Devil’s Greatest Deception: The lie that 'there is no God, and there is no devil'

Devil’s Deception Behind Decline of Faith in West and Asia

 The Bible and the cries of countless souls testify that the deadliest battle isn’t fought between nations or ideologies, but between truth and damnable lies. And at the core of this war stands the enemy of all life—the devil—spewing his most venomous deception: that there is no God, and there is no devil. This is not just a lie; it is a weapon of mass destruction by devil, dragging blind, arrogant humanity toward eternal ruin.

This is not merely a philosophical debate. It is a deception engineered by devil with eternal consequences. When people are convinced that there is no God to seek, no Savior to trust, and no enemy to resist, they fall prey to the greatest fraud perpetrated by devil in the history of creation. The devil, described in Scripture as a destroyer, liar, and murderer from the beginning, thrives by blinding people to spiritual reality. His masterpiece is not the promotion of obvious evil, but the subtle denial that any spiritual dimension exists at all.

In this article, we will explore why this deception is so powerful, how it manifests in human life, and why resisting it requires vigilance, faith, and clarity of truth.

1. The Nature of the Deceiver

The Bible describes Satan as “the father of lies” (John 8:44). Lies are his native language. Unlike a common thief who steals goods, the devil aims to steal souls. His purpose is destruction—not only physical, but spiritual and eternal.

A direct assault often exposes the enemy’s hand. If he appeared visibly with horns and fire, most people would recoil in horror and turn toward God. Instead, he operates through subtle whispers: “There is no God. There is no devil. Life is random. Death is the end. Truth is relative.”

By sowing seeds of doubt and denial, the deceiver achieves far more than open intimidation. Denial disarms the human heart, making vigilance unnecessary in the eyes of the victim. A soldier who doesn’t believe a war exists never trains, never resists, never prepares—and ultimately perishes without a fight.

2. The Lie of No God

The devil’s first strategy is to cut off humanity’s anchor: the existence of God. If there is no Creator, no moral authority, no Judge, then life has no ultimate accountability. People are free to drift into pleasure, ambition, greed, or despair without ever considering eternity.

This deception plays out in several forms:

Atheism: the outright denial of God.

Agnosticism: the claim that God’s existence cannot be known.

Secularism: the relegation of God to irrelevance in daily life.

False gods: the substitution of idols—wealth, power, fame, or ideology—in place of the true God.

When the devil convinces people that God is a myth, he removes the very foundation of hope, morality, and salvation. A life without God may seem liberating at first, but it leads inevitably to emptiness, confusion, and despair.

3. The Lie of No Devil

Ironically, many people who deny the devil’s existence still believe in evil. They see war, cruelty, addiction, exploitation, and suffering, but refuse to recognize the spiritual enemy orchestrating much of it.

The devil delights in this blindness. For if there is no enemy, then there is nothing to resist. Temptation becomes “personal choice.” Sin becomes “mistake.” Bondage becomes “habit.” The one who is enslaved never realizes the chains are spiritual.

By convincing people he does not exist, the devil gains free rein to work unopposed. He manipulates desires, corrupts institutions, divides families, and oppresses nations—all while his existence is dismissed as myth or medieval superstition.

4. How the Deception Works

The devil uses multiple channels to advance this lie:

Philosophy and Ideology: Ideas that deny the spiritual realm—materialism, relativism, scientism—dominate intellectual thought. While science and reason are valuable, when elevated to absolutes they leave no room for God.

Culture and Entertainment: Films, books, and media often portray Satan as a joke, a cartoon, or a metaphor, stripping away the seriousness of his reality. At the same time, God is mocked, dismissed, or ignored.

Personal Pride: The human heart resists authority. To admit God exists is to admit accountability. Pride therefore welcomes the lie that no such accountability is required.

Religious Confusion: Even within spiritual circles, the devil thrives by promoting distorted images of God—as cruel, distant, or irrelevant. When faith is misrepresented, people walk away not from God Himself, but from the caricature created by deception.

5. The Consequences of Believing the Lie

When people embrace the idea that there is no God and no devil, several tragic consequences unfold:

Loss of Purpose: Without God, life reduces to survival and pleasure, devoid of eternal meaning.

Moral Collapse: With no ultimate accountability, right and wrong become relative, paving the way for exploitation and injustice.

Bondage to Sin: Without recognizing the devil’s hand, people remain trapped in destructive cycles, unable to seek deliverance.

Eternal Separation: The gravest consequence is spiritual death—eternal separation from God through unbelief.

The devil’s deception does not simply mislead people temporarily; it seeks to damn them eternally. That is why it is called his greatest fraud.

6. God’s Response: The Light of Truth

The good news is that deception is shattered by truth. Scripture declares: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). The existence of God is revealed in creation, conscience, history, and above all in Jesus Christ. The existence of the devil is revealed in the reality of evil and in God’s Word, which unmasks his schemes.

Jesus came not only to reveal the Father, but also to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). His death and resurrection broke the power of sin, death, and Satan, offering salvation to all who believe. Faith in Christ exposes the devil’s lies and reconnects humanity to God’s truth.

7. The Ongoing Battle

Even for believers, the devil continues his deception. He whispers doubts: “God doesn’t care. Prayer doesn’t matter. Sin isn’t serious.” He tempts with distractions and discouragement, hoping to erode faith.

The apostle Paul warns: “We are not ignorant of his schemes” (2 Corinthians 2:11). Believers are called to vigilance, to put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10–18), and to resist the devil, knowing he will flee (James 4:7).

The greatest safeguard against deception is daily immersion in God’s Word, prayer, and fellowship with other believers. Truth must be continually refreshed to counter lies that seep in through culture, temptation, and doubt.

8. Why the Lie Persists

Why does the devil invest so heavily in this particular deception? Because if people deny the very battlefield, he wins without a fight. Convincing humanity there is no God removes the source of salvation. Convincing them there is no devil removes the need for vigilance. Together, these lies create a perfect snare.

Moreover, the lie strokes human pride. People prefer to believe they are masters of their destiny, accountable to no higher power, threatened by no spiritual enemy. The deception flatters human independence while ensuring spiritual ruin.

9. Breaking Free from the Lie

The pathway out of deception begins with humility—admitting that truth exists beyond personal opinion. From there, it requires faith—trusting that God has revealed Himself through Scripture and through His Son. Finally, it requires repentance—turning away from sin and unbelief to embrace the life God offers.

Countless testimonies across centuries affirm that when people open their eyes to the reality of God and the reality of the devil, their lives change. They find peace, freedom, and strength in Christ, and they recognize the spiritual battle that once enslaved them.

10. Devil’s Deception Behind Decline of Faith in West

Many people today are drifting away from religion, with noticeable declines in faith across Europe and America. Churches are emptier, traditional values are fading, and belief in God is questioned or dismissed altogether. While some attribute this trend to modern science, materialism, or cultural change, one cannot ignore the deeper spiritual dimension. The devil, being a master deceiver, thrives on sowing doubt and disbelief. His greatest strategy is to convince people that God is irrelevant or non-existent, gradually turning hearts cold and keeping souls far from the truth and light of the Creator.

11. ‘No God, No Devil’ Strategy of Devil Leads Souls to Hell

Through the cunning deception of the “no God, no devil” strategy, the enemy of souls carries out his most dangerous work. By convincing people that neither God nor the devil exists, he removes the very foundation of accountability and eternal truth. If there is no God, then there is no ultimate authority, no judgment, and no need for salvation. If there is no devil, then there is no enemy to resist, no evil to guard against, and no urgency to cling to God for protection. This subtle lie lulls people into a false sense of security, making them believe life is only about the present moment, pleasure, or worldly success. But in reality, this is the broad road that leads countless souls away from light, away from truth, and straight into eternal destruction. The devil’s strategy thrives in silence, deception, and denial, leading multitudes unknowingly toward hell.

Conclusion: The Truth That Sets Free

The devil’s greatest deception is not witchcraft, violence, or open rebellion. It is denial—the quiet, sophisticated, seemingly rational claim that there is no God and no devil. This lie blinds millions, keeping them from seeking God and resisting evil.

