Alien Face: Do you trust those communion?

ALIEN FACE

 

Faith, Discernment, and Finding Your Own Spiritual Center

Some church experiences don't sit right with you.

As children, many of us have fond, almost mischievous memories of church—like sneaking backstage after service and asking for an extra cup of grape juice, enjoying that familiar sweet-tart taste. It's such a small, innocent memory, but sometimes those little moments become the beginning of a much larger relationship with faith, spirituality, and religious institutions.

As I've gotten older, I've spent more time reflecting on what I was taught, what I experienced, and what I accepted without questioning.

One thing I've come to understand is that faith and religious authority are not the same thing.

You can believe in God, spirituality, prayer, or something greater than yourself while still asking questions about the people and institutions that claim to represent those beliefs.

A Difficult but Necessary Conversation

Clergy abuse is not simply a rumor or a story passed around online. There are documented criminal cases involving religious leaders who abused positions of trust.

One example is former Catholic priest Michael J. Zacharias. In May 2023, a federal jury convicted him on five sex-trafficking counts involving three victims. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, evidence presented at trial showed that he used his position as a spiritual leader to build relationships with the victims and their families and later exploited their vulnerabilities. In November 2023, he was sentenced to life in prison. His conviction and sentence were later affirmed by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. (Department of Justice)

That case does not mean every priest, pastor, church, or religious organization is dangerous.

It means something much simpler:

A religious title does not automatically make someone trustworthy.

And this issue is significant enough that religious institutions themselves have created systems intended to address abuse and protect children. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' 2025 report, covering July 2024 through June 2025, reported 1,070 allegations involving clergy sexual abuse of minors and described background checks, safe-environment training, audits, and other protection measures. (USCCB)

Those numbers represent allegations reported during that period—not findings that every allegation was proven in court. That distinction matters.

But so does listening to people who report harm.

Faith Does Not Require Blind Trust

I've learned that having faith doesn't mean turning off your ability to discern.

You can respect a pastor, priest, minister, spiritual teacher, or church community while still paying attention to their actions.

Watch how they treat people who have less power.

Watch how they treat children.

Watch how they respond when someone says no.

Watch what happens when someone asks difficult questions.

And watch what happens when a leader is confronted with an accusation.

A healthy spiritual community should have room for accountability, transparency, questions, boundaries, and the protection of vulnerable people.

Faith should not require you to ignore your instincts.

Communion and the Meaning We Give to Ritual

Communion is one of the most sacred practices in Christianity. Depending on the denomination, it may involve bread and wine or grape juice as part of a ritual remembering Christ.

For many people, it represents connection, remembrance, sacrifice, forgiveness, and faith.

But I've also found myself thinking about the trust involved in religious rituals.

People enter churches vulnerable. They open their hearts. They pray. They confess. They accept guidance from people they believe are spiritually trustworthy.

And yet, we have documented cases showing that someone can participate in sacred rituals and still commit terrible acts afterward.

That doesn't mean communion itself is harmful.

It doesn't mean grape juice, wine, bread, prayer, or any other religious ritual carries something dangerous.

It means the presence of a sacred ritual does not automatically make the person performing it morally trustworthy.

For me, that's where discernment comes in.

There Is a Difference Between Faith and Fear

I don't believe questioning your church automatically means you've lost your faith.

Sometimes questioning is how you discover what you genuinely believe.

Sometimes stepping away from a particular congregation doesn't mean stepping away from spirituality.

And sometimes finding your spiritual center means realizing that your relationship with God, your understanding of life, and your conscience cannot be completely dependent on another person's authority.

You are allowed to think.

You are allowed to ask.

You are allowed to leave a situation that doesn't feel right.

And you are allowed to seek a spiritual community where you feel respected, safe, and free to grow.

A question for you

Have you ever been part of a church or spiritual community that made you feel closer to God—and another that made you question everything?

What did you learn from the experience?

And did leaving, staying, or simply questioning change the way you understand your faith?

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