Church Problems and Solutions
What problems do churches have?
- Racism in the Church
Racism among white Catholics, evangelical Protestants and mainline Protestants is higher than among the nonreligious. - Racism Our World
Racial discrimination is a serious human rights problem in the United States that intersects with all of the US domestic issues covered by Human Rights
- Sexism and Patriarchy.
Sexism is the outward manifestation of an embedded level of discrimination, it is not a contingent, free flowing occurrence like an emergent social phenomenon. It has its roots in a deeper and more pernicious form of misogyny, namely, and Patriarchy is the second form of misogyny.
- Christian Nationalism.
“Christian nationalist,” as sociologists and pundits use the term, refers to a broad array of conservatives, concerned—as conservatives always
- Gender and Sexual Diversity.
Gender diversity is an umbrella term that is used to describe gender identities that demonstrate a diversity of expression beyond the binary framework.
- Religious Trauma and Spiritual Abuse
Spiritual abuse is an event or series of experiences a person endures from a religious leader or organization. It can be acutely traumatizing at the time, but it is more often slow, subtle, and insidious. Religious trauma is the ongoing effect that spiritual abuse can have on a person..
The major issues in Christian eschatology are the Tribulation, death and the afterlife, (mainly for Evangelical groups) the Millennium and the following Rapture, the Second Coming of Jesus, Resurrection of the Dead, Heaven, (for liturgical branches) Purgatory, and Hell, the Last Judgment, the end of the world,
More recent study
published in 2022 by Pew Research Center, have found a retention rate
among American Christians closer to 67%, and cited that the decline of
Christianity is primarily due to people leaving Christianity and choosing to have no religious affiliation (rather than due to people converting to another.)
Unfortunately, spiritual abuse can lead to religious trauma. Religious trauma often comes from a sense of religious shaming, betrayal, and loss of community.
Symptoms of religious trauma vary, but they may include low
self-esteem, feeling directionless, and intensified anxiety and
depression
Religious trauma occurs when a person's religious experience is stressful, degrading, dangerous, abusive, or damaging.
Traumatic religious experiences may harm or threaten to harm someone's
physical, emotional, mental, sexual, or spiritual health and safety.
- Existential Crisis: Challenging life events may lead some people to question their faith. For some, this is experienced as an existential crisis.
- Sexuality: Some people may encounter difficulties if their religious beliefs conflict with their sexuality or gender identity.
- Relationships:
Any relationship can be strained at times. Partners who do not share
the same religious beliefs can experience unique challenges, including
social and cultural pressures. Some people may feel pressure to choose a
partner of the same religion.
- Family and cultural pressures:
Some people experience pressure from family or friends to conform to a
particular religion. This can be problematic if it conflicts with the
person’s own beliefs.
- Identity: Many people will go through periods of questioning and trying to understand their identity in relation to their faith. Your personal worldview may differ to your religious background, which can be challenging.
- Discrimination or stigma:
People may be subjected to inequitable action as a result of religious
beliefs. This is particularly likely for minority groups. Some people
may experience bullying or harassment as a result of their beliefs.
- Religious beliefs not associated with good mental health:
While religion is generally associated with good mental health, there
are some religions that may make people more vulnerable, such as
controlling or extreme religions.
- Other conflicts: Facing a situation that conflicts with religious beliefs can cause distress. Abortion is one such matter of controversy.
- Anxiety disorder is a mental health disorder that entails excessive, repeated bouts of worry, anxiety, and/or fear.
- Depression is a mental health condition that entails persistent sadness, apathy, hopelessness, and/or lack of interest in life.
- Guilt and shame
Guilt is a feeling you get when you did something wrong, or perceived you did something wrong. · Shame is a feeling that your whole self is wrong - Substance abuse involves the harmful use of alcohol, drugs or other substances. The term substance abuse is often used to refer to a mental health problem that is now contained within the diagnostic category of Substance Use Disorder.
- Trauma Not everyone who experiences a distressing event will develop symptoms
related to trauma. But for many, living through such experiences can
lead to mental health challenges that interfere with day-to-day life.
