Content vs. Culture
A look at Christianity and Popular Culture in the African American Community
Part1
*************This article is in no way singling out any one person but is intended for group discussion!************************************
The number one heated subject I discuss with people is religion; oddly enough the second topic by a razor thin margin is the influences of negative culture on our society especially children of color. It would seem that someone who is in favor of organized religion would be against negative culture. Right? Not so much. I have come to the conclusion that for many of us, Christianity is not in every thing that we do (content) it is our culture meaning we do it without thinking about it.
Last year I received about twenty separate emails warning parents not to let their children watch the movie The Golden Compass because the movie was against Christianity. I thought it was very puzzling that so many people were upset by this movie. Why this movie and not any of the other thousands of movies that are against Christianity? It is because interestingly enough, in our society it is culturally acceptable to do almost anything irreligious except openly question God. It is totally acceptable to show that you do not believe in God by your actions, but just not fine to say so.
What is your zodiac sign? Is it Cancer, Leo, Sagittarius, or Pisces? As a Christian why do you know this? There are few Christians that I know that do not also actively and openly worship other deities (gods). This form of astrology is based on other religions and gods other than Christianity and the God Jehovah. Ouija boards, crystal balls, tarot cards, palm reading and yes zodiac signs are all Occult activities that are culturally acceptable to many Christians? Are these things against Christianity? Where is the outrage? Why are we not equally upset by all things against Christianity?
Hip-hop artist Jay-Z made the statement in his song "Empire State of Mind” that” Jesus can't save you, life starts when the church ends" and people hit the roof! I heard a sermon given by a minister that if you play another Jay-Z song backwards it says “666 Murder Murder Jesus.” What bothers me is what his music says when you play it forward! Now when he was rapping about N-words, misogyny, murder, fornication and flat out debauchery, where was the outrage. Everyday in our culture we listen to and allow children to listen music with vile and vulgar content that goes against everything we say we believe(Christianity). Why is that? Do you know the lyrics to “B@t$H Betta have my Money” by AMG and the lyrics to “Silver and Gold” by Kirk Franklin? How much of music collection is filled with nonsense?
Why is Jay-Z wrong for saying Jesus can’t save you? Does a supposed belief in Jesus really change anything in a person’s behavior? Will it make someone less likely to steal or buy stolen property including bootleg DVDs, boosted clothing or illegally downloaded music? Will it make someone less likely to sell drugs, use drugs or get drunk? Does it make someone less likely to have premarital sex, have children out of wedlock or commit adultery? Does it make you less likely to be a liar, mean, misogynistic, racist, elitist, homophobic, culturally basis or xenophobic? Will a belief in Jesus stop someone from rape, murder, robbery, assault or child molestation? I think the answer is to all of these is no. Is church just a social gathering, are crosses just jewelry, is gospel music just great singing?
Even in comedy the issue of content versus culture is evident. The overwhelming majority of Black comics speak about the same 5 ignorant things that we find Hilarious. They are:
1-say the N-word a minimum of 10 times but as many as 100
2-speak vulgarly about fornicating
3-talk about selling or doing drugs
4-say something incredibly racist
5-followed by saying something positive about God?
And we LOVE it! Turn to your neighbor and say we LOVE it! Why is ignorance and buffoonery funny? Why are things that erode the content of Christianity culturally amusing to us?
Grand Theft Auto is a video game where you carjack, assault, and MURDER people. Why we let children play video games like this is beyond my comprehension. Most people would probably agree that letting children watch XXX rated porn is not suitable, but what about murderous video games? Is that appropriate? I am not referring to military war games where you shoot people in battle, but rather those where a mother is driving to work after dropping off her kids, you pull her out of there car and shoot her in the head. How many of us own games like this? Why is this content acceptable to us?
On Halloween this year I saw a man dressed in 1970’s attire and I asked him what he was dressed up as. He laughingly told me that he was a pimp! Being that I was dressed in my normal clothing, he asked me why I was not wearing a costume. I then told him that I did have a costume on…I was dressed as a Child Molester!!!!! The man was visibly disturbed (as he should have been) and yelled that is was NOT acceptable to even pretend to be a Child Molester. I said when did it become acceptable to pretend to be a Pimp? Why is pimp culture fine for so many of us?
Recently I overheard someone say that our society is in so much chaos because we took God out of the schools. Is that true? The funny thing is that when God was allegedly in the schools also during the period of Jim Crow. God was also in the schools while numbers of African Americans were enslaved during the antebellum period. Why is that? Does our belief in a Supreme Being stop us from being immoral? When the topic for gay marriage hit the ballots box in California an overwhelming majority of blacks voted to deny gays the right to be married because the Bible says that being gay was an abomination.
So at what point did we start following the bible? If the Bible is so holy to us why do we so openly contradict its content? Let’s be real for a moment if we can. The overwhelming majority of unmarried Christians I know fornicate on a regular basis. “Y’all don’t’ hear me let me say that again!” The overwhelming majority of unmarried Christians I know fornicate on a regular basis. I was watching Steve Harvey promote his book “Act like a lady, Think like a Man on television. He talked about his personal relationship with Jesus, as well his three month rule which meant that he would wait three months to get to know someone before having sex with them. That is cool except for the whole sex before marriage issue. Is marriage really that sacred to us? We live together and fornicate up until two weeks before we get married? We have bachelor and bachelorette parties, get drunk and watch (sleep with) strippers right before we get married, we cheat on our spouses and get divorced in record numbers, and we don’t pay any attention to what the Bible is talking about. The sad thing is although it does not have any “Christian” content it is totally culturally acceptable.
