Leaving the Church

A  Theological Research Institute director gives the readers of the Catholic Times some sad news on the situation of the Catholic Church in Korea.

Mass and gatherings have become freer in the parish churches since 'social distancing' was lifted in April, but the parishes don't feel as lively as they once did. Even though the sticker to sit at a distance from the person next to you disappeared, the vacant seat is still not filled. After Sunday Mass, people move off in a hurry, on weekends the inside and outside of the churches are quiet.

Researchers analyze that after the COVID-19 pandemic, the phenomenon of those leaving the church and religion and becoming indifferent to religion is intensifying in Korean society. It's not due to concerns about infection or health, but rather because religious interests and their pursuit among Koreans are gradually disappearing from their lives.

The longing to constantly question the fundamental meaning and value of life, such as why we were born, how to live the true life, and whether death will end everything, and the desire to find the answers in the teachings of our religion is now beyond many people's concern. Instead, what are the interests and longings that fill our hearts now?

Recently, there was a book called "People Leaving the Church," which was an in-depth interview with 8 people who had left or were about to leave the church from the Protestant side, so she read it with interest. Some of the people in this book are former pastors, and most of them, such as pastors’ wives, children, and missionary staff members, had close relationships with the church since childhood. They did not become atheists or give up on God but no longer wanted to remain in the church community.

Although the direct reasons and processes that led the people in the book to leave the church vary from one person to another, it was not that each individual lacked faith or lived a religious life from habit. Rather, their faith life was very important and they had very deep expectations and concerns for their spiritual life which were not satisfied.

Religious life did not give them freedom and joy but was filled with endless obligations and guilt. They asked questions not so different from nonbelievers. The community did not exhibit maturity nor gave them  what they expected but rudeness, hurting others, constant hatred, and conflict."Is God in a church like this? Is it really the true life of faith and the true gospel that this church teaches and proclaims?"

Conversely,  those who leave the church ask today's Christians: "What does it mean to be a Christian? Is the Church really where the love of God is experienced and proclaimed?" The fact that more and more people are leaving the church suggests that the question is not being answered properly, but this is not a situation unique to the Protestant Church.

According to the statistics of the Catholic Church in Korea, only 8.8% of the baptized believers participated in the Sunday Mass last year. Even before the pandemic, the participation rate for Sunday Mass was around 20%, so even after being baptized, 8-9 out of 10 believers do not come to church even in the Korean Catholic Church. Why are they leaving the church or are they vacationing for a time? If we listen to their stories, she thinks we will face some important questions the church is missing right now.

Magnanimous—A Beautiful Word

 A Religious Sister in the Catholic Peace Weekly introduces the readers to a recent Korean Drama that is very popular now on Korean TV: Extraordinary Attorney Woo; the story of an autistic lawyer working in a large law firm.

The drama invites us to change our perspective on autism and the disabled through the story of an autistic lawyer Woo. 

The drama not only deepened the writer's  understanding of the disease called autism and the disabled people who appeared in the drama, but also made her realize that we are all disabled but think we are normal. With our love of money we  cannot be the subject of free decisions, we study hard and try to live well, but many do not find meaning in life, give up,  develop mental disorders not infrequently distancing themselves from family members over matters such as money. 

In one of the episodes  the (self-proclaimed commander-in-chief of the Liberation Army) Bang a Pied Piper-like character reminded Sister of Jesus.  He was the son of the director of an Academy. Is arrested as a kidnapper who hijacked a school bus one day and took the 12 children to the mountain so they could play. He freed the children from studying for a while, and played fun games— hide and seek and tag.

 

The Study Academy keeps the children at the academy until 10 pm to study. They can't go out at all, have no breaks or meal times, and only go to the bathroom, but these academies are the most popular among parents. Bang says that the enemies of children are schools, academies, and parents, and that it is his job to liberate these children. His mission is to allow children to  play, be healthy and happy.

 

Lawyer Woo defends  Mr. Bang not as a megalomaniac, but as a seeker of truth who who wants to reform the existing social system. 

