(This is pertaining to my personal experience, so reference to Jesus reflects my faith, Christianity. I realize that there are other religions, this article just happens to describe my experiences.)
I was raised in a wonderful, loving, Christian home. I grew up attending church and praying before meals, being taught that living as Jesus had was something to strive for. And I was happy.
There have been times when I wasn’t as invested in my faith as I should have been. I realize that and I continue to work on it day by day. But, when I realized I had “fallen off” a bit, I sat around for a while trying to pinpoint where and when exactly I had stopped making as much of an effort with my faith.
I want to start by saying that a church environment is supposed to feel safe. It’s supposed to be a place where young people can come to relieve stress and talk about their love for Jesus. The last thing a church should be is a place of judgement, criticism, and belittlement. Yet, at times, that’s all I seemed to see.
Leaders of a youth group are meant to be mentors, to guide students in the right direction and to be there when they need help. What I have witnessed is leaders criticizing a student’s problems or choices, taking it upon themselves to discuss a student’s problems with other fellow leaders, or even forcing them to divulge these issues with an entire youth group. That IS NOT what church is meant to be.
I also have seen many instances of judgement pertaining to a student’s personal choices, lifestyle, or preferences. I understand that The Bible says to live a certain lifestyle. But the people of the church have no right to take it upon themselves to address the situation, to try and fix the situation, or to publicize it to fellow church-goers. This is meant to be a place of love, and we are losing sight of that.
What kind of image does this give Christianity? Do we want others to view members of our faith as close-minded, egotistic, self-worshippers? That’s what it’s coming to! It’s a harsh truth, and I have been holding this in for a while for fear of what those who know me might say. But I’m tired of being labeled as “judgmental” the second I say that I am a Christian. This is not what God intended for this faith.
When the church begins to welcome all, when the people of the church begin to look past differences in preferences and lifestyle choices, and when leaders realize that it is not their place to be condemning students, people may view it as the way it was meant to be viewed: a loving, safe, and accepting place to worship and display our love for our savior.