But truth cannot be silenced. Creation cries out the reality of a Creator. Conscience points to moral accountability. History testifies to the impact of faith. And the resurrection of Jesus Christ declares victory over sin, death, and the devil.

To believe the lie is to remain in chains. To believe the truth is to be set free. Every person must choose: to live under deception, or to step into the light of reality. The devil’s fraud is deadly, but God’s truth is eternal. The destroyer seeks to kill, but the Savior came to give life—and life abundantly.

 

Forgotten in Their Sunset Years: The Harsh Reality of Neglected Parents

 When Children Choose Wealth Over Duty the Loneliness That Awaits

  Across Kerala, and increasingly across India, a silent tragedy unfolds every single day. It is not a tragedy caused by poverty, war, or famine. It is one born out of betrayal — the betrayal of parents by their own children. Once upon a time, children were considered the wealth of a family, the ones who would carry forward not just the family name but also the sacred duty of care. Today, in an age obsessed with money, migration, and personal comfort, many children abandon that responsibility. They chase better salaries abroad, luxury lifestyles in foreign cities, and upward mobility at any cost. In this pursuit, the very hands that once fed them, clothed them, and sacrificed for them are pushed into darkness, loneliness, and neglect.

 The state of Kerala offers a stark picture. Known as a land of migration, with lakhs of its youth settled in the Gulf, Europe, or America, Kerala’s villages and towns are filled with aging parents left behind. Homes that once rang with laughter now echo with silence. Old men and women sit on verandas, waiting endlessly for a knock on the door, a call, or even a message that may never come. Festivals like Onam, once symbols of family reunion, now become painful reminders of isolation. And while a lucky few may receive remittances from abroad, what they truly crave is presence, not money.

When Children Choose Wealth Over Duty

 Let us not sugarcoat this reality. Children today — many of them highly educated, ambitious, and successful — are failing their parents. They defend themselves by saying: “We have careers, we have our own families, life is busy abroad.” But beneath those excuses lies a brutal truth: selfishness. Parents gave their best years to raise their children, often denying themselves comforts so that their sons and daughters could study in good schools, earn foreign degrees, and secure prestigious jobs. Fathers toiled in government offices or worked as daily wage laborers; mothers broke their backs in kitchens, saved every rupee, and prayed at every temple or church for their children’s future. And what do these parents receive in return? Silence. Distance. Indifference.

 In Kerala, the so-called “Gulf dream” is part of every second household. Young men and women leave with promises: “Amma, Achcha, once I am settled, I will bring you there. Life will be better for us all.” Years pass, decades roll by, and parents grow old waiting. The children return only for hurried vacations, more like tourists than family members. Their time is spent shopping, sightseeing, or catching up with friends, while their parents stand on the margins. Sometimes, even those visits stop. Airfares, they claim, are expensive. Work, they say, is demanding. But the truth is harsher: the parents no longer matter. They have served their purpose.

 Even worse, many children push their parents into old age homes — places euphemistically called “care centers.” The parents are dumped there like unwanted furniture, told to adjust, told to accept this new phase of life. Strangers care for them, but love is absent. Some children may argue, “At least we are paying for their care.” But is care a financial transaction? Can the warmth of a son’s embrace or a daughter’s conversation be replaced by a caretaker’s routine feeding and bed-making?

The Loneliness That Awaits

 The irony is chilling. The very children who abandon their parents today will themselves grow old tomorrow. And when they do, they will face the same indifference — if not worse. For the cycle of neglect, once set in motion, will not stop. If children grow up watching their parents treat grandparents as burdens, they too will learn to view aging parents as liabilities. Retribution will come, not because of divine punishment, but because of cold, human logic: what goes around comes around.

 Kerala already shows us glimpses of this grim future. Entire neighborhoods are now populated by the elderly. In villages, one sees old couples living alone in crumbling houses, or widowed mothers surviving on meager pensions. They wait for phone calls that never arrive. They stare at photographs of their children, framed and hung on walls, as though the only presence left is an image. Some die in loneliness, their deaths discovered days later by neighbors. Others breathe their last in old age homes, surrounded by strangers, with no son or daughter holding their hand. Is this the fate parents deserve after a lifetime of sacrifice?

 The harshest truth is that loneliness kills faster than disease. Studies show that elderly people deprived of social and emotional support are more likely to suffer from depression, cognitive decline, and early death. In Kerala, where life expectancy is among the highest in India, this reality is even more pronounced. Parents live long, but they live alone. Their lives stretch into decades of waiting, hoping, and ultimately, despairing.

 And yet, those who abandon them rarely feel the sting immediately. Abroad, these sons and daughters post smiling photos with their own children, celebrate milestones, and flaunt their lifestyles. They believe they have won. But life has a cruel way of circling back. When they too grow old, when their own children pursue opportunities in distant lands, they will experience the same neglect. They will remember the days their parents called and they didn’t pick up, the invitations home they ignored, the excuses they gave. Memory will turn into a mirror, and in that mirror they will see themselves — lonely, discarded, forgotten.

 The story of neglected parents in Kerala is not just a story of one state; it is a story of modern India, a nation that prides itself on family values but increasingly betrays them. The old proverb said, “Maatru devo bhava, pitru devo bhava” — revere your mother and father as gods. But in practice, parents today are treated as burdens. Our temples are full, but our homes are empty of respect.

 There is no shortage of laws. India has the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, which makes it mandatory for children to care for their parents. But laws cannot create love, nor can courts enforce compassion. What is needed is a moral awakening — a realization that the true measure of success is not the size of your salary or the city you migrate to, but how you treat the people who gave you life.

 Kerala’s villages, with their silent houses and deserted courtyards, are warning signs. They warn us of a future where every family will fracture, every parent will grow old alone, and every child will, in turn, face the same abandonment. Unless this cycle is broken, we are doomed to repeat it.

 Retribution is not a curse. It is a certainty. If you neglect your parents, be prepared: your own children will one day neglect you.

What Bible says about this trend?

The Bible speaks very directly and firmly about honouring and caring for parents, and the trend of neglecting them in old age goes against its teachings. Here are some of the most relevant passages and principles:

 The Fifth Commandment – A Non-Negotiable Duty:

 Exodus 20:12 – “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” Honouring parents is not optional — it is one of the Ten Commandments. Neglecting them in their old age is seen as dishonour, a grave sin.

 Caring for Parents Is Central to Faith:

1 Timothy 5:8 – “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” This verse is harshly clear: a child who abandons their parents is considered “worse than an unbeliever.” Scripture doesn’t allow excuses of career, money, or migration.

3. Jesus Condemned Using Excuses to Avoid Supporting Parents:

Mark 7:9–13 – Jesus rebuked people who set aside their duty to parents in the name of religious offerings (“Corban”). He called it hypocrisy and said they nullified God’s command. Modern excuses like “I’m busy abroad” or “I’ll send money” mirror the same hypocrisy.

4. Love in Action, Not Just Words:

1 John 3:18 – “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” Parents don’t just need money; they need presence, care, and respect. Neglect while claiming to “love” them is empty talk.

5. A Warning of Retribution:

 Proverbs 30:17 – “The eye that mocks a father, that scorns an aged mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by the vultures.” A grim image, underscoring that disrespect and neglect of parents will invite judgment and destruction.

6. The Blessing of Obedience and Care:

Ephesians 6:2–3 – “Honor your father and mother” — which is the first commandment with a promise — “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” Scripture ties blessing, prosperity, and long life to honouring parents. The opposite — neglect — brings curse and misery.

 In summary:
The Bible leaves no room for children to abandon their parents. Migration, busy lives, or material success are not valid excuses. Neglect is considered dishonour, hypocrisy, and sin. Those who fail in this duty not only break God’s command but also risk facing the same neglect in their own old age.

 

Has the church become an institution of power while missionary work fades?

 The Church was once envisioned as a living body of believers whose central purpose was to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ, care for the poor, heal the broken-hearted, and spread the good news of salvation. It was meant to be a fellowship of service, humility, and sacrifice, grounded not in wealth or power but in spiritual transformation. Yet, over the centuries, and especially in the present era, it has increasingly come to resemble a highly institutionalized structure. Instead of being a movement of mission and mercy, it has often been reduced to a system of governance, bureaucracy, rules, and regulations.