 

Sister sees Jesus in this situation. Jesus came 2000 years ago to set us free from the pain and suffering of sin. He came to give us rest, health, and happiness. He came to set us free from our temporal lusts, pride, jealousy, and greed. He preached the value of the kingdom of God that rich people, powerful people, and people who laugh are not  always the happy people, but happy are the poor, meek people, and those who mourn. 

 

Because of the difference between the temporal values ​​of the world and the values ​​of the kingdom of God, Jesus became a sign of opposition from political and religious leaders, and eventually was put to death. In order to spread the kingdom of God, Jesus personally selected 12 disciples to experience the kingdom of God by living together as a community. These twelve apostles gave their lives to proclaim the gospel, the good news of the kingdom of God. 

 

The drama wants to show  that the experiences of 12 children who played with Mr. Bang will have a big impact on their lives. They did not throw away the acorns they picked up while playing with Bang but made bracelets and necklaces and kept them as souvenirs.

 

Our structures in society, social norms, laws, media, our family life, our experiences our education... all influence us for the good or the bad. Consequently the need for wisdom and discernment— a need to interact in a human and loving  way with everybody.

 

Magnanimity what a beautiful word! The Latin word animus means 'soul' that which gives life.

Magnus  means great, big. We are all called to be  persons  with big souls, big hearts. Mr. Bang was such a person and the drama wants to move the viewer to work as big hearted citizens to realize a more compassionate, tender, loving society.

Death of the Unconnected Who Die Alone

We live in a developed and prosperous society. Technological advances have made our lives comfortable but not all benefit. The Catholic Peace Weekly featured an article this week giving the readers some thoughts on those left behind. Many members of dysfunctional families in society for a myriad of reasons have no present connection with the family of birth.

Society has changed from the extended family to the nuclear, from an understanding of community to concern for the individual. Numbers living alone continue to grow and 'dying alone' is no longer a rare occurrence. The problem was examined in depth by the Catholic Peace Weekly— fear of some being in a  situation of not  'dying well'.

"I am single and legally have a family, but there is no interaction, so I am virtually unrelated. If I die, it is expected that the body will be left unattended for a long time enough to decompose and produce a foul odor. I don't want to be a public nuisance after I die, and hope that my body will be taken care of quickly after death."

The above words were recently posted on an internet bulletin board—a struggle not wanting to face a tragic death. He contacted the city hall, ward office, administrative welfare center, and social welfare organizations, but the only response was— impossible. No one contacted him, even at the internet cafe where he posted. This is why voices are calling for concern and support for unconnected people not seen by our present welfare system.

Kim's (pseudonym) family was poor. His older brother left home when he was 20, and he lost contact with his older sister after marriage. Kim, who was the youngest of three children, lived with their parents. However, his parents, who were not on good terms, eventually divorced. His father went to a temple and his mother abandoned them. So Kim's family was disbanded. "I have lost my relationship with my family, but I do not want and do not expect to be reconnected."
 
Kim was preparing for his death because of the changes in his body that came two years ago. He lost weight rapidly and his eyesight deteriorated. He began to prepare not to be miserable. "Death is something that comes to everyone. However, if left unattended for a long time after death, it turns into a miserable scene. It will be difficult for those who find my body. I don't want that. That’s why I want something to be done when I am in good shape. I can't expect my family to hold my funeral," Kim said. But he couldn't find the answer he was looking for anywhere.

Local governments used the budget as an excuse. The social welfare organization considered Kim in the suicide risk group and linked him to the Suicide Prevention Center. Kim said: "There aren't many people like me, but there are some, and they should be taken care of. I think the government or local governments should actively seek out those who are not connected with family."
 
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the number of those dying alone without connection with family was 1025 in 2012, 1271 in 2013, 1379 in 2014, 1676 in 2015, 1820 in 2016, 2008 in 2017, 2447 in 2018, 2656 in 2019, and 3,136 in 2020 and steadily increased to 3488 in 2021. From 2012 to 2021, the total number of those dying alone was 20,906, more than tripled in 10 years. In 2021, 2,643 were males, 739 females, and 106 unknowns, 3.5 times higher among males than females. For men, the increase came after 40, and for women, the increase was remarkable in those over the age of 60.