We do not want Christian Mexicans to make a better life here because of a man made line that separates us from them? Forget that brother in Christ mess, they are taking our jobs! Right? We have become the same as the people who once oppressed us! Do you know how to really upset a Christian? Tell them to follow the rules of Christianity. Everyone wants to tell you about Christ but no one wants to be told. People say God knows my heart, no one can judge me but God or I’m not trying to be perfect. Is it that we are not trying to be perfect or that we are just not trying?
Post your thoughts below!
This is so very interesting to read and reflect on. You never really think about the things around you within religion until you're affected by it. I think culture is a way of your lifestyle and living along with your spiritual belief can shape the way it's lived out. I truely believe every single qoute, phrase, sentence, chapter, and word in the Bible and do my best to live by it. I know sometimes I fall short of His mercy but His grace is awesome and I'm a living witness to that. I don't do alot of things now that I used to because of my belief in Jesus and my walk with Him changed my walk in life as well as my thoughts and how I treat people. Living by the Word of God maybe difficult for some but we are redeemed everyday and should have a renewed spirit. I ask for forgiveness for things I have done as well as things that is to come but that comes from me knowing what God says about my flesh. Culture has a way of taking us places further then we may want to or expected to for that matter. But with the content of what God says about you will structure the path you choose to take. I love my culture but I'm gonna choose the content of the Word of God for my life.
ReplyDeleteI agree with a great deal. But you didn't interpret "negative behavior" in the larger community, and in specific to ours. That would be a basis to illustrate why you have those volatile conversations. For example, greed and avarice are not sins in the larger community. Being selfish is interpreted as "driven", "focused," or in the Malthusian principles, acting on self restraint and doing what God wants you to do-- to worry about yourself and create personal prosperity in order to be worthy of wealth. People accept the wealthy are deserving because of hard work and personal sacrifice, and they are rightfully better than others. Your example of the Mexican illegal who is also a Christian is classic. However, it is acceptable to support them in the Catholic community (sanctuary cities, etc), but for self motivating reasons. Oakland, CA is in the middle of a state with declining religious affiliations, yet the Catholic Church recently built a Cathedral there. Why? Because the church knows more illegal Mexican immigrants means a likelihood of more churchgoing Catholics. What about illegal Asians or Arabs?
ReplyDeleteOne can attribute much of our moral decline in the black community--if we want to go there--to insistence and praise on such selfish and greedy behavior; i.e. multiple children (in and especially out of wedlock) with no means of emotional, financial, or genealogical support, abandonment of community institutions, lack of succession planning, etc. I'd like to know what you define as bad behavior a bit more, but maybe it's like the old Supreme Court judgment on pornography: I don't have a precise definition, but I know it when I see it.
A part of your argument that lost me was moving from organized religion straight to Christianity. There are real issues with other religions that should not get a pass, but you gave them one. Call them out, because non-Christian religious people tend to argue against Christianity rather than to defend their own religion’s views. Black Muslims have the retort of the ‘white Jesus’ card, or dietary indulgences of the masses as reasons to eschew Christianity. However, nothing in the Bible suggests that Jesus is white--in fact its states the contrary and the diets of Israelites is damn near the same diet as Muslims.
Religion is dicey simply because of how it has been interpreted to oppress people--that is what we hear all the time. But religion is a bigger issue for two more reasons: first, we all fall short. Most people (who are Christians) are 'cafeteria Christians'. They pick certain things that they are willing to accept, like a buffet. "Yes, I'll take the belief plate that non-Christians are going to hell....no, you keep the platter that says fornication is a sin,..." People think sideways--they fully support divine intervention and a role that God plays in success, but deny the influence of evil and Satan. I think you'd be hard pressed to find most Christian religious talk discuss the impact of evil influencing everything we do. As a result, no one plans on resisting Satan, since Satan doesn't have any influence over our lusts. It is our fault alone for adultery, or murder. People have to acknowledge that successes may be lustful, and the God to which they’re thanking may have nothing to do with what they value, while at the same time the being they should be thanking is Satan. Does God really care about a touchdown or Grammy? That brings us to the second disconnect--who says we are all praying to the same God? To add to your argument that Jim Crow was alive and well during the time that society was "more" religious. If you are white, and want to maintain the status quo, you likely don’t believe in the merciful and impoverished people loving spirit that blacks do. Does a Klansman have the same God as Martin Luther King? What about the Republican Party? You’ll open up a bigger kettle than you might think my friend.
Wow! I love it! wonderful comments! By the way,I chose to talk about the christian faith because it is the most popular with us (blacks)in America. You are quite correct in saying that no religion gets a pass! Wonderful comments!
ReplyDeleteYamis iz rite!
ReplyDelete#1. I don't practice organized religion.
ReplyDelete#2. I don't live my life through popular culture.
#3. I don't want people who have no papers and break United States immigration law to come here in the first place (Christian Mexicans) stealing our jobs, driving drunk, and molesting our children.
You cut & pasted all that to say what?
Rant against Christians?
People are hypocrites, and what? Did you just discover that fact?
Organized religions are man made brainwashing called dogma. A person who calls himself a Christian, KNOWS better. They don't DO better because they can always justify it by saying "i'm a sinner".
When I was a kid, the tele-evangalists were all over tv. The Tammy Fayes, The Jim Bakkers, the PTL Club etc.
I could see through that boolschitt when I was a kid, but a lot of people are brainwashed to believe that you read a book (bible, koran, torah) and you "practice" that philosophy you'll be better than the person who doesn't and as a BONUS! You'll go to heaven!
I don't believe that garbage at all.
They're all very nice stories, but they're MAN MADE stories, and if you don't know by now that everything made by mankind is faulty, then you should just shove you head back in that hole in the ground and ignore the rest of your life.
Because you're doomed.
Priorities are important in every aspect of life, and unfortunately, many don't pay attention unless there is a catastrophe involved, or unless they are personally offended or implicated. The Sky Is Falling!