 In many parts of the world, bishops, cardinals, and church leaders appear to live like monarchs, enjoying a life of privilege, pomp, and protocol while the ordinary faithful are treated as passive subjects expected to obey without question. This reality has raised a pressing question: has the Church become more concerned with building itself as an institution rather than fulfilling its missionary call?

 The very word "Church" in the earliest biblical sense referred to the gathering of believers, the ekklesia, a community bound together in faith and service. But what we see now is a massive administrative body, with hierarchical layers and elaborate structures of power. Instead of being known for fearless witness and outreach to the margins, the Church is often identified with imposing cathedrals, lavish ceremonies, and the authority of clergy. Bishops, who are meant to be shepherds, frequently come across as rulers. Their residences, motorcades, and lifestyles echo a kingly court rather than the humble fisherman Peter or the tireless missionary Paul. What began as a movement of radical discipleship has, in too many cases, settled into a religious corporation.

 The danger of institutionalization is not just the presence of rules. Any community needs order and accountability. The danger lies in what becomes the centre of gravity. For the early disciples, the heart of the faith was mission: preaching Christ, healing the sick, breaking bread with the poor, embracing outcasts. For many church leaders today, the heart of their work appears to be administration: property disputes, financial management, committee meetings, and ensuring loyalty to ecclesiastical authority. A disproportionate amount of time and energy is spent on maintaining the machinery of the institution rather than engaging in the daring and risky work of evangelization.

 Missionary work, which once drove men and women to leave their homes, learn new languages, and risk their lives in foreign lands, is now in retreat. Missionaries in the past went to remote villages, braved disease, confronted hostile rulers, and lived alongside the poorest of the poor. They translated Scriptures, built schools, and transformed communities. Today, that spirit has dimmed. The missionary task is often reduced to token charity drives, photo opportunities, and social projects that satisfy annual reports. The real zeal to carry the message of Christ to those who have never heard it, or to live radically among the marginalized, is far less visible. The institutional Church seems more invested in preserving its reputation, defending its assets, and ensuring its authority rather than sacrificing itself for the world.

 The gap between clergy and laity has widened. Bishops speak of service but often command obedience. They dictate from pulpits and pastoral letters but rarely listen to the lived struggles of ordinary believers. Their decisions, especially in matters of finance, land, or internal disputes, often mimic the language of corporate executives or political leaders rather than humble servants of the Gospel. In many dioceses, bishops travel in expensive cars, host elaborate banquets, and reside in palatial houses, while parishioners struggle to make ends meet. The irony is striking when one recalls that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, washed the feet of his disciples, and warned that whoever wants to be great must be the servant of all.

 This shift toward institutionalism has consequences. Faith becomes ritualistic, confined to Sunday obligations and rules, rather than a transformative way of life. People are judged more on whether they conform to regulations than whether they live the spirit of Christ’s love. The Church becomes obsessed with its image in the media, its financial security, and its hierarchical prestige, while the prophetic voice of truth is silenced. Instead of standing alongside the oppressed, the Church risks becoming an ally of power, more comfortable negotiating with politicians than comforting the afflicted.

 The laity, meanwhile, are treated as recipients of directives rather than co-workers in mission. Yet, the strength of the Church has always been in the faith of ordinary believers who pray, teach, serve, and evangelize in their daily lives. When the hierarchy alienates them through arrogance or excessive control, the Church loses its lifeblood. The people of God are not meant to be spectators. They are the body of Christ, every member vital. A Church that treats them as children to be disciplined rather than adults with gifts and callings undermines its own mission.

 The decline of missionary spirit is especially evident in urban and Western contexts. Churches in many cities are shrinking, pews are empty, and young people are disillusioned. Instead of radical outreach, the focus seems to be on survival—fundraising to maintain aging buildings, legal battles over inheritance, and endless conferences on organizational reform. Mission is spoken of, but rarely lived. When was the last time bishops themselves went out to the streets to serve the homeless or engaged with migrant workers without a retinue of aides and photographers? The early missionaries did not wait for permission or institutional recognition; they burned with zeal. Today, that flame seems dim behind layers of bureaucracy.

 It is not only missionary work abroad that suffers; even within local communities, the priority is often misplaced. Too much energy is spent on ceremonial grandeur and less on genuine pastoral care. Churches organize massive feasts, parades, and celebrations that consume enormous resources, while poor families in the same parishes struggle with hospital bills and education costs. What does it profit the Church to erect marble altars and golden chalices while neglecting the widows, orphans, and unemployed youth sitting in its pews? Christ himself asked a similar question when he condemned the Pharisees for tithing mint and cumin while neglecting justice, mercy, and faithfulness.

 Another mark of institutionalization is the obsession with control. Rules govern who may participate, how they may serve, and which voices are allowed to be heard. Creative initiatives from the laity are often suppressed because they do not align with established protocols. Innovation is stifled. Priests and bishops prefer conformity to creativity. Yet, the Spirit of God is not bound by human rules; it blows where it wills. The Church risks quenching that Spirit by prioritizing regulations over renewal.

 Of course, not all clergy or bishops fall into this pattern. There are many who live humbly, serve tirelessly, and embody the Gospel in their lives. But the dominant image presented to the world is often one of hierarchy, privilege, and control. When scandals emerge—whether financial mismanagement, abuse of power, or moral failures—the credibility of the Church suffers further. And when leadership responds with secrecy, cover-ups, or defensive postures, it only deepens the impression that the Church is more concerned with protecting itself as an institution than with pursuing truth and justice.

 The tragedy is that the Church has within it the potential for great renewal. The Gospel still burns with power. The lives of saints and martyrs still testify to a faith worth living and dying for. The laity are filled with gifts and talents waiting to be harnessed. Missionary zeal can still be rekindled if the institution loosens its grip on power and rediscover its purpose. But this requires courage from the hierarchy. It requires bishops to step down from thrones and live among the people. It requires structures to shift from control to empowerment. It requires the Church to prioritize service over survival, mission over maintenance, Christ over comfort.

 The temptation of every religious institution through history has been to replace the radical call of faith with the safety of rules, to replace service with status, and to replace sacrifice with security. The Christian Church, despite its divine origins, has not been immune to this temptation. Yet, history also shows that renewal is always possible. Reformers have arisen in every era, reminding the Church of its true purpose. Perhaps today, when the gap between hierarchy and laity is widening and missionary work is waning, another wave of renewal is needed.

 The question remains urgent: has the Church forgotten its essence? If it continues to prioritize institutional power, financial wealth, and ceremonial prestige, it will lose its credibility in the eyes of the world. But if it dares to strip away these trappings and return to the radical simplicity of Christ’s way, it could once again become a force of transformation. The choice is stark: to be an institution obsessed with rules and rulers, or to be a movement of faith that lives and proclaims the Gospel fearlessly.

 The future of the Church depends on which path it chooses. The faithful are watching, the poor are waiting, and the world is in need of hope. The Church must decide whether it will remain a comfortable institution or rediscover its missionary heart.

 

The Rise of the Non-Religious: Why Christians Are Leaving Religion in Europe and America

  Across Europe and the United States, a quiet but profound shift is reshaping the religious landscape. Once-dominant Christian denominations—Catholics and Protestants alike—are seeing growing numbers of adherents disaffiliate from organized religion. This trend is not limited to a few fringe movements; it reflects a structural change in the way millions perceive faith, morality, and identity. In many Western countries, secularization is no longer a marginal phenomenon but a defining feature of the 21st-century religious landscape.

 This article explores the countries most affected, the social and cultural drivers behind this transformation, and what it means for the future of Christianity in the West.

Secularization Across Europe:
 Europe has historically been the cradle of Christianity. Yet today, it is also the continent with the fastest-growing numbers of religiously unaffiliated citizens. Surveys, census data, and academic research reveal stark patterns:

 Germany: Once overwhelmingly Christian, Germany now has a growing population of self-identified “non-religious,” particularly among younger generations. In 2020, about 35% of Germans were unaffiliated, up from 20% two decades earlier.

 France: Traditionally Catholic, France has long had a strong secular streak. Roughly 50% of French citizens now identify as non-religious, according to the French Institute of Public Opinion (IFOP).