The director of the Well Dying Research Institute, explained: "The four conditions for a good death are to die in a familiar place, family and friends by their side, without pain, and maintaining human dignity until the end. It is important to hold a funeral after death, but it is necessary to pay attention to their lives before death." He added: "There are relatively few resources available to help them when they run into difficulty, so we have to think about how we can help them before they are in trouble."

Right Thinking and Manners

 

"You learn to speak by speaking, to study by studying, to run by running, to work by working, and just so, you learn to love by loving. All those who think to learn in any other way deceive themselves." -Saint Francis de Sales

 

Christianity is the religion of love and we learn to love by loving. However, it is not as simple as we would wish for clear thinking on the issue is far from common. Good manners and respect between peoples and nations are not something we take for granted or as having anything to do with love: willing  the good of the other.

 

Some of the basics we learned as infants: 'Please', 'Thank you, 'Excuse me, 'Sorry'. In Korea years ago we heard the phrase: '지도편달' (指導鞭撻) at the end of an encounter with another who was older or considered more experienced in society— asking for encouragement, (Whipped)— with the change in society this rightly was not an appropriate response of a free fellow human being. However, development most would agree is not rudeness or lack of manners.

 

We are familiar with the Definition of a Gentleman by St. Cardinal John Henry Newman. The first words: "It is almost a definition of a gentleman to say he is one who never inflicts pain. This description is both refined and, as far as it goes, accurate. He is mainly occupied in merely removing the obstacles which hinder the free and unembarrassed action of those about him, and he concurs with their movements rather than takes the initiative himself." 

 

At the end of the description of a gentleman he makes clear this has little to do with the religious beliefs of the individual, they should be the natural attainments and qualities of a correctly thinking human being.

 

In a Catholic Seminary curriculum, Philosophy and Logic are important subjects to learn before entering the study of Theology which are the attempts to give the students a grounding in how to think correctly. 

 

A lack of manners can be seen as a lack of clear thinking or understanding of some basic principles of logic. This is seen often in our media and sadly not infrequently in our Catholic Media.

 

Some of the more common logical fallacies (failure to think correctly) are listed below.

 

Ad Hominem: (To the Person) one of the most common and easiest to detect is not addressing the issue but attacking the character of the other.

 

Non Sequitur: (Does not follow) lack of any connection between the given premises and the conclusion that follows. 

 

Strawman fallacy: distorting or exaggerating the issue that is being discussed in some way not intended by one of the parties.

 

Argumentum ad populum: (Argument from the people) The majority say so therefore it must be so.

 

False Dilemma: Either or Thinking. Presenting only two options when there are many different choices that can be made. Black and White kind of thinking.

The different kinds of fallacies that are present in our discussions are considerable. However, 'right thinking' is presumed  along with respect, humility and a desire to find the truth between people and nations.

The Saints We Need Today

In the Eyes of the Believer column of the Catholic Times, a parish priest gives the readers his thoughts on one of the latest saints, Saint Titus Branzma.

On May 15, this year, Pope Francis held his first canonization ceremony in St. Peter's Square in Rome after the spread of COVID-19. They included Charles de Foucault, the "hermit of the Sahara Desert" and Devasahayam Pillai the first lay martyr of India.

 

Among those who entered the ranks of saints, in particular, Saint Titus Branzma, a martyr and journalist of the 20th century, stood out. The canonization of a journalist is a great lesson in an era in which fake news is rampant and the truth is threatened while post-truth is being used as a mechanism politically and in economics.

 

Born in 1881, Saint Branzma was a Dutch Carmelite friar, a theologian, and a reporter for the Catholic newspaper, and had a special affection for the church press working as an adviser. 

 

After the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands in 1940, he wrote boldly against Nazi propaganda and defended Catholic education and Catholic freedom of the press against Nazi pressure. He was arrested for refusing to stop publishing any further articles of resistance against the Nazis, and in January 1942 transferred to a concentration camp, where he was subjected to biological testing.

