A Tough Time to be a Christian

by Admin · August 10, 2015

By Fr Lawrence Mduduzi Ndlovu

Earlier this year, the British Equality and Human Rights Commission published its findings on a survey on religion and belief. It found that religious, especially Christian, people in the United Kingdom feel pressured to keep their faith and faith symbols private because they fear being mocked as bigots or be viewed as conservative and backward.

These fears also exist among many Catholics, for different reasons. Many fear that if they disclose that they are Catholic, then somebody will raise the issues of sex abuse or a controversial point of Church teaching which they feel they cannot defend.

“A radio show or newspaper piece may spew venom about the Catholic Church, and very few, if any, Catholics will respond to defend their Church.” (CNS photo/Jorge Silva, Reuters)

The latter is a catechetical issue. Catholics do not want to engage with other Christians because they feel misunderstood. They feel the pressure of defending all the classic hot button issues, such as the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary, with all the Scripture-citing and so. Or they may be challenged by secularists who demand proof for what we have faith in.

We see this also seen in the silence of Catholics in public discourse. A radio show or newspaper piece may spew venom about the Catholic Church, and very few, if any, Catholics will respond to defend their Church. Catholics seem to fear hostility to the faith. Sometimes it seems that the Church is something that must be excluded from public life, except for funerals or weddings.

The principle of the separation of Church and state is the cornerstone of many democratic countries. Over time this separation, which is necessary, has also led to secular attitudes trumping religious principles. Today every Christian knows that once an issue goes to a court, it is likely that the secular principle will win.

It was interesting earlier this year to follow the conversation about euthanasia in South Africa. On several occasions a voice would emerge that tried to bring God into the conversation. That voice would instantly be told either that God does not have a place in the conversation or that there would be an outright renouncing of any belief in God.� It is as if being erudite and being Christian is a contradiction in terms.

There is now also a secularist viewpoint that suggests that the Church is an obstacle to progress. Yet there is no questioning the separation between the Church and state when the Church is engaged in the work of the state like education and healthcare.

Where is the notion of understanding society as being plural? Instead there is a strong movement of advancing secularism in the public domain and sidelining religiosity into the private space. That encourages a dichotomy where the person of the state is different to the person in the Church. This is also a threat to the role that the Church is called to play as a moral compass and social conscience of society.

We should take care to protect and preserve our Christian rights and values at every level of society. Failure to do this will lead to the Church being silenced and domesticated � and that would compromise the entire mission of the Church.