 United Kingdom: The British Social Attitudes Survey shows that nearly half of all adults identify as having no religion, with a particularly sharp decline in Anglican Church membership.

 Scandinavia: Sweden, Denmark, and Norway report some of the highest percentages of religiously unaffiliated citizens in the world, often exceeding 60–70%.

 In Western Europe, the decline is particularly pronounced among younger adults. While older generations may still identify culturally with Catholicism or Protestantism, their children and grandchildren are far less likely to attend church or maintain religious practices.

 The American Context:
 While Europe leads in secularization, the United States has historically been an outlier, with high levels of religious affiliation. Yet even in America, the share of Christians, particularly mainline Protestants and Catholics, is declining:

 The “Nones” Phenomenon: Pew Research Center data shows that as of 2021, roughly 29% of American adults identify as religiously unaffiliated, up from 16% in 2007. This group, often called the “nones,” includes atheists, agnostics, and those who identify as “nothing in particular.”

 Generational Divide: Younger Americans (Millennials and Gen Z) are far more likely to reject organized religion. Among adults under 40, over 40% identify as non-religious.

 Catholics and Protestants: Catholic affiliation is declining, particularly in the Northeast and Midwest, while mainline Protestant denominations such as Methodists, Lutherans, and Presbyterians report sharp membership drops. Evangelical Protestantism has been more resilient, but even it faces challenges in retaining younger followers.

Key Drivers of Christian Disaffiliation:

Cultural and Social Liberalization: One of the most significant drivers is the increasing alignment of Western societies with liberal values—gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive choice, and freedom of expression. Many Christians find that traditional church teachings clash with their personal beliefs, particularly on social issues. Young adults in particular prioritize personal autonomy and inclusivity over religious authority.

Institutional Scandals and Loss of Trust: Church-related scandals, including sexual abuse, financial mismanagement, and cover-ups, have severely eroded trust in religious institutions. The Catholic Church, in particular, has faced widespread criticism over decades of abuse cases. Protestant denominations have faced similar scrutiny over financial transparency and governance issues. For many believers, faith itself may remain important, but the institution fails to inspire confidence.

Scientific and Educational Influences: Higher levels of education correlate strongly with secularization. Exposure to science, critical thinking, and empirical reasoning leads many to question traditional religious narratives. In Europe and the U.S., countries with high literacy rates and widespread access to higher education see faster growth of non-religious populations.

Individualism and Personal Spirituality: Modern societies emphasize self-expression, individual freedom, and personal fulfilment. Many people still seek spiritual meaning but reject organized religion. Practices such as meditation, yoga, mindfulness, and personal reflection offer alternatives to church-based spirituality. Younger generations often describe themselves as “spiritual but not religious,” valuing personal ethics over institutional doctrine.

Immigration and Religious Pluralism: Paradoxically, increased exposure to religious diversity can also accelerate secularization among the majority population. Encountering Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and other faith traditions in everyday life can challenge assumptions of religious superiority or exclusivity. This pluralism fosters a mindset where personal choice, tolerance, and skepticism of absolute truth claims become more attractive.

Secular Governance and State Policies:
European countries with strong secular states—such as France, Germany, and the Scandinavian nations—reinforce the separation of religion from public life. State policies on education, healthcare, and civil rights often reduce the social necessity of church affiliation. In the U.S., although the state is officially secular, cultural pluralism and media exposure contribute to similar trends.

Demographic and Generational Trends: The decline of religious affiliation is heavily generational. Older adults often retain their childhood faith, even if attendance is sporadic.

Millennials and Gen Z are markedly less religious, with many citing personal autonomy, skepticism, and social justice as reasons for leaving organized religion.

 Fertility differences also play a role: secular families tend to have fewer children, accelerating the demographic impact over generations.

In countries like Sweden and the Netherlands, the youngest generations are approaching 80–90% religiously unaffiliated. In the U.S., the generational trend suggests that by 2050, religiously unaffiliated adults could constitute a third or more of the population.

Country-Specific Illustrations:

Sweden: Sweden’s secularization is extreme. Church of Sweden membership is nominally high due to automatic registration at birth, but actual church participation is minimal. Surveys indicate that the majority of Swedes under 40 are non-practicing or entirely unaffiliated. The factors include progressive social policies, high education levels, and cultural emphasis on individual freedom.

France: Secularism is a constitutional principle. French society separates religion from public life rigorously. The legacy of anti-clericalism, coupled with education reforms emphasizing rationalism and critical thinking, has made church attendance largely optional. French youth increasingly reject Catholic traditions as irrelevant to modern life.

Germany: Germany sees a dual trend. Catholic and Protestant church membership is declining sharply in former West Germany, while the former East Germany—already secular under communist rule—remains one of the most non-religious regions in the world. Societal pluralism, individualism, and scandal-related disillusionment are major drivers.

United States: The decline is uneven. The Northeast, Pacific Coast, and urban areas are losing more Christians than the Bible Belt. Socially liberal regions, exposure to higher education, and digital media contribute to disaffiliation. Evangelical communities, while more resistant, are also seeing generational erosion in certain regions.

Church initiatives to stop this trend

The Vatican and other Christian denominations are actively trying to halt the decline in religious affiliation through outreach, modernization, youth engagement, social activism, and digital evangelization. However, societal trends toward secularization, generational shifts, and distrust of institutions make reversing this trend extremely difficult. The church’s strategies are evolving, but the pace of disaffiliation suggests that retention will require not just institutional reform, but deep engagement with the cultural and moral concerns of younger generations.

The Vatican has taken a multifaceted approach under recent popes, particularly Pope Francis. The Vatican emphasizes New Evangelization, a concept aimed at reawakening faith among baptized Catholics who have drifted away.

 Pope Francis has encouraged a more pastoral and inclusive approach, urging priests to reach out to the marginalized, the doubters, and the disillusioned rather than adopting a purely doctrinal stance.

Youth Engagement: World Youth Day (WYD) remains a major tool to engage young people globally, offering community, spiritual experience, and a sense of belonging. The Vatican encourages dioceses worldwide to create youth ministries, retreats, and educational programs that address contemporary challenges like mental health, social justice, and environmental concerns.

 Digital and Media Outreach: The Vatican has increased its presence online via social media, apps, podcasts, and streaming services. Pope Francis’s social media accounts, Vatican News, and initiatives like the Vatican News YouTube channel aim to reach younger, tech-savvy audiences who might otherwise drift away from organized religion.

Addressing Scandals and Transparency: Scandals, particularly the sexual abuse crisis, have been a major factor in Catholic disaffiliation. The Vatican has implemented reforms, including stricter accountability for clergy, mandatory reporting, and lay oversight commissions in many countries. While transparency and disciplinary measures aim to rebuild trust, critics argue that progress is slow and uneven.

 Protestant churches, particularly mainline denominations, have also tried to stem disaffiliation. Many churches have introduced contemporary worship styles, more informal services, and music-based engagement to appeal to younger generations. Churches increasingly emphasize social justice, environmental stewardship, and community service as a way to remain relevant to younger adults who value activism and ethical engagement over doctrinal authority.

 Both Catholic and Protestant institutions are investing in improved religious education to strengthen understanding of theology, ethics, and church history.

 Despite these initiatives, churches face significant challenges. Younger people often value personal autonomy and are skeptical of hierarchical institutions. Increasingly secular societies normalize non-religion, reducing social incentives to affiliate with a church.

Yes, the Vatican and other Christian institutions are aware of the decline in religious affiliation, especially in Europe and North America, and they have been actively taking measures to address it. Their strategies focus on evangelization, youth engagement, social relevance, and modernization, though with varying degrees of success.

Msgr. Thomas Moothedan — Translator, Scholar, and Builder of Malayalam Biblical Language

Edited by George Mathew

Msgr. Thomas Moothedan stands among the most important Catholic scholars of twentieth-century Kerala, India, for his singular achievement: a complete Malayalam translation of the Bible grounded in the Syriac Peshitta and the Latin Vulgate. His work—published during the 1960s—was more than a literary or academic exercise. It represented the careful weaving together of liturgical fidelity, rigorous scholarship, and a deliberate stylistic clarity that aimed to make Scripture both authoritative and immediately intelligible to Malayalam readers.