 

The following month he was executed by lethal injection at the age of 61. The saint who tried to convey the message of truth, justice, love, and peace, through his own death showed the true identity, mission, and responsibility of a journalist, and became an example for all journalists. 

 

Pope Francis said in his Apostolic Exhortation Rejoice and Be Glad "holiness is not achieved by heroic gestures, but by the numerous small acts of everyday life." This was a reminder of the Pope that we are all called to holiness when we faithfully fulfill our duties in life.

 

Saint Branzma deeply recognized his identity as a journalist and priest, and faithfully lived his beliefs and convictions. As a result, through his devotion and sacrifice, he provided an opportunity for the church to communicate with the world and became the protagonist of an evangelical event that made the public aware of how the truth can change the world. 

 

Saint Branzma is the patron saint of the press in the post-truth era. In today's world, where lies by politicians and fake news on social media create social conflicts and divisions and promote hate and discrimination, adult commitment to the truth should be a model for all journalists. Fake news is a public enemy and evil of society. Anyone can become a victim of fake news and creates distrust, confrontation, fear, and anxiety in society, it is also a criminal act. 

 

There is a constant war without gunfire over the truth between power and the press, the press, and citizens, and the progressive and conservative media. It can be seen that there is a great deal of distrust in the media. Distrust in the media leads to social distrust, and the shadow in society will inevitably grow. The truth needs to be restored. Even in this age, the 2nd and 3rd Brandsma must appear. 

 

A Russian journalist who won last year's Nobel Peace Prize auctioned the medal to help Ukrainian refugees. He is Dmitry Muratov, editor-in-chief of the independent press, who exposed the corruption of the Vladimir Putin regime and was threatened by the Russian authorities but continued to report the facts with courage and determination. 

 

He is scheduled to deliver a televised speech at the SIGNIS World Congress to be held from August 15 to 18 in Seoul. His story and those of his colleagues are eagerly awaited, as they do their best to report the truth. His independent press will help in restoring the credibility of the press. I want to nominate him as the second saint of Branzma.

Problem with Isolating the Disabled

In the Now Here Web Site a reporter has published an interview with Fr. Noel Cheon (Patrick Noel O'Neil) a 90 year old Columban Foreign Missionary who was ordained in 1956 and came to Korea the following year. He worked as a parish priest for 24 years before he began working with the developmentally disabled for the last 40 years.

In 1978, a 19-year-old person with developmental disabilities living in a Rehabilitation Center died of pulmonary tuberculosis.  Fr. Noel was at that time volunteering once a week with parishioners at the Center. He got a call from a Rehabilitation worker that Maria Kim, a 19-year-old intellectually disabled patient was in critical condition from acute pneumonia. He visited Maria Kim at the hospital. She passed away after she took Fr. Noel's hand and said "thank you".

 

Together with the parishioners of the parish they buried Maria Kim in a Catholic cemetery and erected a tombstone with the words asking for forgiveness. They asked for the body of Marie for dissection but the priest refused. She was not respected for her 19 years of life and felt that would not be the proper end to her short life.

 

The  Rehabilitation Center  included  alcoholics, orphans, the  developmentally disabled, the elderly living alone, tuberculosis patients all living together. Father Noel witnessed this reality, persons living together without concern for their different disabilities and circumstances who found it difficult to say what they wanted. And thinking of the society that was indifferent to the tragic death of the young woman, he decided to respond to the silent cry of the disabled. Father Noel  started a group home for the first time in Korean society and has continued for 40 years.

 

He realized that he didn't know anything about work with the disable  and went  looking for opportunities to learn during a sabbatical year after 24 years in parish  pastoral work. He studied facilities in New Zealand, Germany, the US, Ireland, the UK, and Australia, and listened to many seminars on the subject. The year 1980 was designated as the "year of the disabled" by the United Nations. 

 

He visited the 'L'Arche Community', a self-reliance community for the disabled founded by Jean Vainer, and lived with them for a month. He visited a large facility in New Zealand where about 1,500 people lived and was told by the staff, don't do it like us.

