As a little girl, she firmly believed in Jesus and prayed with childlike trust in God. But then she was sexually abused. As a teenager, she was confused and sought comfort with marijuana and boys.
I am thinking of stories of not just one or two women who ended up in a brothel, a psychiatric institution or on the street.
I think of a young man who was begging on the street in a German city in winter. He lived off donations, and he told me he sometimes spent the night with a client.
I know women in Germany who visited brothels to help prostitutes with friendship and kindness. In one year, they uncovered four victims of trafficking and helped them return home.
In one Australian state, the government reported that 15-20% of all mentally ill patients committed suicide within 24 hours of being discharged. After that, no more statistics were published. The scandal was simply hushed up.
Yesterday, a Christian political activist phoned me. He told me to contact the government and demand that we should have religious freedom.
I was not impressed, and I gave him a piece of my mind.
Why do these activists protest about abortion, gender mainstreaming, etc., but ignore domestic violence, homelessness and the neglect of the mentally ill and victims of abuse?
The young activist protested that he had himself been homeless before he found Jesus in his life. He insisted that this was not a political issue, but personal evangelism was the correct response.
Sorry, but my experience tells me that there are many homeless and mentally ill people who believe in Jesus or have believed once, but are human wrecks because of hypocrisy and abuse in Christian families or churches.
I have talked to Christians who struggle with suicidal thoughts. I know Christians in this situation who sometimes needed government funded psychiatric care to repair the damage done to them by professing Christians, Christian families or churches.
Inadequate government funding of services for homeless victims and mental patients is an urgent political issue and also a Christian issue.
Jesus sharply rebuked the Pharisees for imposing a narrow religious way of thinking on others, but they did not care about poor, sick and suffering people.
For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” Galatians 5:14 NKJV
There is a very important word in biblical Hebrew and also in Greek. It means both righteousness and justice. In French, Spanish, Italian, German and Dutch bibles, the same wonderful word is very prominent.
Sadly, the English language has no word to translate this word. Many Christians read the word “righteousness” and do not realise that it also includes justice and mercy.
“But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Luke 11:42 NKJV
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before Your face. Psalm 89:14 NKJV