By drawing upon classical sources, his deep knowledge of Syriac traditions among the Saint Thomas Christians, and his disciplined literary sensibility, Msgr. Moothedan produced a version that influenced later Catholic translations and shaped biblical language in Kerala for decades. His life, his intellectual background, and his methods reveal how one man could become a bridge between the ancient world of Syriac Christianity and the modern context of Kerala’s Catholic community.

 He translated the Bible to Malayalam language in 1963.

Life and Scholarly Background

Msgr. Thomas Moothedan was a Catholic priest and scholar from central Kerala. His career was wide-ranging: it combined pastoral ministry, college teaching, and academic administration. He hailed from the Moothedan family of Meloor, near Chalakudy in Thrissur district.
He was born on March 7, 1911, and received his priesthood from Ampitiya Papa Seminary, Kandy, Sri Lanka. His formal academic qualifications—he held an M.A. as well as a Doctorate in Divinity (D.D.)—placed him in a rare group of priest-scholars who could combine theological expertise with administrative responsibility. He was Headmaster of St. George High School, Kanjoor, from 1950 to 1957. He became Mathematics Professor and Vice Principal of Nirmala College from 1957 to 1963. He contributed to the institution’s growth in its early years.
One of his most visible roles was his leadership at St. Thomas College, Thrissur, where he served as Principal between 1963 and 1971. During that period, he became a well-known figure in Kerala’s academic and ecclesiastical circles. He also became a Member of the Syndicate of Calicut University.
 He received the Monsignor title, an honorific form of address granted by the Pope to certain priests as a mark of distinction, in 1975.
 Msgr. Moothedan passed away in Meloor on February 11, 1985.

 Beyond the institutional record, his life intersected with families and communities in meaningful ways. (For example, he played a role in arranging the marriage of the Editor’s parents Prof. V. A. Mathew of Nirmala College’s Chemistry Department with M. J. Annam of the Moothedan family—his niece who was then a school teacher). Such episodes remind us that he was not only a scholar of repute but also a priest involved in the personal and cultural fabric of Kerala Catholic life.

 His roots in that region placed him firmly within the Saint Thomas Christian heritage, a community with centuries of connection to Syriac liturgy. His later work would constantly draw on this background.

 Travel was also a significant part of his life. He journeyed across Africa and Europe, and his travelogues, published during the 1960s and 1970s, reached a wide readership. These writings reveal another side of him: a curious, observant priest who wished to share his encounters with the wider world with Malayalam readers.

 His biography must also be placed against the cultural backdrop of the Saint Thomas Christian communities of Kerala. These communities preserved Syriac liturgical and textual traditions well into the twentieth century, maintaining a living link with the Eastern Christian world. The Syriac heritage provided both a liturgical rhythm and a textual base for Kerala Christians, and Msgr. Moothedan was conscious of this when he undertook his monumental translation of the Bible. His life thus becomes a lens into the meeting of tradition, scholarship, and pastoral commitment.

The Translation: Sources, Method, and Publication

 The central academic achievement of Msgr. Moothedan was his complete Malayalam translation of the Bible. Unlike earlier partial attempts, his work covered the entire canon and aimed to serve as an authoritative Catholic edition for use in parishes, homes, and seminaries.

He explicitly chose two primary sources: the Syriac Peshitta and the Latin Vulgate. This decision was both symbolic and practical. The Peshitta represented the Eastern tradition—long cherished in Kerala’s Syriac Christian communities. The Vulgate represented the Western tradition—officially recognized by the Catholic Church and providing doctrinal and textual stability.

By holding both traditions together, Msgr. Moothedan produced a translation that satisfied liturgical continuity with Kerala’s past while also meeting Catholic expectations of textual reliability. His Bible, most often dated to 1963, became a landmark. Some accounts mention revisions or re-issues in later years—particularly 1968—but the consensus is that the complete Bible was published in the 1960s, firmly rooted in his chosen dual sources.

Method and Linguistic Approach

 The translation process was guided by a principle of balancing fidelity to the source texts with sensitivity to liturgical usage. The Peshitta allowed him to remain close to readings familiar in worship and Syriac commentary, while the Vulgate ensured that his choices were aligned with Catholic doctrine. His goal was not simply academic accuracy but a translation that could live within the liturgical and devotional life of Malayalam-speaking Catholics.

 Msgr. Moothedan aimed to produce Malayalam that was lucid—clear, direct, and widely accessible—and strong—phrased in a way that carried theological weight and rhetorical authority. Rather than smoothing difficult passages into flat prose, he often preserved the rhetorical intensity of the original. His translation philosophy was thus a conscious choice: to make Scripture resonate with power while remaining intelligible.

 Malayalam Christianity carries a long legacy of Syriac influence, particularly in sacramental and liturgical terms. Recognizing this, Msgr. Moothedan deliberately retained or reintroduced Syriac idioms where they clarified theological meaning. This continuity preserved the doctrinal and cultural resonance of older liturgical language, while also ensuring that the Bible spoke directly to the ecclesial memory of Kerala Christians.

Characteristics of Msgr. Moothedan’s Language

 To understand why his Malayalam is described as both lucid and strong, it is helpful to note some specific stylistic choices. Instead of long, meandering constructions, he preferred compact, brisk sentences where the verb carried much of the meaning. This style gave immediacy to Scriptural commands and prophetic oracles.

 He avoided obscure archaisms, choosing instead elevated Malayalam words that conveyed theological nuance but remained within the grasp of educated churchgoers. The result was solemn but not stilted, dignified but still readable.

 By echoing parallelism, inversion, and syntactic balance, he reproduced in Malayalam the cadence of Hebrew and Syriac texts. This gave his translation a prophetic and poetic rhythm that made it memorable in liturgical contexts.

 Where Syriac phrases carried essential theological meaning, he preserved them, sometimes explaining them in notes. This approach retained the precision of sacramental and liturgical vocabulary while giving Malayalam readers a sense of continuity with their Syriac Christian heritage.

Reception and Influence

 When his translation appeared in the 1960s, it met an immediate need. Catholics in Kerala now had a full Bible translation that they could use confidently in both liturgical and devotional settings.

 The reception was generally positive. Ordinary readers appreciated its clarity and resonance with familiar liturgical language. Scholars praised his careful consultation of ancient sources. Some literary critics noted that the elevated register occasionally made reading dense, but they acknowledged the solemnity it conveyed.

Institutionally, the response was strong enough to ensure that his translation continued to serve as a reference point for decades. It shaped Catholic reading and teaching of Scripture across Kerala.

Influence on Later Translations

 Although Msgr. Moothedan’s translation was highly influential, it was not the final word. In later decades, translation commissions such as those of the Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council (KCBC) undertook newer projects. These later versions often relied more on critical Hebrew and Greek texts and sought more contemporary Malayalam idioms.

 Yet even as these new translations emerged, they remained indebted to Msgr. Moothedan’s pioneering work. His choice of the Peshitta and Vulgate, his sensitivity to liturgical usage, and his stylistic priorities influenced how Catholic translators approached their tasks. Later translations might have modernized the idiom, but they built upon the foundation of liturgical continuity and scholarly seriousness that he had established.

Legacy Beyond the Text

 Msgr. Moothedan’s contributions extended beyond the Bible translation itself. His tenure as Principal at St. Thomas College, Thrissur, left a lasting institutional impact. Students and colleagues recall his emphasis on uniting scholarship with pastoral care. The college continues to commemorate him through memorial lectures and institutional histories.

 Within his family and community, he is remembered as a priest who combined learning with deep concern for people’s lives. His travels and widely read travel books expanded his influence beyond the church, reaching the general Malayalam reading public. His life showed that translation, education, and cultural exchange all belonged to the same mission of forming conscience and culture.

Questions and Critical Reflections

 No translation is beyond critique, and it is important to recognize the limitations of Msgr. Moothedan’s work. By privileging the Peshitta and Vulgate, he aligned with Catholic and Syriac traditions, but he did not use the critical Hebrew and Greek texts that modern biblical scholarship values. Later translators who consulted those sources sometimes arrived at different renderings.