ReplyDeleteWe have been trained to talk, and trained to take orders, and follow them, but critical thought places us in the drivers seat, the presidents chair (if you will), and makes us personally accountable for everything we involve ourselves in i.e. democracy. Business as usual tends to slip right into our actions, and culture, just as anything else that serves us form survival to plush living, needs to be thought about critically. Meaning, how does is serve me, my family, my community, etc right now? What are the effects/affects of my actions, their actions, etc. on all levels of existence right now, and later, and just as important, in the past?
Unless we start, as Michael Jackson stated, with the "_____ in the mirror", we have no chance of discussing the importance of 'weeding' out what doesn't serve the greater good, the national, and global community. We have to start somewhere, and it only takes one person to begin the process.
It's too bad our youth are swallowing up the ideas of what is highlighted as culture, and important, as there are many musicians, lyricists, etc, that provide an alternative to the mainstream madness (in general). However, it will take some grassroots research to find, and promote the people that 'should' be seen, and heard.
Prioritizing what is important is first and foremost important on an individual level, and filtering what is important through the ideals of a healthy and sustainable community should be considered.
We need to focus attention towards education. Educating listeners, and critical thinkers, as opposed to communicators, and drones. We do need workers, followers, etc, but the masses should be able to think for themselves to inform our democracy, and listen to better communicate their ideas.
Peace.
I agree. The strangest thing is that most of the people who claim to be Christian are not Christians in action. This word has become a cliche. In Anerica all you have to do is say you're a Christian and people will automatically believe you're a good person. Doesn't intergrity count for anything? After all, would Christ do the things most people do? Any man can tell who my children are because they favor me and they act like me. How many people who say they're Christians really act like Christ? Our culture has embraced the wrong things. Media has been the driving force behind all trends lately. The first thing a recording artist of comedian says when receiving an award is "First of all I want to thank God for allowing this to happen". God doesn't want that acknowledgement. He aint in that. If they want to honor God, follow what God says. I'm just fed up with people who lack integrity and truth. They give the real lovers of Christ a bad name. They also make our work much harder.
ReplyDeleteTo "the haint"...you stated the following:
ReplyDelete"#3. I don't want people who have no papers and break United States immigration law to come here in the first place (Christian Mexicans) stealing our jobs, driving drunk, and molesting our children."
Although you make interesting and somewhat valid points, this particular assessment is problematic and must be addressed. Are "Christian Mexicans" really "stealing our jobs, driving drunk, and molesting our children"? Let us have a moment of clarity...
Do not make blanket statements on other peoples. It exhibits your critical thinking skills are lacking. People of African, European, and Asian descent drive drunk and molest children on a hourly basis. Hell, some even do it in under the guise of Christianity. So these "Christian Mexicans" you mention, are no different from the Americans you appear to protect, especially since their jobs are being taken. Ask yourself, what jobs are they stealing? Better yet, provide evidence that they are stealing jobs. Once you begin to understand how the labor system (legal and illegal) works in America, you will understand that what these "Christian Mexicans" have become intertwined with is not "stealing."
To the original post, excellent job Yomi. I think there has to be some challenge to the "heart" of what many African Americans/Black hold dear...Christianity.
You raise numerous points that need to be expounded upon as separate blog posts. Please consider them:
Homosexuality and the issue of marriage
Mexicans and the labor system
Pimps, child molesters and the issue of "cool"
The zodiac and religion
Hip-Hop music and debauchery
The contradictions of "OUR" culture
Jim Crow and religion
The last topic is interesting especially with the recent death of Oral Roberts. Where has the pulpit/imams/rabbis been in the eradication of inequality/discrimination/poverty?
The bible itself is filled with contradictions, why should you expect the followers of such tenets to be more logical and linear. Any belief system that convinces it's followers that any mistake made will always be forgiven, and that they will be ultimately rewarded for acknowledging those mistakes, and simply asking for forgiveness, by an eternity in paradise will foster a culture filled with followers who do not do their best to make rationed, reasonable, well thought out decisions. Religion in general and christianity in particular does not imbue upon its followers any moral superiority over those who do not believe in gods, such as myself, at times, this belief, that "you know what god wants," leads people to commit immoral acts, such as the Westboro Baptist Church bigots that porest at the funarals of fallen soldiers, or the Muslims that have thrown acid on the faces of young girls for going to school, or the Othodox Jews that have rioted in Jerusalem because secular stores have the NERVE to be open on the Sabbath for those who aren't Orthodox, morals are fluid, they progress and change with the times and cultures, inspite of religions, not because of them, if you look back the religious have rarely, and consistently been on the side of societal progress, the bible has been used to argue against abolition slavery, womens suffrage, integration, and most recently gay marriage. My bottom line is this, do not expect better of christians, expect better of humanity and trust that christians will be dragged forward by the momentum.
ReplyDeleteAs for willie, I know you don't follow every word in the bilbe, that, or you don't know every word in the bible. Just one question, do you love your parents? Wife? Kids? Brothers? Sisters? Life? Then you are contradicting the word of Jesus, and apparently aren't a true follower of christ: Luke 14:26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea , and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
As for the haint, the was quite a bit of tripe you spouted for your third point. As has been pointed out, you act as though illegal immigrants are responsible for everything that is wrong with America, and unless you mean the analytical defenition of illegal immigrants, as in everyone other than the Native Americans, then that is quite a leap. I would guess that most illegal immigrants are law abiding people, you know other than the whole bit about borders, due to them already having one strike against them, the last thing they want to do is give the police a better reason to try and track them down.
