Q: What would you suggest to black people who see the hypocrisy of Christianity but its deeply rooted in them to practice this religion that was used to enslave us? How do they free themselves from that mindset? A: In order for Black people to heal, we must be honest, and the honest truth is that Christianity was part and parcel of our enslavement in the Americas. The global spread of Christianity and the global spread of white supremacy coincided with each other. Ill be the first to admit that it can be difficult to let go of deeply held and cherished beliefs. The only advice I can give is to remain faithful to the truth and to trust in it. There are affirming aspects of Black Christianity (the music, the powerful and poetic sermons, the fashion, the food), but on the flip side there are many terrible things, particularly its many anti-human aspects. I read a book titled Is God a White Racist by William R. Jones. That helped me a lot in terms of coming to terms with and feeling grounded in my Black atheism. As is reading about Black people like Frederick Douglass, Zora Neale Hurston, Lorraine Hansbserry, James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, and many others who were unapologetic in their critical interrogation and/or abandonment of organized religion and the concept of god. Black thinkers have nurtured my secularism and the confidence I have in being so.
Posted on: Sun, 31 Aug 2014 06:00:24 +0000
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