 His Malayalam style, while dignified, is less colloquial than some modern readers prefer. Younger audiences often lean toward more contemporary translations. This reflects the perennial tension between solemnity and accessibility.

 Despite these critiques, his work gave continuity to the Syriac-inflected Christian heritage of Kerala. For communities whose faith identity is shaped by that heritage, continuity can matter as much as textual precision.

Conclusion — Why Msgr. Moothedan Matters

 Msgr. Thomas Moothedan matters because he embodied the rare union of scholarly erudition and pastoral concern. His complete Malayalam Bible—anchored in both the Peshitta and the Vulgate—provided Kerala Catholics with a Scripture that carried liturgical authority and personal clarity. His stylistic choices made the Bible readable, solemn, and resonant with Syriac tradition.

Even as later translations adapt to new scholarship and changing readerships, his work remains a milestone. It demonstrated that translation is not just about transferring words from one language to another; it is about shaping the very way a community hears and prays its Scriptures. In this sense, Msgr. Moothedan’s legacy continues to live on—in the language of worship, in the history of Catholic scholarship in Kerala, and in the memory of all who were shaped by his words.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1.Kerala Bible Society — historical notes on Malayalam Catholic translations and the 1963 publication of Msgr. Thomas Moothedan’s translation. 

2. Fact sheet/ institutional page for St. Thomas College (Thrissur): records listing Msgr. Thomas Moothedan as Principal (1963–1971) and memorial lecture series. 

3. CMS India / research PDF on Malayalam translations and Fr. Emmanuel Andumalil (contains references to Msgr. Moothedan’s work and dating). 

4. Moothedan family / memorial site (local family and community material, biographical notes). 

5. Syriac Heritage of the Saint Thomas Christians — academic treatment of Syriac influence on Malayalam biblical and liturgical language that contextualizes Msgr. Moothedan’s source choices.

6. Academia.edu records

7. Ernakulam-Angamaly Archdiocese records

 

The Hijacked Church: Power, Politics and Profits Over the Gospel

 From Gospel to Greed: The Church’s Descent into Corporate Power

 There was a time when the Church was a sanctuary — not just a building, but a mission. A beacon for the broken, the lost, the humble and the poor. It was never meant to be a profit-making enterprise. It was never designed to compete with corporations, run real estate empires, or operate like multinational conglomerates. But today, that’s precisely what it has become.

 The Church has been hijacked. It has been institutionalised — bloated with bureaucracy, drenched in politics, and infected with the cancer of money and power. The message of Jesus Christ has been buried beneath marble floors and golden altars. The rugged cross of Calvary has been traded for air-conditioned sanctuaries and digital donation kiosks. The Gospel has become a side note, while business plans and infrastructure expansion have become the main agenda.

The Modern-Day Church: A Corporation in Disguise

Walk into any urban Church today and it feels less like a house of prayer and more like a corporate office. Sleek architecture, administrative blocks, auditoriums, and PR teams. Some churches even have branding consultants and marketing managers. The Church, which once thrived on faith and simplicity, now thrives on land acquisitions, legal teams, and financial portfolios.

Bishops and cardinals — once shepherds of the people — now live like royalty. They dwell in palatial residences, chauffeur-driven cars at their service, and entourages to maintain their schedules. They talk about humility from pulpits but walk in opulence behind the scenes. They are more at home in political circles and international summits than among the sick, the poor, or the lost.

The hierarchy has distanced itself from the grassroots. The bishops have become bureaucrats, the cardinals – aristocrats. They are no longer accessible to the common faithful. They live in ivory towers, disconnected from the daily struggles of the people. They preach about the suffering of Christ, but their lives resemble that of kings, not servants.

Evangelisation: The Forgotten Mission

What happened to evangelisation? What happened to missionary work, the lifeblood of the early Church? The passion to spread the Good News has been replaced with a passion to expand campuses. The zeal for souls has been traded for a thirst for wealth.

In earlier centuries, missionaries walked through forests, risked death, and faced hostility to preach the Gospel. Today, evangelism has become inconvenient, even unfashionable. It’s barely mentioned anymore — unless it serves to solicit donations for some NGO-style report. The fire to win souls has been extinguished by the comfort of air-conditioned boardrooms and balance sheets.

Churches today are more concerned with opening colleges, engineering institutions, medical schools, shopping malls, and dairy farms. Yes, dairy farms — because now even milk is a “ministry”. These establishments rake in crores, all under the guise of “Christian service”, while the spiritual mission lies in ruins. Education and healthcare are essential, yes — but when they become profit centres and status symbols rather than expressions of love and service, something is deeply rotten.

The Gospel Replaced by Business Models

The teachings of Jesus were radical — simplicity, sacrifice, love, repentance. But now the Gospel is watered down into soft motivational sermons that won’t offend the rich donors. Prosperity theology is the new opium. Jesus flipping tables in the temple is never preached; instead, we’re taught to “sow a seed” and expect a miracle return.

Money has become the hidden god of the Church. It dictates decisions, it steers leadership choices, and it silences prophets. There are prayers for wealth, blessings, and success — but very few calls to repentance, humility, or sacrificial living. Holiness has taken a back seat. Popularity, convenience, and affluence are now the priorities.

Church functions are grandiose shows. They are less about worship and more about showcasing influence. VIP chairs, celebrity guests, massive LED screens, catered lunches — all to create an illusion of success. But peel back the surface and you’ll find spiritual emptiness.

Laity Organisations: Clubs in Disguise

What about the laity? The Fathers’ Groups, the Mothers’ Associations, the Youth Ministries? Many of these have degenerated into social clubs and networking platforms. They wear matching uniforms, hold rehearsed meetings, and gossip under the pretext of “fellowship”. They organise picnics, fashion shows, cooking competitions, and cultural evenings — but rarely do you hear of prayer vigils, fasting sessions, or soul-winning campaigns.

Fellowship has turned into elitism. The spiritual urgency is missing. The early church had believers breaking bread and praying in unity, enduring persecution together. Today, laity groups fight over seating arrangements, who gets to sit in the front pew, or whose name appears first on the programme sheet.

In the name of community building, these groups have turned into social ladders. They celebrate birthdays with cakes, but do not mourn over sin. They host talent nights, but neglect the broken-hearted in their midst. The Crucified Christ is not the centre — status and recognition are.

Jesus Christ: Ignored and Sidelined

Amid all this religious machinery, the One for whom the Church exists — Jesus Christ — has been ignored. Not denied, not rejected — just politely pushed to the side. He is mentioned in sermons, sung about in songs, but not followed in practice. His suffering, His humility, His call to die to self — all have been sterilised to suit our modern comforts.

There is no room for the Man of Sorrows in churches obsessed with success. There is no space for the Jesus who said “take up your cross and follow Me” in a Christianity that is more about convenience than conviction. The crucified Christ is too uncomfortable a figure. We want a sanitized saviour, not a suffering servant. We want a Jesus who blesses our plans, not one who demands repentance.

The Cross, once central, is now an accessory. It’s engraved in gold, hung in churches, worn on necks — but not carried in real life. The Church preaches resurrection without crucifixion, victory without obedience, glory without suffering. It has become a religion of shortcuts, not surrender.

The Rise of Celebrity Clergy

And now we have celebrity pastors and superstar priests. They have fan followings, media appearances, and social media pages managed like influencers. They brand themselves, sell books, do interviews — but are rarely seen ministering in slums, prisons, or hospitals unless there’s a photo op. Their theology is tailored to please, not to pierce.

It’s all about building “ministries”, collecting followers, and showcasing charisma. These modern spiritual celebrities have platforms, not altars. They seek applause, not accountability. They are adored, not corrected.

And the bishops — many of them behave like CEOs. They wear crowns and vestments worth lakhs, attend global conferences, but are tone-deaf to the suffering of their own congregations. They speak of justice, but tolerate corruption. They preach love, but silence whistleblowers. When scandals erupt, they protect the institution, not the truth.

The Silence of the Lambs

Where are the prophets in the Church? Where are the voices crying in the wilderness? Most have been silenced, ignored, or driven out. The Church no longer tolerates truth-tellers. It prefers diplomats over disciples, managers over martyrs.