We shall overcome. Overcome what? Our chained mentality, chained to religious systems that have served its purpose but now me must evolve to survive. Obviously this antiquated thinking has caused us to devolve back into the child-like state of having to be taught from religion how to behave, act and think even as "adults". It was once said by an African tribe, "white missionaries came to us with stories of angels and demons and all types of fantastical images and we said to them that we have the same stories too and we tell them to our children when they are young but as they grow up we reveal to them the truth about life and death and all things in between". SO the reason why this "christianity" doesn't work to edify men and women is because those fantastical stories are allegories were for children and "adults" who could not read or write at that time in history. It is to be read and understood through proper reasoning based upon what we see around us.
ReplyDeleteTo Be Gay And Live A Life Of Homosexuality Is A Choice Like Driving Drunk, And It Is An Abomination In The Eyes Of GOD.
ReplyDeleteHispanic People Are Gods Children As Well As Anyone Else,Governments Often use Divide And Conquer Tactic's To Distract People From The Bigger Issue At Hand.
We Live In America=Babylon. This Country Was Founded by Pimps,Child Molesters And Worse!
What Would You Expect To Be Deemed As Cool? Duh!
Religion Is Man Made! The Zodiac? I'm Still Up In The Air On That One. If You Really Do Your Homework This Is A Study That Is Dang Near As Old As Man Himself, I Won't Give Man Or Satan Any Power Or Credit For What Happens In The Stars! That's Just Too Much.
With All Things Good Satan Will Corrupt!
HipHop Kulture Is A Lifestyle Created To Counter Act The Works Of Satan With The Youth Of NYC In The Late Sixties, Early Seventies, Where There Was Turbulent Gang WarFare Taking Place.
HipHop Was Created To Channel The Negative Energies Into Good And It Worked, Putting And End To Violent New York Gangs Until Recently. Peace, Love,Unity And Having Safe Fun Is The Montra Of HipHop.
Jay Z's Personal Worship Preferences Has As Much To Do With HipHop Kulture As Religion Has To Do With Our Daily Choices.
American Culture Is Debauchery,Violence,Lust,Excess,Hate
Absencse Of God!
And We Love It! Or Else We Would Leave!
Slugwell. A. Homosexuality is NOT a choice. Ever. B. You know what else is an abomination in the eyes of god? Shellfish.
ReplyDelete"What other abominations does the Bible specify? Of course, adultery (Lev 18:20), sex with animals (Lev 18:23), remarrying one's wife after she's had another husband in between (Deut 24:4), or approaching any woman and humming "Strangers in the Night" during the time of her "uncleanness" (Lev 18:19). Cross-dressing is out (Deut 22:5), and that includes Halloween costumes, slacks on women, bib overalls on little girls, or a wife wearing her husband's favorite Oxford buttondown. And more on buttondowns in a moment.
ReplyDeleteOther abominations include tarot readings, glancing at your horoscope, trimming one's beard, and getting a tattoo, even if it says, "Mom" (Lev 19:26-28). Haughty eyes (Prov 6:17) and telling lies (Prov 6:17, 12:22) are big abominations. Being untruthful also includes false weights and measures (Prov 11:1), or any other dishonesty in business. "Everyone who acts unjustly is an abomination to the LORD your God" (Prov 11:16).
What do abominators have for dinner? Rare steaks off the grill (Lev 17:10), Lobster Newburg at the Krebs and crab cakes in Baltimore (Lev 11:10), a rack of ribs at the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que (Lev 11:7).
But abominations are not just about bodily functions. Charging or paying interest are abominations. Bankers and anyone with a mortgage, car loan or credit card debt will be unavailable to throw the first stone, regardless of the interest rate (Psalm 15:1-5, Jeremiah 15:10).
Graven images of other gods are an abomination (Deut 7:25). Thus the Happy Buddha on my dresser and my postcards of the Great Buddha at Kamakura would excuse me from taking the lead in rock throwing, if I hadn't already fallen by the wayside.
My personal favorite abomination is wearing blended fabrics. Deuteronomy 22:11 forbids wearing a material made of wool and linen, but Leviticus 19:19 says it's an abomination to wear any blended material, period. Hence a woman in a man's buttondown can be doubly abominable if it's a no-iron, easy care blend of cotton and polyester."
Yes we will continue to pay homage to the present state of being of which we exist. Slavery to religion, slavery to positions, slavery to possessions, and enslavement to what ever else they deem necessary! Funny we never address the state of being we were in before we arrived in the America's, Caribbean, and Other points of separation. Amazing we debate and discuss our existence here exactly what the man would have you discuss, how is your assimilation to his world coming. Are we satisfied with our ever present second class citizenship? We now assume the position of the overseer! We will judge, question, and minimize someone to keep us elevated. We debate Christianity because we do not know, now want to know, our own true religion. Prior to slavery here in America, we were the educators of the world. Socrates, Plato, and every other Greek philosopher and teacher came to Africa to study. Why while Judeism was on the decline and they switched it to Chritianity, we were studying something. There was a religion in the region of Eygpt (Kemet)with 42 laws and edicts of things that "I have not done." ex. I have not Stolen.. Of which 10 are now commandments. SO THERE GOES our religion. There was a time your name would contain your fathers name, your fathers father name, and finally your fathers fathers father name. There would be your connections to three generations. There would be the motivation to not defame the name of your father or forefathers. They had not destroyed the name, in fact they had tried to build it. Have you heard the saying, know me by my works. That is what they call branding now in corporations..............We gauge our self by their right and wrongs(bible), i have done so and i am not excluded! They withheld it from you for so long while spoon feeding it to you like a child(religion). Removed any trace of your history or anyone or anything, thus all of the blacks in the islands, that could link you to it. I cannot tell anyone what to do, but how can you be satisfied without knowledge of self. They make the African American hate the African, and vice versa. Know this, WE ARE THE ORIGINAL MAN, and we were not rapist, pimps, thieves, or sodomites. We could have rid the earth of every other culture but we did not! We are good no great by nature, and loving and tolerant. We have become what they were, while they have evolved into what they are! However, i would love to see some of you expand your mind and shift your present Paradigm. Yomi i would ask that you come back here in a few weeks, enough time to allow all of these brethren with these great minds and ideas to meet again.
