Traumatised Christians Fr Charles Soyombo

 

 

Despite trauma being associated with past painful experiences and early childhood dysfunctional events; one can be traumatised momentarily. It’s any disturbing experience that produces an overwhelming and unmanageable emotional response. Relatedly, the traumatic experiences of Christians are not limited to the Nero's persecutions, the beheading of John the Baptist, the killings of Holy Innocents, the mingling of the blood of believers by Pilate or the biblical narratives of how holy people suffer rejection but also includes institutionalised trauma by religious leaders. There is an increasing but disheartening way that some churches weaponize the scriptural injunctions and spiritual obligations to do intense damage on the psyche of their members,”. As a result, there is a breakdown of multiple systems in the idea of a compassionate God that forgives as prophetic utterances, visions and messages spew doom. 

Amongst the handlers of the words of God, there are rotten eggs. While they may not be conscious of the impact of the disintegration their actions and inaction are causing the body of believers, they make the word of God seems damaging than renewing. They dubiously discharge the ministerial mandate through the deviation, manipulations and distractions. The inauthenticity begins with the assumption that the ordained ministers have the exclusive right to God, musically put ‘chilling with the Most High’. Since the hermeneutics of the gospel message are their prerequisite, they ruthlessly exploit this message leaving bitter taste in the mouth of their listeners. To be a minister is to be a ‘servant’ who serves God closely and probably very holy. Meanwhile the followers of the way are called to follow the message and not the messenger when the messages become distorted causing moral anxiety and deprivation. Should the ministers hang people in the balance due to their closeness to God or continue to manipulate, hypnotise people in their teachings with ‘webs of irreligiousity’? 

Since post-apostolic times, many scholars have made arguments and counterarguments that Christianity is a scam while the adherents think such an assertion is from the pit of hell. Sigmund Freud says it is an illusion of the future while Karl Marx agreed it is opium. Why did Fredrick Nietzsche acclaim that God is dead or Albert Ellis in his case against religion develop cold feet? The plausible explanation is that these authors are atheistic and not faith-friendly, but a more in-depth context analysis into their experience will reveal why they abhor religiosity. Judging the antithesis to the goal of the gospel, Paul Maxwell observed that there are countless stories of churches blanching traumatic experiences and ongoing distress with reductionistic redemptive strategies, undercutting and offending the legitimacy and necessity of true lament. 

The contemporary christian worship has taken a new form within the whims and caprices of her ministers. Besides, the altar of God has turned to comedy space, the melodramatic and theatrics activities going on in the churches are antithetical to true religion. It is a sad tale, and complex to imagine the rationale of a pastor asking his members to sow seeds for their unborn generations. Why would a  pastor shave his female members right on the altar of God? How disgusting is the sight of another man of God who gave his members bath water to drink in the name of deliverance? How would a pastor kiss out demons from his members or climb, seat, “idaboskilised” or rough handle members in the name of miracle? What version of the bible are they reading? All these maladaptive behaviours cut across every denomination and the anomalies continue to grow from place to place. While it is challenging to ascertain sincere spirituality and interior life, many things are not right in the way and manner some Christian denominations conduct their services. Consequently, we must follow the Ambrosian postulation that faith should seek understanding. It is time to scratch where its itching and ask the naked truth, are we worshipping God or man of God?

 

However, the reason for this self-styled Christianity is not farfetched. The children of God that run after signs, miracles and wonders would take John the Baptist as he messiah not knowing he is a precursor. The quest for a miracle- based faith may inspire members to seek the so-called firebrand healers who can take away their sufferings. It potentially increases the level of gullibility to swallow hook, line and sinker everything and anything the man of God says without scrutiny. It is not about the truth in their prophecies or gatekeeping the message received from heaven; it about deceit and falsehood enthroned in the name of religion. Someone said it is sellable to gullible people, but the preachers who are soaked in the anointing of specialness, hero-complexity and messianic spirit may get it twisted and begin to act out in frenzy. When the man of God is filled with real wine and alcohol, it is difficult to stop him from the performance and acrobatic display. Unfortunately, some of the dramatic glossolia gundry rubs off on their hypnotised followers and the desperate people get desperate messages.

 

Often, some messages, prophecies, utterances of the men of God are anxiety-provoking. Is it not absurd that the word of God is used to frighten people and speak doom in the lives of their followers? A pastor once proclaimed God would shut heaven against those who cannot pay their tithe. God has asked you to sow seeds so that your generations can be blessed. Invariably, these new generation minsters who are more or less certified businessmen are pushing Christianity to another direction. Such direction is indicative of a crass understanding of the divine frameworks, and it is never kingdom bound. Undoubtedly, the world is in great demand, and religions seem to have the soothing antidote to the craziness of the world. A world that hungry and thirsty for signs, miracles and wonders will drink urine and eat grass just because the pastor said so. Of course, there is always a scripture passage and backing for their agenda. Be ready to hear the line of the Scripture that says, they will do greater things (John 14:12) but does that include subjecting people to financial and emotional depravity? The bible is lifted and paraphrased to meet such heinous agenda. Sadly, the impregnable snag is to break the bulwarks of ignorance displayed by the sheepish congregations whose piety cannot question the sharp practices or break the silence over the atrocities going on in the Christendom. 