Anyone who dares to question the rot is labelled rebellious or “lacking grace”. The institution protects itself by suppressing dissent. And so, the cycle continues. The machinery rolls on. The structures expand. The budgets grow. But the Spirit is absent.

It is a tragic irony that the Church, meant to carry the light, has itself become a shadow. Instead of setting the world on fire with holiness and truth, it has become lukewarm — neither hot nor cold — fit only to be spat out, as Christ warned in Revelation.

Where Do We Go from Here?

Is there hope? Yes. But it will not come from committees, fundraisers, or five-year strategic plans. It will come through repentance — deep, painful, unapologetic repentance. The Church must fall on its face before God and admit: we have strayed, we have compromised, we have institutionalised what was meant to be a movement of the Spirit.

The Gospel must return to the centre. The Cross must regain its rightful place. Christ must no longer be a figurehead — He must be Lord again. Not just in doctrine, but in practice.

We need shepherds who smell like sheep. Leaders who live simply, pray deeply, and serve sacrificially. We need churches that care more about the lost than about land deals. We need laity who burn with a desire for holiness, not hierarchy. We need revival — not of noise and lights, but of brokenness, confession, and surrender.

The early Church turned the world upside down without buildings, budgets, or branding. They had power because they had purity. They had authority because they had intimacy with God. That is what we must return to.

Until then, the Church will remain a sleeping giant — rich, respected, and utterly irrelevant to a dying world.

Final Words

Jesus did not die for shopping malls, dairy farms, and multimillion-dollar church complexes. He did not suffer on a Roman cross so bishops could live like emperors and churches could hoard wealth under the guise of ministry. He died to save sinners. He rose again to empower disciples. He gave us a mission — to go, preach, baptise, and make disciples of all nations.

We were called to be salt and light — not status symbols and landowners. The Church was meant to be a living, breathing body of Christ — not a lifeless bureaucracy draped in robes and rituals. The early Church had no cathedrals, no endowments, no billion-rupee education empires — but it had power, because it had purity and purpose. That is what made it unstoppable.

Today, the Church has everything — except the presence of God.

We have microphones but no message. We have rituals but no reverence. We have structures but no spirit. We’ve turned houses of worship into theatres, pastors into performers, and services into stage shows. The cross has become decoration, not dedication. Christ has become a brand, not the burning centre of our lives.

The Church must awaken — not just rebrand. We don’t need another mission statement; we need brokenness and repentance. We don’t need smarter strategies; we need surrendered hearts. The time for shallow sermons and cosmetic spirituality is over.

The real Jesus is not sitting comfortably in our boardrooms. He is out in the streets, among the addicts, the outcasts, the wounded and the weary. He is waiting for His Church to remember what it once was — a people set apart, holy, hungry for truth, willing to lose everything for the sake of the Gospel.

 Until we tear down our ivory towers, lay aside our thrones, and return to the foot of the cross — we will keep playing church while the world burns. We must choose: either we institutionalise our faith to death, or we resurrect it with fire.

God is not impressed by our buildings, budgets, or branding. He is looking for hearts that tremble at His Word, lives laid down in obedience, and a Church that looks like Jesus — not a Fortune 500 company. Let the Church stop being a business. Let it be the Body again.

Let the crucified Christ be the centre again — not sidelined, not polished up for display, but embraced in His raw, radical call to die to ourselves and follow Him. Then, and only then, can we say: this is truly the Church of Jesus Christ.

 

The Curse of Property: How Greed is Tearing Kerala Families Apart

  Step into any civil court in Kerala, and one pattern repeats itself with numbing regularity — families locked in poisonous disputes over property. Court halls echo with surnames that once represented proud, united families. Today, those same names are dragged through legal mud: brother versus sister, brother versus brother, father against son, daughter against father. What should have been homes of love and kinship have turned into battlegrounds.

The Anatomy of Greed

 It begins almost innocently. Parents grow old. Property—land, houses, plantations, shops—sits waiting to be divided. Theoretically, there are wills, partitions, or family settlements. In practice, greed swallows everything.

 One brother wants a bigger share because he claims to have “looked after the parents.” A sister demands her lawful right, but brothers snarl that daughters have already been given gold in marriage. Children question fathers about inheritance while the old man is still alive. And when death finally comes, it is not grief that dominates the family courtyard but the question: “Who gets what?”

From Home to Courtroom

 Once the quarrels ignite, the courts become the new family gathering space. Lawyers thrive, fees soar, and relatives waste their hard-earned money feeding a system that drags on endlessly.

 Cases linger for ten, fifteen, twenty years. Generations grow old waiting for judgments. Court records in Kerala are full of partition suits filed in the 1980s that are still undecided. Judges retire, lawyers die, but the case files remain alive—ugly reminders of greed that refuses to die.

 And what happens to the property while the case crawls through the legal jungle? Often it lies unused, uncared for, and wasted. Beautiful ancestral homes decay. Coconut groves wither. Prime plots lie locked in endless “status quo” orders. What could have been productive assets turn into monuments of stubbornness.

Father vs Son, brother vs sister

 The ugliest battles are not between distant cousins but inside the closest bonds. Fathers dragging sons to court for grabbing property without consent. Sons counter-suing fathers, alleging unfair distribution. Daughters forced to sue their own parents for denying them rightful shares.

What does this achieve? Nothing but humiliation. The family that once prayed together in the same ancestral church now sits on opposite benches in court, glaring at each other like sworn enemies. Weddings become awkward, funerals turn hostile, and children grow up watching their parents and uncles spit venom at each other.

The Cost of Litigation

The financial cost is staggering. Lakhs of rupees go into legal fees, court expenses, endless travel to hearings. Families sell portions of land just to fight over another portion. In the end, they lose both — money and property.

But the emotional cost is far worse. Families break beyond repair. Cousins become strangers. Parents die without reconciliation. Brothers who grew up playing together end their lives not speaking to each other. All this, over what? Mud, bricks, and paper deeds.

Kerala’s Paradox

Kerala prides itself on education, progress, and high social awareness. Yet, in property matters, wisdom collapses. Families that preach Christian or Hindu values of sacrifice and detachment throw them away when it comes to inheritance. Even highly educated professionals — doctors, engineers, NRIs — fight like wild animals for a few cents of land in their native place.

Ironically, many of these people already live in comfort abroad or in cities. They don’t need the ancestral house or farmland. But the thought of “losing” property to a sibling burns their ego. It is less about need, more about pride and greed.

Generational Poison

The worst impact is on the next generation. Children grow up witnessing uncles and aunts fighting in court. They absorb bitterness instead of love. Cousins, instead of being friends, become lifelong rivals. The poison of one generation seeps into the next, creating divisions that last decades.

Even after court cases end, wounds do not heal. A judgment may say, “This land belongs to X, that house to Y.” But the real damage is invisible—the complete breakdown of trust and affection.

Stories That Break the Heart

A retired teacher in Kottayam, aged 78, spends her final years shuttling between court and hospital, fighting her own son who insists she “gift” him the house. She wanted to let her daughter live there. Son and mother, once inseparable, now don’t speak.

In Thrissur, two brothers stopped talking after their father’s death in 1995. A partition suit has dragged on for 28 years. The coconut grove they fought for now lies barren, overrun by weeds.

In Malappuram, a daughter had to fight her brothers for 15 years just to claim her legal share. By the time the case ended, the property was sold off to pay debts and legal costs. She got nothing.

These are not isolated cases. They are the tragic reality of thousands of Kerala families.

The Futility of it All

What is the point of all this? You will not carry property to your grave. You will not take an inch of land or a brick of a house when you die. Yet families destroy themselves over these temporary assets.

The irony is stark. Parents who sacrifice everything for children end up becoming victims of the same children’s greed. Siblings who once swore loyalty turn into courtroom enemies. Families who once gathered joyfully for Onam feasts now cross paths only in courtrooms.

In the end, everyone loses. Money is lost. Time is lost. Relationships are destroyed. Peace evaporates. And the so-called “victory” in court feels hollow because the price paid is far greater than the gain.

Why Does It Happen?