ReplyDeleteOk, my fault Mr. Brame. Being a Christian is cool, but what about being Christ like. Wow heck of a question. If living Christ like is listening more that you talk and when you do speak life and not be negative. If finally recognizing your responsibility to your Father(God), your family, and community is living Christ like then count me in. Before I ever claimed to be a Christian, I was living Christ like. Giving every chance I could. Performing miracles within my circle, giving and taking life, never taking life for granted. Now that will sound like a bunch of mumble jumbo, but until we as men understand the power we truly posses we will question statements like this.....Watch this, we compare our modern situations to biblical ones and we never take into consideration the difference in time! A man did not have to commit adultery, he had as many women as he could afford. Homosexuality is not what God intended! God saw man was lonely, while he slept he took a rib from man and fashioned him a mate(a woman), not another man. The infusion of immigrants into the US, taking any job offered to support or provide for his family is what we are not doing......Divide and conquer. We claim Christian, but within that group we have groups. COGIC, Presbyterian, AME, Baptist, and so on. I am not sure if i have answered or contributed to the discussion, I apologize Yomi if i have not. I am a man above all else with a conscious of right and wrong, now which guise i utilize as my rule and guide of my conduct and faith remains just that a choice. I am Christian, but i like some teachings of Islam. I like the perceived peach of Buddhism. I live in America, so my culture is Christian. My content is choice.
ReplyDeletevery intersting as how we view our negatives and end up spending more time making jokes as a form of acceptance than working on trying to get rid of them. I tend to see people use Religion as a crutch but yet their deeds are far from what they tell you. Religion is a totally individual relationship that person has with their spirit/God. but people in general like to impose or thoughts i.e., judgement on otheres. There for th esaying i accept you as you are is bogus. I learned recently that faith without deeds is a dead faith.
ReplyDeleteThe Purpose of the blog is to get us to think critically! There are some major issues in our community that are not being addressed! Many of us do not see that religious infidelity is ONE of the root problems! Once we make it ok to contradict our Core beliefs every other wrong that we do does not seem so bad! We act as if homosexuality is the #1 problem in our community? Really? We know better! Let us openly encourage each other to do better!
ReplyDeleteGreat topic, Yomi.
ReplyDeleteLet me add this grain of salt to the mix...
Honestly, if you want to get to the root of the problems with our community and culture, there is something we need to acknowledge. There is a STRONG GOD in our community... Oh... you thought I was talking about the God of Abraham? Nah, buddy... that's the OLD God. The new GOD has been around a while too and he runs our community and culture. He is all powerful. Praises be unto the ALL MIGHTY DOLLAR!!!
We talk about drugs being the death of our community but if there was no money in drugs... well... I'm just saying. Seems like in our culture, everything has a price. Even morality. If it don't make dollars, it don't make sense. Logically... if it makes dollars, it makes senses.
Check it out....
So I do an album solely about selling drugs and killing anyone in my way and that okay if it sells records.
Let's take it a step further... once I sell a whole bunch of records and make mountains of money, put me on MTV Cribs so everyone can see how an album about slangin and killin can get you out of the hell of a life with no chances, out of a life surrounded by poverty and death. Seems like this Money God can get me out out of this life of hell faster than the God of Abraham.
Why stop there? Surround me with women who know how close I am to God (Money) and are willing to do anything to walk closer with God... even each other. I didn't have all these women before and now they are throwing themselves at me. And if I was a Golfer with tons of money? Same thing. They want me. Why? Because they all want a closer walk with God.
Okay, okay... I'll dial it back a bit but you see what I'm saying. Someone said it earlier... Greed is a powerful drug. Why are Pimps so cool these days? Because they represent the No Holds Barred approach to getting money. Who can't respect that?
It's easy to blame music, video games, tv shows, films, etc. but they are all created for the love of the Almighty Dollar.
I'm just sayin...
Anonymous, I am not blaming music, video games, tv shows, films, etc. I am blaming those of us who know better and accept these things as normal. But you are very correct in saying that Money is our true God!
ReplyDeleteNice read Yomi. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteWow Yomi! Read your blog...great writing and SO true!
ReplyDeletePeople wazz up, my name is Ron. I'm a christian brotha who continues to learn by mistakes I make. Dat only means I'm growing. I'm not the type ta act and play church. I'm a witness to his grace and mercy and truely believe. I wanna comment..
ReplyDeleteWe are in a world filled with many spirits, confusion and a long list of other stuff. Nobody is perfect! Nobody! We need to stop selling our kids these fake "ROLES" and start being "REAL" from the gate! We tend to worship PEOPLE now daze & MONEY instead of who we need to really worship. Stop letting the system control our kids direction and letz start being an example so we can lead them to better options. I've read thru all statements and jus wanna share 3 points..
#1, Everyone has a different understanding about GOD, JESUS, Leaders, Truth and life as a human beings. We all will never agree, however I dare you to ask GOD for direction and to guide you along the way giving you complete sight to darkness you have.
#2, Money is the root to all evil. I don't believe you should make money your God. I've been thru sum interesting situations with it, have seen what it will do and also have learned how to look at it now. Money is just a tool! Save it!
#3, In order for things to change, we must change. Be wise in your decitions cause if not your flesh and emotions are weak. They will control your actions when LOGIC is saying NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! DON'T DO IT!!!!
REAL TALK,
Ron
yomi this is so true, all i can say is, its TRUTH or LIE there is no in between, people want to hear what they want ot hear, and they see what they want to see, but i charge everyone to seek for the truth and you will find it! take off your blinders.....Yomi dont get me started.
