.
Could
Christianity be toxic? Of course!
Christianity
i.e. Christians / Churches / Christian mission organizations could injure you, even
irreparably in some instances, when it ruthlessly controls you for selfish and carnal
reasons.
Recently a
friend shared his despair about a church that I shall leave unnamed. This
church prohibits its members to write exams on Sunday. Consider the dilemma of
the students belonging to this church, who had to write their exams on a particular
Sunday.
Those who
did not write their exams on that Sunday would have failed and their career would
have suffered a setback. If they did write their exam, then they would have
sinned against this church. (Thankfully the Bible assures us that they did not
sin against God by writing that exam on Sunday – cf. Mark 2: 23-27)
So, you are
living in a toxic Christian environment when…
…self-righteous
Christians proudly hate sinners (forgetting that God in Christ loved them when
they were sinners). Those disparaged as sinners then depart from the church.
…your
Christian friends blame you for your sickness or adversity by accusing you of
faithlessness in God. These are Job’s
comforters – people who increase the pain of those suffering with their godless
and mindless statements.
…your
non-christian friends are more supportive than your Christian friends.
…you speak
your mind about your church and you are crucified for doing so.
…you expect
justice from the local church or the Christian mission organization and all you
receive is injustice. Many friends have shared with me that their Christian
employers are easily the worst.
…your
church ignores or abuses you for your genuine doubts about Christianity.
…your
church refuses to emotionally or financially help the sick and the needy in
your congregation.
…your
church threatens you with curses if you desire to quit.
…your
church alienates the youth by not including them in the worship service.
…your
church plays favoritism by favoring the wealthy and the powerful and ignores
those who desperately need Christ’s love from the church.
…your
church mandates you to not watch movies, TV shows and listen to secular music because
it is satanic. So you are abandoned with a gigantic guilt even when you watch
decent movies and TV shows and listen to clean secular music.
…your
church abandons you based on a false charge, thus destroying your emotional
health.
…your
church does not equip its members to live amidst pain.
These are a
few powerful instances of toxic Christianity. Here are a few mild instances of
toxic Christianity.
…your
church says that it is the best church – the most Christlike.
…your
pastor replaces Jesus by misusing the Scripture to bolster his own authority.
…your
church’s youth group caters more of food and entertainment than spiritual
nourishment.
…your
church focuses more on money than spirituality.
…your
church is pastor-focused than Christ-focused.
…your
church measures success through church attendance and offertory figures.
So what do you
do if you find yourself in a toxic Christian environment?
Unfortunately,
many churches operate as business units. These institutional churches would be
more interested in stabilizing their business in such a way that they satisfy their
big givers rather than serve the spiritual needs of ordinary Christians, in
their midst, who require encouragement, and comfort.
So if you
are a part of one such business unit (church), then you could abandon this
church. But the big question remains, “is there a better church in your
vicinity?” If so, you depart to the better church. If not, you are in a huge
dilemma.
Having said
this, every Christian, Christian organization and Church will have their unique
imperfections. None can expect to find a perfect Christian or a perfect Christian
outfit in this imperfect and evil world. Given this situation, it is better off
to be in a lesser toxic environment, than not being in the fellowship of
Christians.
But when
the discussion is about friendships, we are better off without toxic Christian friendships.
We would be much better off with good friends irrespective of their religious affinities.
God, as
revealed in the Bible is a loving and a gracious God. God does not harm anyone.
However, when people are injured by religion, they should be careful to not
blame God.
Let’s make
this abundantly clear. The Bible reveals that Christianity per se cannot insult
or injure anyone. Insult and injuries are caused by Christians who misinterpret
the Bible to their own benefit.
The
greatest harm to Christians, in our time, is dealt by postmodern and liberal
Christians. But their meager numbers prevent adverse impact upon Christians.
Christianity is not entirely toxic. There are quite a few true
followers of Christ, who truly serve God and truly bless those around them.
When we are
damaged by Christians, Churches and Christian mission organizations, we are
left with no other option but to approach God like never before. Abandoning God will not heal us. God alone has the power to heal and deliver us.
God will love,
care and heal those who seek HIM, especially those who are grievously wounded
by HIS own people. God will heal us supernaturally and
through HIS humble servants. Of this, you can be sure.
So may we
be those humble servants of God to be Christlike and bless those around us with
the grace and love of God that we perpetually receive from HIM.
Endnotes:
1 https://www.barna.org/barna-update/culture/685-five-trends-among-the-unchurched#.VUyUO_mqpBd
&
http://www.religionnews.com/2014/10/24/secularism-is-on-the-rise-as-more-u-s-christians-turn-churchless/
&
https://www.barna.org/teens-next-gen-articles/528-six-reasons-young-christians-leave-church
2 http://www.newrepublic.com/article/121559/rise-arab-atheists
3 http://recoveringfromreligion.org/
&
http://valerietarico.com/2013/03/26/religious-trauma-syndrome-is-it-real/
4 http://recoveringfromreligion.org/about/overview/
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