The root cause is simple: greed and ego. Greed, because no one is satisfied with their share. Ego, because giving up even a small portion feels like “losing.” Add to this the encouragement from lawyers who see long cases as profitable, and you have a recipe for endless battles.

The Way Forward

Kerala needs a cultural reset in how families handle property.

Transparent wills and settlements: Parents must write clear wills, registered and undisputed, before disputes arise.

Mediation instead of litigation: Families must resolve matters through dialogue, mediation, and panchayats, not courts.

Equal treatment of daughters: Kerala must shed the outdated notion that daughters are “outsiders.” They deserve equal rights.

Awareness of futility: Religious and community leaders must hammer home the truth—property is temporary, relationships are permanent.

A Sad State of Affairs

At its core, this is a tragedy. Families that should be sources of comfort have become breeding grounds of hatred. Courts that should dispense justice are clogged with petty inheritance disputes. Generations waste their lives chasing illusions of ownership.

Kerala, a state that prides itself on literacy, still refuses to learn the simplest lesson: You cannot take property to the grave. What you can take is the love and respect of your family. But sadly, too many choose land over love, money over peace, and ego over harmony.

Until this mindset changes, the sad stories will keep multiplying. The cemeteries of Kerala will continue to fill with people who left behind nothing but bitterness. And the next generation will inherit not property, but enmity.

 

Partiality in families: How parents ignore their daughters while dividing family assets

 Sons Inherit Everything and Daughters Get Nothing

  In the landscape of Indian families, one of the ugliest realities is the quiet but devastating injustice that daughters face when family assets are divided. Sons are often showered with land, homes, businesses, and money, while daughters are treated as outsiders in the very families that raised them. Parents, who are expected to embody fairness and love, often betray their daughters when wealth and property come into question. This partiality is not only archaic and discriminatory—it is also cruel, humiliating, and destructive.

 The history of this injustice runs deep in Indian society, with religion, customs, and patriarchal convenience used as excuses to deprive women of what is rightfully theirs. The Mary Roy case is a landmark reminder of how entrenched this discrimination has been and how long daughters had to wait to receive even a basic recognition of equality.

The Everyday Betrayal

 The cruelty of parents in showing partiality towards sons begins early. From childhood itself, sons are groomed to inherit, while daughters are made to feel temporary—destined to be “given away” in marriage. Parents justify their bias by saying, “Daughters will belong to another family,” as if that absolves them of responsibility towards their own flesh and blood.

  When the time comes to divide assets, daughters are either ignored completely or “settled” with token amounts or jewellery, while sons are handed over lands, houses, and businesses. Parents often cloak this injustice under the excuse of dowry, claiming that “we already gave you during marriage,” conveniently forgetting that dowry is an evil social practice, not a legitimate share of inheritance.

 The result? Families are torn apart. Sisters, who once shared the same roof and meals, are reduced to beggars at the doors of their own homes. Parents, instead of protecting their daughters’ rights, often become the very perpetrators of discrimination.

Mary Roy and the Legal Battle for Daughters

 The injustice became most visible in the case of Mary Roy, a Syrian Christian woman from Kerala, India. In her community, women were denied equal inheritance rights under the Travancore Christian Succession Act of 1916, which said that daughters could receive only one-fourth of a son’s share—or a maximum of ₹5,000—while sons inherited the lion’s share of property.

  Mary Roy refused to accept this absurd injustice. She filed a case in the Supreme Court, demanding equality in inheritance for Christian women in Kerala. In 1986, the Supreme Court delivered a historic judgment in her favor, ruling that Christian women in Kerala had the same inheritance rights as men under the Indian Succession Act of 1925.

 This was a thunderbolt against centuries of discrimination. It exposed how law, custom, and religion were being twisted to rob daughters of their rightful inheritance. Yet, despite the victory in court, Mary Roy’s personal battle for her share of property dragged on for decades, reflecting the social resistance to equality even after the law was clear.

Why Parents’ Partiality is Cruel

 It is important to understand that this partiality is not a harmless tradition—it is cruel and destructive on multiple levels.

It humiliates daughters: To be told, “You don’t deserve as much as your brother,” is nothing less than a slap in the face. It tells a daughter that her blood, sweat, and love for her family are less valuable than a son’s. It reduces her to a second-class child in her own home.

 It destroys family bonds: No injustice cuts deeper than when parents betray their daughters. Sisters who once shared the same parents are forced into legal battles with brothers. Families are torn apart in courtrooms, not because daughters are greedy, but because they were denied fairness.

 It reinforces patriarchy: By denying daughters their share, parents feed the larger social structure of patriarchy, where women are seen as dependent on men. Sons grow up entitled, while daughters are left vulnerable, often forced to rely on their husband’s family for survival.

 It exposes hypocrisy of parents: Parents who claim to love all children equally expose their hypocrisy when property division comes. They reveal that their love is conditional and that their daughters are ultimately outsiders in the family tree.

The False Excuses Parents Make

Parents often use flimsy excuses to justify their favouritism.

“We gave dowry during marriage.” But dowry is illegal, immoral, and oppressive. It cannot replace a daughter’s rightful inheritance.

 “She will go to another house.” A daughter may live in another home after marriage, but that does not erase her birthright. Blood ties are not erased by marriage rituals.

 “Sons have to look after the parents.” This argument is outdated and false. In countless families, it is the daughters who care for aging parents, while sons often neglect them. Yet, when it comes to inheritance, the same daughters are told they deserve nothing.

 “We have to keep property within the family name.” This is a meaningless excuse, rooted in pride and patriarchy. Property does not carry honour if it is built on injustice.

 The Aftermath of Injustice

 The cruelty of parental partiality creates scars that last for generations.

 Women lose security. Daughters who are denied inheritance are left without financial security, especially if marriages collapse or husbands die.

Families collapse into litigation. Courts across India are clogged with inheritance disputes, most of them involving sisters fighting brothers for a fair share.

 Bitterness spreads. Parents’ favoritism destroys relationships among siblings, creating bitterness that never heals.

 Cycles of discrimination continue. Sons who receive all the property often repeat the same injustice with their own children.

The Harsh Truth: Parents Are Responsible

 It is easy to blame “society” or “tradition,” but the harsh truth is this: parents are personally responsible for this injustice. Every father and mother who denies their daughter a rightful share is guilty of betrayal. They are not passive victims of custom—they are active participants in discrimination.

 Parents must ask themselves: What legacy are they leaving behind? Property may remain in the family name, but their legacy will be one of betrayal and cruelty.

 Lessons from the Mary Roy Case

  The Mary Roy case should have ended the debate forever. It proved that denying daughters inheritance is not just morally wrong but legally indefensible. Yet, even today, decades after the 1986 judgment, countless families continue to practice the same injustice.

 The lesson from Mary Roy’s struggle is clear: laws can be written in books, but unless families change their mindset, daughters will continue to suffer. True justice is not delivered in courtrooms but in the decisions parents make inside their homes.

What Must Change

 Parents must act with fairness. Daughters deserve equal shares in assets—not as charity, but as a matter of right.

 Brothers must stand up for sisters. Sons who stay silent when their sisters are denied property are complicit in the crime.

 Society must shame discrimination. Families that deny daughters should be socially condemned, not celebrated.

 Legal awareness must spread. Many daughters don’t even know their rights. Awareness campaigns are essential.

 Religious and cultural excuses must be discarded. No faith or tradition can justify injustice.

Conclusion: Stop the Betrayal

 The betrayal of daughters by parents is one of the darkest stains on Indian families. It is an injustice that cuts deeper than poverty or hardship because it comes from those who are supposed to protect, love, and cherish. The Mary Roy case was a landmark, but the spirit of that judgment must enter every household.

  Parents must stop hiding behind tradition, dowry, or excuses of family honor. They must realize that love without fairness is hypocrisy. A daughter who is denied her rightful share is not just deprived of property—she is deprived of dignity, belonging, and justice.

 The harsh truth is this: parents who discriminate in inheritance fail as parents. They may leave behind wealth, but they leave a legacy of betrayal and broken families. The only path forward is equality—equal love, equal rights, equal shares. Anything less is cruelty disguised as tradition.