KUCHING — Toxic Christianity—a topic that seems like a taboo and not openly spoken about. The combination of toxic and Christianity somehow gives a feel that they do not get along well together but it does exist. We have heard many comments or opinions regarding Christianity being toxic which has led some people to leave the Church or the faith. Question is, have we not paid enough attention attending to the issues pertaining to what is happening within our church community and the one holy Catholic and apostolic Church?
On 3 September 2021, EMPOWERED had a LIVE Session on Instagram with Fr Stanley Goh, SJ on this topic. The session was very engaging and touched on various areas within the community and issues raised in the media affecting the young people in the community. The discussion took place with the understanding of an open heart and there were plenty of questions from viewers to gain insight regarding their own experience with toxic Christianity of which Fr Stanley was very open to respond to all the questions raised.
The session dwelled largely on the issues faced within the Catholic Church community, especially the youth and young adults. Lately it seems that more people are leaving the Church and the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to the hurdle for people to remain faithful or stay in the Church.
Why some youths are leaving the Church
From a survey conducted among the local community as well as some friends abroad, the responses obtained were rather astounding. Among the reasons given were that they faced unpleasant experiences in the Church or community, and hypocrisy.
For example, some raised that a church leader should practice what they preach. Once they noticed a flaw or saw a church leader making some mistakes, the action would justify their thoughts that the Church is no longer a good place anymore. Because of that, they choose to leave the Church, having come to a conclusion that both the Church and the world are the same.
Another interesting point that was brought up was the idea of church leaders being inattentive to members when they needed advice or a listening ear. For example when seeking for advice, members only received a prompt response such as “I’ll pray for you”, “What would Jesus do?” or were provided with a bible verse to reflect on, and they felt there was no time invested to hear them out. Are church leaders failing to invest time for members? Are they too busy with administration of the Church or the ‘bigger things’ that the welfare of the church members is neglected? Is there somewhere that needs to be improved or repaired?
In addition to that, sometimes members felt judged by the church leaders and members. Due to the fear of feeling judged, they chose to leave the Church. It is not uncommon to hear the phrase “the Church is so judgmental”.
Other areas raised included the sexual harassment cases among priests/bishops/cardinals and what the Vatican is doing about it. News as such appears in the media often which has raised questions such as “Why is the church authority or the Pope himself not taking action on this?” and gives the impression that they are turning a blind eye or sweeping these cases under the rug. Unfortunately, some of these cases were not dealt properly in the past which may have caused emotional trauma among the victims. Other areas briefly touched on included LGBTQ, secularism and WOKE culture in the media that has influenced the young people in the community.
The world screams, God whispers.
Heart Speaks unto Heart
Fr Stanley shared various insights to the issues raised and highlighted the need to speak with God, quoting from St John Henry Newman, to speak heart to heart that it pierces to the core, to nourish our relationship with God in a very loud world that is screaming at us and telling us what to do. We can try to connect with God in ways that are best for us, be it through music, meditative prayers or nature, and listen to our hearts in order to manage better with the challenges of the world. The world screams, God whispers.
The Instagram Live with Fr Stanley Goh, SJ lasted approximately two hours. For those who would like to tune in, visit IG: empoweredkch IGTV or linktr.ee/empoweredkch.
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