According to Gregory Nnamani, a renowned and erudite systematic theologian, there is an epochal influence on the interpretation of Christological context. Though the message of Christ is unchanging, it is preached and lived in a changing world. Thus, the people understand, teach and relate to the understanding of Christ in their time and situation. The messages coming from the pulpit will be frosty and blurry when Christ is put at the margin, and the pastor takes centre stage. The pastors and preachers are strategic to know religious yearnings in time of great need, and they are exploiting the situation. In that circle, we have got Pastors, Priests and Prophets who read the mind of God (1 Cor 2;11), those who know the ways of God (Isaiah 55;8) and those who play God ( Mt 23:1-12).

 

Invariably, the Scripture has predicted this moment, for the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their passions and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths ( 2 Tim 4: 3). Indeed, the Scripture is being fulfilled. Many wolves are here but dressed in sheep clothing (Mt 7:15). The modern day Hopni and Phinehas have resurrected the grabbing spirits around the sanctuary. They make you feel bad because you cannot afford to give in church. 1st collection, 2nd collection, project collections, special collections in one service because it’s all about ‘pray and pay’. Do ministers envisage illegal incomes? Are they in touch with the economic situations of their congregations? They distance themselves from the word of Christ who sent the apostles on mission and made the provision. They play people to hell—and curse from the pulpits. Money is salvation; offering is redemption. It is all about the golden chains and crosses, the haircuts and the shining shoes, the phonetics and oratories, the motivational speeches and travelling experiences, the posters and praises—it all about everything except the worship of true God.

 

At another breadth, who dares challenge the prophetic utterances? Who dares doubt the mouthpiece of the cherubim and seraphim? Who dares challenge the anointing that is flowing? When you bring reason to question faith, you are anathematised. You are labelled as the Beelzebul. This is not an attempt to discredit the prophetic gifts or vilify the authentic ones, but there is an urgent need for the demarcation of true and false prophets. The common thread in their rejection is how religious beliefs have been misrepresented in the world today. As it were, when ordinary people cannot make sense of religion, they distance themselves from the witnesses who make superlative teachings like beatitudes a charade in their lifestyle. if Christianity is suffering potential setbacks and barriers, then those who use it as tools to perpetrate evils and atrocities should be snapped off the illusion. 

The ability to have a spiritual encounter with God will give you an idea of the religious reform as some ministers need to walk on the road to Damascus. Basically, it is imperative to sift the shafts from the substance and not be dissuaded by the evil utterances from the self-styled preachers who are motivated by the art of lining their deep pockets. The gospel is goodnews and not to be commercialised while  God is not to be compartmentalised. Our religious beliefs should not open the floodgates to paganism, and religion should not mess up people or keep them traumatised. 

 

Since the “Deuteronomic reform” carried out by king Josiah brought about a religious reform; the same reformative spirit should flow and inspire the church. The experience of traumatised dismantles the notions of theology as a fixer, a provider of solutions because a move to “fix” things may interfere rather than assist in the process of healing. However, healing begins with the truth-telling and wound tending, which are curative aspect of the traumatic experience. I understand the difficulty in sermonising to those who have normalised sufferings, with the tendency to over-hype the superlative anointing of the ministers. A pill of reason does not heal religious addictive behaviours and cannot be useful to fixated believers who are oblivious of being played to hell but ready to jump into the grave because a pastor dug it.

Firstly, everyone needs to know the truth about God because if you do not see and know the truth, you cannot refute errors. Such truth will set your minds free from the ‘satanic tendencies’ creeping into the assembly of God (Job 1:6). Secondly, there is a need to separate "Latria" from "Man-dulia", God from the man of God. God is God and irreplaceable, but the man of God is no god. Thirdly, you need to understand that religion is not a destination but a journey to your maker. That you are a Christian or Muslim is not a passport to heaven if you fail the true test of religion, the test of love. Everyone needs a personal encounter with God and not limit yourself to what your daddy GO, or Mummy Go is saying. Evidently,you will decipher those selling religion as a product with gain intentions.

 

In all, the best cure for religious trauma is to have a deeper dive into the spiritual core of religious teachings. Dr Harold Koenig says. “Jesus just gave two commandments to the faithful,” he observed, “to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself. If people remembered this and allowed it to guide their attitudes and actions, they might stop harming people in the name of religion.” In the same vein, when the anointed miss the mark by playing God, the words of St Augustine should be exacerbated  that "the wisdom of God does not give the full details of the future to any man." Throw some light into dark minds because  it is the therapy for all the uncertainties and existential givens of life that no pastor on earth has a cure. Verily, verily I say to you, it is essential to avoid anyone who tries to pull the wool over your eyes of faith but embrace the Bartimaeus spirit while screaming loudly, Lord let me see again.

@FadaCharlie