 

He was  deeply influenced by Denmark and Germany's welfare ideology, the 'principle of normalization' (The disable need the same experience of growth and development as the non-disabled and freedom of choice that fits their life cycle). After the Holocaust in Germany during World War II, it was a period of guilt in Western society which he experience in his travels. "I didn’t know anything about the welfare of the disabled, and even when I came back with a 17th-century mindset, I was learning 21st-century concepts."

On his return he immediately started living in a two-story house with a friend and a volunteer from the rehabilitation center. For those who left the rehabilitation center, it was the first 'de-institutionalization', and for Father Noel, it was the first time doing pastoral care for the developmentally disabled. "At that time, everyone thought I was crazy."

"There was a common perception in the local community that de-institutionalization and independence of the disabled did not fit into Korean culture— it was impossible to live with non-disabled people in the local community. He believed that de- institutionalization and self-reliance were not for him  alone, but for the people of society to work together. But among those who criticized his choice during the day, came to him to ask if a member of their family with a developmental disability could come and live with him.

 

After the interview, he visited the group homes  together.with the reporter. There are currently 14 group homes in Emmaus. "Cardinal Kim said that society is changing the church rather than the church changing society. That's the problem", he said. He also spoke about the pastoral care of the disabled in the current church.

 

Father Noel  said he understands the position of parents and families with developmental disabilities who are concerned about de-institutionalization. However, when other countries first pushed for de-institutionalization, he explained that the approval rate was about 17 percent at first, but 76 percent supported it 10 years later. 

 

He continued: "The biggest problem with the church is indifference. If the church itself is to be renewed, it must stand on the side of the marginalized."

 

 

Limits of Obedience to Authority

 In the Catholic Times, 'We see as much as we know" the priest columnist considers the issue: when can we resist public power? A serious issue in the past and present.
 
There was a time when the enemies of Jesus, preparing to trap him, asked if they should pay taxes to Rome. It's like asking a Korean if one should have paid taxes to Japan during the Japanese colonial period. No matter how you answer it, you are an enemy to one side. Jesus said, "Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s" (Matthew 22:21). After all, he is saying that we should pay taxes to the countries that have taken our country away. Not good news for independence activists.
 
In Philemon, the Apostle Paul sends Onesimus a runaway slave who stole from his master back to him. This is Paul's theology.
 
Obedience to Authority: Let everyone obey the authorities that are over him, for there is no authority except God and all authority that exist is established by God" (Rom. 13:1).
 
The Apostle Peter also speaks of slavery: "You household slaves,obey your masters with all deference, not only the good and the reasonable ones but even those who are harsh (1 Peter 2:18).
 
The Catholic Church thus explicitly presents a "duty of obedience" (1900) even to secular authorities. However, Adolf Eichmann, who was the murderer of the Jews at Hitler's command, also obeyed authority. Then he must be innocent. We face a difficult dilemma here. It is necessary to set a standard for how far one must obey.
 
The Catechism thus teaches that public authority is only effective "within the limits of the moral order" (1923) and "when striving for the common good of society" (1921). That means you don't have to obey the captain of a pirate ship. It is God who gave the authority, but God who gave the law of love. Human beings have been empowered by God, but when that authority gives orders that undermine 'Respect for Man' (1907), 'Social Well-being' (1908), and 'Peace for Humanity' (1909), one may listen to those opposed.
 
Let's say a person belonged to a group that obeyed bin, Laden. He was a terrorist who promoted a religion of terrorism. Therefore, obeying that person contradicts the law of conscience, which is to love our neighbor. To not grant freedom of religion is to not respect human dignity. This is true of other situations in our world which will continue to cause pain for many.
 
However, when you still do not know how to behave concerning the authority of public officials, Catholics need to respect the decisions of the Church. We are believers in Jesus his body the church, not politicians.
 
"Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me" (Matthew 10:40). The late Cardinal Kim Su-hwan told a high-ranking police official who said he would send the police into the Myeongdong Cathedral to arrest the students. This was just before the June 29 declaration for democratization: "If you want to arrest students, step on me, then on the priests and nuns and go in."