ReplyDeleteS. Hogg
being non-religious, i no longer experience frustration when the hypocrisies and inconsistencies of any CHURCH is exposed. To engage in those conversations would be to care. I don't care to authenticate or validate the madness though my engagement. You do make a lot of good points here... things which i discovered as irreconcilable even as a child. A man, my relationship with God is moreso personal and I'm guided by God's gift of discernment in creating an ethical, Christ-like existence.
ReplyDeleteYou know I've always disagreed with you about the N word and have written extensively about it since our first APEB debates.
I have always appreciated how you understand the ability to think critically about issues as a GIFT that doesn't undermine belief, but strengthens it. I quite often ask my students in Philosophy, how strong is any belief that hasn't withstood the weight of doubt? How resilient is any truth bolstered by the exercise of tested wisdom and good faith?
Continue thinking independently and challenging those who simply consume whatever's put on the plate.
Ron,
ReplyDeleteStating that nobody is perfect is obvious. You are arguing a point that has not been made in the article. At one end of the spectrum is perfection at the opposite end is minimum effort. If you ask a person that is giving minimal effort (not you personally) to do better they often make the statement that no-one is perfect. What I am asking is what the purpose of religion in our lives if it does not change anything? Alcoholics Anonymous has %5 success rate (please look this up on line). Do you know what the success rate is for those who try to get sober without Alcoholics Anonymous is? %5!
I am a 60 year old Christian woman and my goal is to practice my belief in everything I do. It is crazy for me to say I love Jesus and act like the world 24/7. Being a follower of Christ is a choice. If you chose to reject Jesus or any type of formal religion, I suggest you find something that fits your style and make the world, yourself and others better?
ReplyDeleteWhy do we spend soooooo much time allowing the things we know are wrong to happen on our watch? We all know that hurting children are wrong but we sit back and do nothing. We all know the things that go into the minds of our precious children are wrong but we sit back and do nothing. If we each make a sincere effort to fight for justice or to make a difference then this world would be a better place. Instead we spend time complaining about religion and the evilness of religion. What have you as an individual person done to make things better? Do you have a JOB, do you own a home, do you participate in the community, do you vote, do you attend cultural events, do you volunteer to help the homeless, do you donate to help others, do you support your family, do you do special things for your friends (and expect nothing in return), do you do special things for a stranger, do you turn off the music when they call women names, do you turn your head when your buddy hits his/her spouse, do you protest against injustice, do you EDUCATE yourself, family, friends and the community on issues effecting children, women, men or minorities, do you mentor to young men and women, do you participate in programs that foster goals for boys and girls, do you donate to a worthy cause, do you teach to reach, do you ??? …….. I could go on and on but you get my point.
Today is time to step aside and take a look at what each of us can do to make life better. If your choice is not to practice Christianity that is your choice. BUT what can and will you do in 2010 to make a difference? Lets each one of us look at the problems of this world starting with our homes/community and become a party of ONE to make a difference. If you do not like Christianity then do something you like to make a difference. Become a person of ONE, and make a change. Let’s stop complaining about things and start doing SOMETHING to change our community, ourselves and family.
Family is very important to me and I often do not understand the choices they make. However, my love for them does not stop and as a Christian I often pray for things to get better. If you do not believe in prayer or God please find something you do believe in and make life better for someone other than yourself. Be bless and thanks for listening to a 60 year old women and her opinions. This message is not written to generate an argument, read, use or delete.
Grandmother of nine (9).
Brother Yomi,
ReplyDeletePersonally, I agree with you 100%. I’m not really a practitioner of any organized religion because I find it quasi cliquish. But I also think that whatever makes you a better person, roll with it!
Quite a conversation indeed...
ReplyDelete1. I'd like to take Yomi's claim a step further. It is a common occurance to find someone of self-professed faith expressing tolerance and/or acceptance of other people's religons. By Yomi's arguement however, this too is in conflict with said person's self-proclaimed religios beliefs. Using Christianity as an example, it is obvious that one who believes there to be one true God and that Jesus Christ was his son, by virtue of that belief, can never accept another's deffering belief. In fact, said true believer actually believes that person will go to Hell, do they not? Where is all this tolerance and undrstanding of other people's beliefs comming from. Certainly not from the bible!
2. Blacks/African-Americans and the ignorant, shameful, and down right embarrassing support of Prop 8 recently highlights one of our darker corners as a people. Every fact and figure that shows us, as a people, filling the jails, coming in last among our peers in scholastic achievement, and allowing ourselves to be seen as modern day minstrels on television has never succeeded in embarrassing me. Instead they have served as the impetus of a deeper conversation, between the people who throw these things in my face and I, as to the root causes of these maladies. The black community's clergy-led support for the denial of the civil rights of a minority group was the first and only thing I have time I have ever felt truly embarrassed. Exactly where this homophobia comes from I cannot be sure. Is it simply a case of a people attempting to elevate themselves at the expense of others as so many in American history have? Perhaps preserving the post civil rights movement common religious ground that blacks and whites found (in opposition to the specter of the "godless" evil soviet empire of the cold war era) is more important to both parties than including our LGBT brothers and sisters in the American dream? Maybe it is just a manifestation of our homophobic over-reaction to all things gay, as cover for the truth of their existence within our own community? I don't pretend to know what name people give the hate in their hearts any more than they are honest about what drives them to such decisions on the destinies of others.
3. Something I almost NEVER hear discussed in these conversations is the the idea of the fallacy of people's WARRANTs. Allow me to channel my favoite english instructor for a moment if you will. In rhetoric, one attempts to make a CLAIM from a given REASON. The reason leads to the claim only because of an agreed upon warrant. Example: We should have a speed limit on highways (CLAIM) because cars that go too fast may get into fatal car accidents (REASON). This is true, given that you believe that fatal car accidents are a bad thing (WARRANT). That was an easy example. We can all agree on that warrant. This gets harder when you get to more difficult subject. If you do not agree to the warrant that climate change has a significant anthropogenic component then you will never agree on global warming policy with someone who does. The obvious issue here is whether or not you believe in the Bible as the wor of God. This is the real question that must be answered before any debate can take place.
