Holy Hypocrisy: The Dark Side of Hazing in Christian Orgs [Op-ED]
Source: Teraphim / Getty
A young woman named Ashleigh’s testimony has reignited a complicated question: are Christian fraternities and sororities sanctified or sinister?
In March, she posted a 28-minute YouTube video announcing, “I pledged Alpha Nu Omega in public, and I am denouncing in public,” describing an intake process branded “non-hazing” yet marked by “mental, emotional, and spiritual breakdowns.” Recently, reposts of her video on TikTok resurfaced in the current debate—drawing more laughter than reflection. “A Christian sorority?! Really?” one commenter joked, mocking a wider online habit where Christians label almost anything demonic, from secular music to entire universities like Spelman College.
The commonalities allowed people to gloss over the real issue of Ashleigh’s story–she was hazed. Faith-based organizations often escape scrutiny because of their branding, even when their practices echo the same hierarchies and harms they claim to replace.
RELATED CONTENT: Zahara Jolie-Pitt Shows Off Her Epic AKA Stroll At The Spelman Welcome Back Jam
As a former member, I was tagged in the comments on the young woman’s video, much to my chagrin. I already knew my feelings about the intake practices would ruffle the feathers of Dove Sisters and Eagle brothers who still love the organization. Distance often clarifies what proximity hides. The reactions confirmed it: “I’m in ANQ. Literally this is not it,” one member wrote. Another insisted, “But you didn’t name one thing that wasn’t Christian? I’m a proud member and this isn’t true! ANQ was founded on Christian principles and actively practices and proclaims the gospel.”I chose Alpha Nu Omega because of the climate I was in at 20 years old. Although I pursued my current National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC, Divine Nine, or D9) sorority, campus chatter about D9 culture felt overwhelming, and I worried whether God would be pleased if I pursued that route. Churches in my orbit were circulating anti-Greek DVDs and sermons that painted the Divine Nine as spiritually suspect, sometimes in the same breath as critiques of secular music and artists. I had close friends in D9 organizations who lived very different lives—some partied, some never drank, some were proud virgins—yet I knew the reality of guilt by association. Alpha Nu Omega offered something that felt safer and kept dual membership on the table. I had an opportunity to figure it all–life, my walk with God, and if I still wanted the d9 sorority at all.
The post Holy Hypocrisy: The Dark Side Of Hazing In Christian Sororities [Op-Ed] appeared first on MadameNoire.
Source link
#Holy #Hypocrisy #Dark #Side #Hazing #Christian #Orgs #OpED
powered by Auto Youtube Summarize
Tags Alpha Nu Omega Christian D9 Dark Divine Nine Dove Sisters God Hazing Holy Hypocrisy National Pan-Hellenic Council OpEd Orgs Rho Chapter Side University of Maine