Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has opened up about how she lost her faith in God after reading about the notorious case of Josef Fritzl.
The Austrian’s abuse of his daughter, Elisabeth Fritzl, shocked the world when it emerged he had locked her up in his basement for 24 years and fathered seven children with her, including one that had died at birth.
Elisabeth Fritzl and six surviving children were freed in April 2008 after one of them fell sick and was taken to hospital, where doctors grew suspicious.
Badenoch said that reading about the case “blew out a candle” on her faith.
Speaking to the BBC, she said that she still held to a “cultural Christianity” but that the story of Elisabeth Fritzl had “killed” her faith.
Badenoch is the granddaughter of a clergyman and grew up a committed Christian.
She explained that she could not understand why her prayers for trivial matters were being answered and not Elisabeth Fritzl’s prayers for something as serious as being freed from imprisonment and abuse.
“I thought, I was praying for all sorts of stupid things and I was getting my prayers answered,” she said.
“I was praying to have good grades. My hair should grow longer, and I would pray for the bus to come on time so I wouldn’t miss something.
“It’s like, why were those prayers answered and not this woman’s prayers? And it just, it was like someone blew out a candle.”
She said that Josef Fritzl’s abuse of his daughter had raised in her “a level of disgust and abhorrence that I’d never experienced”.
Although she has rejected God, she says she has not rejected Christianity and that she values the role it has played in shaping British society.
“I rejected God, not Christianity. So I would still define myself as a cultural Christian,” she said.
Source: Christian Today
Open Letter from J.John
Dear Ms Badenoch,
Thank you for your honesty.
In your recent BBC interview, you shared how the horrors of the Josef Fritzl case caused you to lose your belief in God. You spoke with painful clarity about the haunting image of a woman praying for rescue and not receiving it. And you said: “It was like someone blew out a candle.”
First, let me say, what you shared is deeply human. Many believers, including mature Christians, have faced similar moments of crisis. You’re not alone in asking, “Where was God when evil walked in?” That question echoes across time, from the Psalms of David to the cries of Jesus on the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
And that’s the point. Christianity doesn’t sidestep suffering, it centres on it. Jesus doesn’t offer us a faith that avoids pain, but one that confronts it. On the cross, Jesus entered our suffering, bore our sin, and opened the door to hope, not by eliminating every injustice now, but by promising one day to end all injustice forever. He is not absent in the darkness – He has been through it.
The tragedy of Elisabeth Fritzl’s ordeal is beyond comprehension. It should disturb us. It should grieve us. And yes, it should leave us asking why. But we must be careful not to equate the silence of God with the absence of God. He does not always answer as we want, but that doesn’t mean He isn’t at work.
You said you still consider yourself a “cultural Christian” – someone who honours the Christian roots of Britain and wants to preserve the values that have shaped our nation. Thank you for saying that. But Kemi, may I gently suggest: cultural Christianity is not enough. Christianity is not just a moral framework or a civilising influence, it’s a relationship with the risen Christ.
You’ve defended religious freedom, spoken out for conscience, and protected space for faith in public life. You’ve done more than many who claim deep belief. And yet, the Christian faith is not merely something to defend, it’s Someone to know. Jesus is not an idea. He is a Person. And He still calls your name. You may feel the candle of faith has gone out. But even a smouldering wick, Isaiah says, He will not snuff out. The smallest flicker of belief is enough for God to work with. The door back to faith isn’t locked and the One who stands behind it still welcomes prodigals, doubters, and strugglers with open arms.
We don’t need to have all the answers to walk with Jesus. We just need the courage to let Him walk with us.
With grace and hope,
J.John
Reverend Canon
Source: J.John’s website
Pray: Let’s pray for Kemi Badenoch for her faith to be renewed and revived and for her to have a fresh revelation of the Gospel.