4. Building on my last point, I have always been interested in how people are so willing to call the Bible the "word of God" and that they live by it. As I believe someone mentioned earlier, the Bible is filled with all maner of behavior and belief that is unacceptable now. Why is it that we simply pretend that it isn't so when someone says they live by it. If someone said they live by the words in mein kampf, we'd demonize them.
I have more but I offer up this for now...
Christianity to many is indeed a matter of culture. Consider it a practice or tradition that has been globally promoted and in many instances forced upon millions or people. The crusades, missionary expeditions throughout Africa, Europe, North/South America. So... the culture developed long before people could interpret the bible for themselves. Slaves were forbidden to read but were required to acknowledge the practice, culture, of Christianity.
ReplyDeleteAs for the contradictions... they have always existed in every culture. Seems to be a human trait.
By the way... this was a great passage:
“On Halloween this year I saw a man dressed in 1970’s attire and I asked him what he was dressed up as. He laughingly told me that he was a pimp! Being that I was dressed in my normal clothing, he asked me why I was not wearing a costume. I then told him that I did have a costume on…I was dressed as a Child Molester!!!!! The man was visibly disturbed (as he should have been) and yelled that is was NOT acceptable to even pretend to be a Child Molester. I said when did it become acceptable to pretend to be a Pimp? Why is pimp culture fine for so many of us?"
Greetings Brother...I Concur!!! Totally!!! There's nothing more for me to say...but..keep up the dialogue!! Although, many will never agree or work to change their mindsets.
ReplyDeleteGreat Blog!! I think we as a people in this religion have been trained to think we can fall out of favor with God and fall back in with going to Church on Mothers Day, or Xmas. Only you can get you into heaven, yet your parents drag you into church like they can take you to heaven with them, they cant. The Religion is a forgiving one as explained by everyone, " As long as you repent for your sins, all is forgiven". Seems like everyone does it, i know lots of women who shake it all Saturday Night and Sunday is giving "church hugs" like they weren't loose as a goose last night. Dont pay tithes but got the new Jordans, xbox, rims, dress for the club, coach bag, etc, etc, (fill in your vice).
ReplyDeleteOther religion dont allow this type of behavior from the outside looking in, the ship seems a little tighter for reasons that it seems like you cant be forgiven for actions in your blog as easy as our religion.
I am guilty of a lot of what you said, but im not in denial about it, and i dont throw stones. people can take you to the book but cant make you read it, take you to the pulpit but cant make you pray. its on the person.
I know im far from where i need to be, but im close to people that can get a prayer up, so when i get on the right track, imma fly there, not walk.
I am religious but don't get caught up on religious issues! I think one has to start with self to improve anything being caught up on the politics of religion doesn't really get us anywhere! I don't knock anyone's belief but I believe in a true and living God but would never look at the next man and say that he/she is politically incorrect because they don't believe what I do.
ReplyDeleteNow as we get off into the things that effect the culture I would say is all about intake and output if a child takes in nasty freaky rap videos all day then their language and actions will be dirty and filthy somehow the media tends to glamourize the negativity like its the way to be!
This is quick I will come back with more......
Man U hit tha nail on tha head!!!!!! We az a kulture r livin n make believe and this iz a norm. We like the idea of "Christian Principles", but the whole "this iz my bizniz" over rides for everyone EVERYTIME!!!!
ReplyDeleteOctavia,
ReplyDeleteI love your attitude on letting people do as they please in terms of religion. Let me be clear that I Totally agree that you should never knock a person because their beliefs are different from yours. What I am saying is that within a group of people with the same beliefs we should identify things that contradict the morals of the group. If we all agree that our children smoking weed is wrong, then we should discourage all things that encourage them to do so. That is what I am trying to do. I only speak on religion because it is the thing that most of us claim to be morally guided by. I am not bothered at all if you worship a head of lettuce named “Ralph” like Re-run on “What’s Happening”. I just want us to stop saying things we do not mean.
WOW Yomi... *standing ovation* excellent topic and discussion here. I think you really hit on some key points and I can some up my opinion on this fairly briefly. Christianity will never be what it is intended to be without relationship. You can call it religion, or culture, or even hypocracy (sp?) but the fact of the matter is that Christianity without relationship is all of the above. We are not here to fulfill some obligation or rituals. We are not saved by works but through faith (Eph. 2) and how does faith come but by the word of God (Heb 11).. So in order to grow in our faith we must spend time studying and meditating on His word and as we do that we begin to learn Who God is and how He operates. The Word is God (John 1). So as we spend time in His word and in prayer, it is no longer a lifestyle we attempt to live from the outside in, but rather as our spirit is strengthened we begin to live life from the outside out.. His will then is written on our hearts, so that the things we KNOW to do become the things we WANT to do and we no longer want to do the things that are contrary to Gods word because we become sensitive to how it makes Him feel when we do. His Spirit begins to convict us of wrong and becomes harder and harder to go against that conviction.Christ came that we might live victoriously in this life, but until people come to that realization, they will always fall short of the lifestyle God has prepared for us because it can not be obtained in our own strength or ability. If it were possible Christ never would have needed to come! I think it also falls on the shoulders of the Pastors and ministers who do not teach a relationship based Christianity. How many churches do you know spend 2 hours just shouting and yelling and running around and at the end of the service, no one can tell you what they learned! But church sure was good though!! We have Pastors for the perfecting of the saints to do the work of the ministry! But there are so many pastors who do not TEACH the Word of God without compromise it makes for a weak body... the church is malnurished, we have taken God out of society, out of the family and in a lot of cases even the church. We need to get back to the basics of the real meaning of Christianity... Christians are those who have an intimate relationship with the Living God though His Son Jesus Christ, fueled by the power of Holy Spirit. Anything other than that is just plain religion.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting article,filled with examples of the weaknesses and errors of the Christian. I must admit I looked forward to reading a least a few examples of some positive and memorable acts committed by one itentified as a Christian.
