Youths are the backbone of the church and the country. The maximum populations of India’s urban centers are youths and these youths are the future leaders of the church and society. And so to build them is the responsibility of the church by knowing their problems. Therefore, author is dealing with urban youth in today’s century, brief anthropological issues of the urban youths and the response of the church.
Urban Youth in today’s century
Urban youth commonly means, people between the age from 15-30. Urban youths are commonly addressed as rebellious generation. Especially for the elders, they are the people who don’t bother about others and who live a life pleasing to them. Today’s youth is mainly concern with their present day in their life, they don’t think about tomorrow. Youths, especially college going students and school going students like to have entertainment by watching movies in theaters or hangout or eating in hotels etc. They normally prefer to spend their time with their peer groups in these places. Urban youths are bolder than rural youths. There have their own opinion about everything in their life and they speak out anyway. There prefer to be independent in their life. Urban youths have been influenced by American concept of independence.
In the physical sense they are the people who like to be different in the society they prefer many styles in their life like having a long hair, having French cut mustache, wearing funny jeans, walking in a funny way, etc. which is not liked by elders. Youths claim that elders cannot understand them as they are but youth cannot change according to elder’s lifestyle. Every youth is searching for something in their life and they do any thing to get that.
Anthropological Problems
There are many problems like Identity crisis, Drugs, Sex, Fashion, Music, Mysticism, communal living, gigolos. The problems of youths are as follows:
Identity Crisis
Major issue for the Urban Youths is the identity crisis. Mostly every youth tries to get identity in many ways, which can in a positive way or negative way. For e.g. normally they take interest in becoming a star of their college or school or in their job place by doing any activities which pleases their friends or other people who relate with them. And this identity crisis end up may be with social evil or drugs or alcohol etc. most of the youngsters who are in racket of ethical evil, they are mostly in search of identity in the society. This identity crisis is there in urban youths because as in cities there is competition in every domain of life and as city life is too busy no one bother about others and are busy with their work. The main reason for crisis is the lack of identity in peer circle or family circle etc. Inorder to gain identity they prefer any means way to be identified in the society.
For young believer also there is an identity crisis. For e.g. a youth who is a believer finds it difficult to find identity among his friends. They find difficulty in mingling with their friends as a Christian. (Interview with Tiji Mathew)
Drugs
Most of the time youngsters get into drug addiction due to the peer pressure, identity crisis, pleasure, movies, etc. Stuart says that most of the youths get in drugs because it is the human nature that if things are restricted to a person then it is the tendency that they want to try it again. The same mentality youths have in extreme of trying things which are restricted. They want to please their peer group or make an identity among other proving that they are something in the society even though it gives negative impact or negative image to the society about them. (Briscoe, 21-23)This habit of drugs leads them to problems like AIDS, psychological disorder, premarital sex, etc.
Sex
In urban centers sex is the common phenomenon. Youths prefer to have a premarital sex and enjoy the life. There is the system in the urban centers among the youths that is ‘crush system’ which means having an affair for two weeks or three or in other words having a love relation which is not genuine or having a time-pass relationship. And this relation is influenced by Medias e.g. in M. TV there is program called Crush in which they call young people who have an infatuation with each other for having game and that results for precious gifts and also they provoke to propose to the people to propose each who have crush with each other, etc. In that relationship they may have sex also, it not at all a major concern. Urban girls are not at all concern about their virginity. Even they prefer to have sexual relationship for pleasure. These crush relations are mainly found in colleges going youths, people who are working in BPO’s (Call centers), etc. In BPO’s they have this relationship for sake of fun in the midst of their hectic pressure of their works.
Stuart says that the last generation girls even not prefer to speak to boys. It was their thinking that talking to a boy was something a big mistake. As far as sex is concern according to her sex outside the marriage is a greatest sin of the world. (Briscoe, 30)
Mysticism
Mysticism can be divided into three groups and they are as follows:
Spiritual Group
In this group very less people are there. They are spiritual due to their experience or due to their surrounding in which they grow. These people are totally dedicated to their God and are committed to it.
Confused Group
Maximum number of youth’s population of the urban areas comes under this category. Most of the youths are in the confused state about religion and God and or in other words are they confused at the same time they don’t bother about their religious stand. This happens because they are seeing so many religions around them and they are finding difficult to choose which religion is the real and which is the real God. None of the religions are able to give the answers to the questions they ask. For e.g. the church is not able to answer the question of the youths because answer to the question contradicts with the life of the pastors and Church elders and at the same time Hindus find it easy to convince the youths but their youths contradicts with the tradition. And so they stay in the confused state. And this confused state result to sometimes Atheism.