- Low self-esteem In most cases, if we have higher levels or healthy self-esteem, we tend
to like ourselves more. This helps us to maintain good mental health.
- Self-harm, also called self-injury, is where someone deliberately injures themselves in a way that is not intended to end their life. Strong emotional reactions to self-harm are common, and some people may find it distressing to read the following information. It is important to seek help if you are feeling distressed.
People self-injure for reasons such as:
- To feel something
- To gain a sense of control
- To distract from difficult situations or emotions
- To reduce tension
- To punish themselves
Types of problems contributing to this kind of distress include:
- Feeling depressed
- Feeling out of control
- Self-esteem issues or feeling like you are to blame
- Relationship problems
- Being unemployed
- Difficulties at school or work
- Abuse
- Feeling lonely or that nobody is listening to you
- Feeling hopeless
- Feelings of shame or guilt
Religious discrimination and persecution can also have harmful effects on a person's well-being. Not only might some individuals experience anxiety, depression, or stress, some may be victimized by acts of physical violence, which can lead to post traumatic stress as well as personal harm.
Attend church or synagogue percentage
As the US adjusts to an increasingly non-religious population, thousands of churches are closing each year in the country – a figure that experts believe may have accelerated since the Covid-19 pandemic
Jesus was born of a Jewish mother, in Galilee, a Jewish part of the world. All of his friends, associates, colleagues, disciples, all of them were Jews. He regularly worshiped in Jewish communal worship, what we call synagogues. He preached from Jewish text, from the Bible.
1. the subjugation of women,
2. religious intolerance,
3. condemnation of homosexuality, and
support for the institution of slavery in both Old and New Testaments
1. prejudice,
2. bigotry, and
3. all kinds of violence
just think of how many wars have been carried out throughout history in the name of God and religion.
Religious war
Religious conflicts
- Greek War of Independence.
- Israeli–Palestinian conflict.
- Pakistan and India.
- Nigerian conflict.
- Buddhist uprising.
- Chinese conflict.
- Lebanese Civil War.
- Iran–Iraq War.
Least Religious States
Religion declining in the US & Church membership held steady at around 70 percent of the U.S. population from the 1940s through the 1990s. Membership plummeted in the new millennium. The decline is largely driven by a surging population of “nones,” or Americans who claim no religion, at 21 percent, as of 2021, according to Gallup.
A study by Pew Research found that the
number of Americans who identified as Christian was 64% in 2020, with
30% of the US population being classed as “religiously unaffiliated”. About 6% of Americans identified with Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism.
The Bible is the holy scripture of the Christian religion, purporting to tell the history of the Earth from its earliest creation to the spread of Christianity in the first century A.D. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament have undergone changes over the centuries, including the the publication of the King
1. Start by Modeling Christ. The gospel offers the most powerful peacemaking strategy ever developed, Sande says.
Model Christ and show people what life is all about. Life is not all about taking, getting, receiving, or taking advantage of opportunities that are presented to you, but life is also about helping and serving others.
Jesus did some things in the course of His ministry strictly to show the disciples why He was here, what His mission was, and He said, “Let this be an example to you.”
The free offer of the Gospel, is the offer of salvation in Jesus Christ to all people and observe that by the voice of the Spirit.
You could be protected from death and from sin by Receiving the truth through the power of the Holy Ghost who will also protect us against the precepts of men and the lies and deceptions of Satan.
2. Practice Relational Wisdom.
Relational wisdom is an outpouring of the gospel. It is one of the primary blessings unleashed through faith in Christ and in essence, is the desire and ability to live out Jesus' two Great Commandments, namely, to love God with all your heart.
3. Recognize the Three Faces of Fear.
withdrawal,
control,
anger.
4. Practice the 'Three Ps' of Satisfaction.
Process satisfaction, which requires a fair, orderly, and even-handed process where everyone feels that they’ve had a reasonable opportunity to present their side of the matter (1Cor. 14:40)
Product satisfaction, which requires a final solution that is as reasonable, just and equitable as is humanly possible (Micah 6:8; Prov. 28:5)
5. Remember the Golden Result.
6. Promote Biblical Peacemaking.
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