On the topic of black christians in America

[dave_littler]

This is a topic I've struggled with for a while now, and I wanted to both share my musings on it and ask for any insights anyone (and most especially anyone who might have been a black christian in America) for their insights on.

I've always had a problem with the enthusiasm of christians of colour, if you will, in the United States. And not merely

Comments

[life_on_m]

Hope you don't mind, but I'm cross-posting this to my own blog too :)

[dave_littler]

As long as i'm credited and linked, I am 100% okay with this.

[hentaikid]

You don't get to choose your memetics any more than you get to choose your genetics, that's the whole concept.

Also it's not like Jesus was a slave owner, one can easily separate the doctrine from the channel it arrived through since the plantation owners were not the original source.

[dave_littler]

As to memetics, I agree to a point... but it's also worth noting that people DO get exposed to multiple sources of information in their lifetime, and can - if they have the inclination - choose one over the other. The fact that they so very frequently choose to believe the information which supports the slave-religion rather than the information which does not is something that surprises me.

And while the Jesus character is not described as being a slave owner, he DOES give instructions on how to treat one's slaves, which means that christianity as a religion can be considered fairly unambiguously pro-slavery, with all that this entails.

[hentaikid]

I don't think it works like that, calmly assessing options and picking a religion based on objective information? That's more an atheist's game, and we end up ticking the box "none".

People do react to that association you've mentioned by joining Nation of Islam and adopting Muslim names (That always struck me as missing the point too, but whatever) so it does happen. But the process is more of a conversion than a carefully considered decision.

[dave_littler]

There was a pretty lengthy discussion on one of the atheism communities a couple of weeks back revolving around the question of whether or not it would be possible to change one's belief from atheism to christianity. I'm not sure of the bent of the fellow posting the question, but it was interesting enough to spark some discussion

[dave_littler]

I haven't, actually, though now that I think about it, I suppose it doesn't shock me. He was a part of the "Nation of Islam", wasn't he?

Mind you, I would be making the argument against submission as a whole to any religion and to that extent the imaginary gods they purport to serve, whereas he would have, I should think, have simply preaching submission to the exact same god dressed up in a slightly different garb, if I'm not mistaken.

Of course, doing so at least represents a conscious choice - even if it's one I disagree with - rather than simply accepting the servitude imposed upon them by others.

geez, i guess i wrote an essay; 1/2

[bitchypixii]

This is a rather old post of yours, and I stumbled across it through a series of internet connections that would doubtless make an epic saga through cyberspace, but that is not why I am here. If you don't mind my inevitably late contribution, here it is, from the viewpoint of a (white) Southerner with nearly sixteen years of life in South Carolina and a Christian upbringing under her belt

2/2

[bitchypixii]

The religious aspect to this, I suspect, comes in large part from probably the most frequently quoted of the Beatitudes (or at least it is down here): "The meek shall inherit the Earth." Religion, for many, is a powerful tool with which to get through the trials and travails of daily life. It has been shown that the harder an earthly life is, the harder people cling to the thought of rewards in an afterlife. And it cannot be denied that the life of blacks in the South has been and still is very hard. The reasons blacks may have chosen (and still choose) Christianity are numerous: it is incredibly common and therefore incredibly accessible, you are in fact looked upon as a horrible pariah if you do not practice at least some form of it here (or if you aren't at least quiet about not doing so), and it is easier to justify their treatment at the hands of whites with Christianity than with any other religion I have encountered.

Now, I am not saying by any stretch of the imagination that blacks wish to be second-class citizens; far from

Re: 2/2

[bitchypixii]

Just putting this here to respond to the "meek shall inherit the earth" part.

I know it opens with "blessed are the meek" but personally, even back when I didn't know enough about religion to leave it, I always viewed that as a threat. The bold would go somewhere else, while those to meek to step forward would be left to deal with the Earth.

As for religion in black Americans, it isn't just the case of some being forced into christianity by their former masters, an integral and powerful force in ending slavery was the abolitionist movement, which was primarily a religious organization.

Many freed slaves adopted christianity, and its teachings as they were released by these people and kept in close proximity to them. Many of these people, because of their continued contacts as well as their strength in the face of adversity became leaders in the eyes of many. People began to adopt their beliefs as well as they attempted to emulate their leaders.

[anonymous]

Canadians never get this part of American culture. Why do black people and white people find parallels? Because they exist, and not just on a religious level. Because black people aren't enslaved in America anymore, and the relations are slowly improving.

By the way..."Christians of colour?" Seriously? I was so shocked by that I nearly dropped my white hood an robes.

[dave_littler]

What, "people of colour" has now been added to the list of once-acceptable terms which has now become racist to use? I swear, it can't have been more than ten years ago that it was just coming into vogue as a replacement for the last term which had become politically incorrect to make use of. It's impossible to keep up with this stuff.