Atheist Group
More or less people come under this category. These are the people who first were in the confuse state and later on comes to the conclusion that there is no existence of God.
All their religious faiths depend on the words of the people and their personal experience.
Music
Music is weakness of the urban youths. They are crazy about music. Most of the youths prefer to have songs in their churches and have a live worship. Music is something which they cannot stop hearing. Music influences them so much in their life. This same music is sometimes dangerous for the youths because now a day’s young people are addicted to rock music and most of the rock songs are devilish in nature or in other words we can it is anti-Christ songs. Youths are not religiously educated enough to understand the meaning of this rock music. (Interview, Johncy)
2.10. Gigolos
Gigolos are to some extend can be said as male Prostitution. As I mentioned earlier urban youths are ready to do anything for the sake of money. Now a day the gigolos are very much found Indian urban centers like Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata and Delhi. These gigolos are the men at age of 20-30 and they do it for sake of money. These people are educated people; The Week declares that some are graduates in the domain like Hotel Management, Pharmacy, etc and some are models and the people in entertainment domain. They are the stripper in the kitty parties and strip parties and are also paid very high. Their monthly income is from 100,000 to 200,000. Their clients are mainly old women, and the women who are suffering in their family relationship and also rich girls for pleasure. In this profession they can earn money and at the same time have pleasure. And this profession later result to addiction. (Saxena, 44-54)
Response of the church on these issues of the youths
Most of the churches are silent about the issues of the youths. As a result the youth population of the church is very low n most of the urban churches. Youths are not fed according to their needs. Today’s church is failing in the process of feeding the youths. Today’s churches concentrate to the mission aspects of the church but they are missing their youths because of the lack of their capability. Youths are normally condemned by the elders of the church instead of encouraging them to come to church etc. most of the youths today’s goes to the cults groups unknowing about its reality. Today’s church should answer to the question of where their youths are. Youths are the backbone of the church and church is responsible for the youths of the church. Youths are going to other churches also where their desire is fulfilled. Today’s church is facing the problem of Modernity and tradition.
Today’s youth are in search of identity and if church is able to provide it they will come to the church. Even in the Bible we can see that people believed in God because they received which they were missing in their life, e.g. Jesus did many miracles and so many people were able to believe in Christ. And so today’s churches also should show the power and love of Christ to the youths of the church. Every church member has a role to play to bring the youths back to the church in the belief of God. Once Rev. Chandapilla gave a advise to the one of the church leader that to bring the youths in the church and want to make an interest in them give them what they want, e.g. if they like to play cricket organize the cricket tournament and invite all of them to play. (Interview, Tiji)
Churches as a major scope in attracting youths by showing them the right way for their religious confusion but the church fails in doing so. There are also many exceptional churches that play a major role in the life of the youths. Church can play a major role in the spiritual life of the youths. The consequence of the failure of the church is that youths are becoming atheist in their religion and some go to the church like satanic churches which fulfills their evil desires of their life, to which they get attracted.
Today there are few churches which play a marvelous role in the growth of the youths in the church. Even the traditional churches are also coming up in nurturing the youths of their churches. Today’s churches should give the necessary things for the spiritual upliftment of the youths. Today’s youth prefer live worship, church should give them and they need identity in the church, church should be able to give them any position in the church or should be able to communicate with them in a caring and loving way so that they may feel that someone is concerning about them instead of blaming them. If church is about to respond in these way then church will be able to educate them and try to stop them in doing evil practices like premarital sex, drinking, drugs, etc.
Today’s church should consider youths as mature part of the body of Christ.
Evaluation
The major concern altogether we can say is that there is no one to understand urban youths; even family members who come from rural set up finds it difficult to understand urban youths. Urban youths are accepted as prodigal children of their parents.
Many of the problems of youths are not understood as problem by the youths like sex, music, etc. it is the responsibility of the church to make them understand their problems and make them understand their mistake. For communicating this issues church can have empathy on them and make them understand their issues. Today’s urban youths are going through the direction which is totally unaccepted to God and church cannot just watch that. Therefore let ever church have primary concern for the youths who are going to destruction.
Conclusion
So author likes to conclude it, as youths are the future of the church and the society and it is the duty of the church to nourish the future. Without the right conduct of the youth there is no future of the society and the church. Religious communities can play a major role in building the youths in the society and the church.
Reference List
Briscoe, D. Stuart, 1972, ‘Where was church when the youth exploded?’ Michigan: Zondervan Publishing house.
Interview with Johncy Joseph on 12 Feb. 2008
Interview with Tiji Mathew on 13 Feb. 2008.
Saxena, Payal, 2008, ‘The New G-spot’, in ‘The Week’, Vol.26. No. 11, Kochi: Malayalam Manorama Press.
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