According to BBC news, Christianity is the largest religion in the world with over 2 billion followers. 56 percent of millennials are Catholic. Around 70 percent of them believe in God and acknowledge his existence, but less than 30 percent attend church every week and this number is dropping. With the millions of followers practicing this religion, why is this the case?

Of course, the church has been under fire recently because of the reports of sexual abuse within the church. Could these allegations be playing a part in the number of churchgoers dropping? Are millennials afraid of going to church and becoming a victim?

Fear might be a reason for some, but some studies suggest that people want changes within the church. Some people disagree with the way the Catholic Church teaches things such as homosexuality, abortion, divorce, etcetera. Some people may just find church Mass to be uninviting or boring.

In today’s society, people are always finding something to do, whether it is working, playing sports, hanging out with friends or just playing on their phones. To take only a single hour out of one’s week might be a nuisance to some, because of all the distractions that exist today.

Phil Henry is a minister who posts online “power messages” on his website philhenrypowergospel.org. One of his messages was a story of a young college student from Pittsburgh who put sports, parties and education before Jesus. He met a woman and they fell in love. He was offered a job in Boston after college, which he accepted. A few days before he left, his girlfriend was struck by a drunk driver and killed.

He did not blame God for this horrific event, like many people would. Instead, he leaned on scriptural promises and the teachings of Jesus, who became the main focus of his life. But, should millennials, or people in general, only turn to religion after a horrific event changes the course of their life?

Henry suggests that people might be afraid of going to church and hearing about the graphic warnings about Hell. If people don’t go to church or don’t believe, then, to them, it simply doesn’t exist.

From research and studying books around the Catholic community, Henry has several theories as to why people might be afraid of church.

“Hell was not the invention of a loving God, but rather was introduced and proliferated by men,” Henry said.

He explained the definition of “universal salvation,” as: “The belief that God would, one day, save and reconcile all people through Christ.”

In the end, he says: “True Christianity is not people reaching up, but God reaching down.”