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing you said that I deny as fact as long as All Christians are not thrown into the same barrel of careless, evil doers. Please do not expect to see perfection in the actions or words of a confessed Christian. As I undersrand it, a Christian is one who has chosen to follow the teachings of Christ while realizing his own immperfections. No human being dots every "I" or crosses every "t" as he travels through life. A Christian ackowledges he needs guidance from a higher being beyond man. This acknowledgement does not remove him from the weakness of the flesh but it does assure his place in the Kingdom once he believes Jesus died so we may have salvation. This belief changes his course of action. In Jesus' promise of salvation, we are given choices. When the Christian falls short in his actions he conscientiously seeks forgiveness and grace and God's mercy to overcome those actions while the flesh controlled him.
Exactly what is your goal in critiquing and assessing the walk of a Christian? It sounds like you have personal hurts to cause you to think in this vein?
I, for one, am so sorry the Christians in your path failed you. But don't let those failures camouflage the total intent of what Christianity is about. After eons of time, no one has or ever will perfect it on this side of heaven. The wonderful part of this,though, is when all intentions are goood, God will make the differeence in the end.
I would hate to be evaluated as perfect simply because I described myself as a human being. A point of reference is: I know I did not perform at the beginning of my career as well as I did at the end--it was a part of life's journey. All during this journey,I was given
the choice of compliance, realizing there was a price to pay--At the time of my decision, I was convinced it was best although it did not prove to be in he end.
We do not want to project our expectations of others at a level that creates disappointment when they do not reach a height we ourselves
will never reach. It takes lots of "trials and errors" and "lessons learned" before we can get it right, but I thank God for the road we are allowed to travel.
Georgia Girl
Victor, that doesn't make any sense to me. Jesus is Love and just because you love those things isn't contradicting what the bible says. That's being taken out of contects. Read the whole passage and it will let you know that by comparison to Jesus, you would have to hate everyone else to become His disciple meaning whatever love you have for everyone else, the love for Jesus has to be like 10 times greater. So many ppl now a days are just taking Biblical verses and making it what they want them to be without understanding. I was always told, if the verse your quoting you need to read ten verses up and ten verses down to truely get a clear understanding of what's being said. And it doesn't hurt to also read other messages of the Bible. And I don't do everything what's in the Bible or know all the scriptures but I can tell you that I strive for perfection and try to live christian life which is being Christ like. I'm just sayin'....
ReplyDeleteGeorgia Girl,
ReplyDeletePersonal hurts? Christian in my path failed me? I am amazed at how you interpreted this article! This article is not about blasting Christian or personal pain. This article is about bettering our morals and it should encourage religious fidelity! It is about our cultural acceptance of negative behavior. Anyone who reads this article and defends Christianity needs to read the article again. I feel that all Christians should absolutely love this article. If these things do not apply to you personally, you should in no way be offended. Please recognize that they do apply to a great number of us and I am trying to draw attention to a problem. Nowhere in this article do I say anything negative against Christ or those who follow him. What I do speak out against is behavior that is unbecoming of a person dedicated to Righteousness. Why would any Christian be against that? Am I not allowed to speak out against what I perceive to be wrong doing in my community? It takes a village to raise a child and it takes that same village to raise community standards!
(I just made that up, so if you see it anywhere else it is mine!)
Very well said, my man.
ReplyDeleteI will add that the hypocrisy runs deep from religion throughout our society in every fabric of our culture.
Think about this for a minute...You have, in some parts of the country legal prostitution whereas in others you're jailed for it.
We have a country that allows the legalization of alcohol (one of the biggest killers of man), yet marijuana isn't legal in some states & cities and semi-legal in others with contingencies.
Casinos are allowed to foster an environment of cigarette smoke for the sake of the dollar, spreading second hand smoke for all to encounter (INCLUDING RESTAURANTS!!), yet they will be quick to shut a restaurant down for food on the floor or a roach on the counter.
Yes, hypocrisy runs deep, my brotha.
Back to religion (I didn't lose track), it is ironic to see that we as a people, even Christian people, have used the bible, at times, as rhetoric, or bulletpoints when it is either applicable or pertinent to the given or dire situations, yet most Christians (that I have run across), have selectively avoided the hardest issue to overcome. Sex before marriage (fornication).
Unfortunately, hypocrisy has seen its day in in every religion. Even from the ideology of a man in Catholisism, the "extremists" of the Muslim religion, the financial blurring of Scientology, we can go on and on, but the point remains, in the ultimate end, the only thing we can do is be accountable for our own paths, and let our hearts lead us to do what's right amidst all of our evils, hypocrisies, ills, and our wrongs...even if they're ours.
Yomi, way on point, my brotha...way on point.
teronze, I am starting to agree with you, but I will continue to push the issue!
ReplyDeleteYomi, glad you clarified your thoughts for me.
ReplyDeleteNow let's get busy erasing much of the violence, ignorance, abuse, immoral acts, negligence, hatred, poverty, etc., in our communites and build a better world for our youth and all affected.
Keep the mental challenges coming. We need them to keep us focused.
Georgia Girl
This article doesn't get to the heart of the problem at all; the problem is sin. Negative culture, hypocrisy, double standards, etcetera etcetera are all symptoms. And the solution isn't "fidelity to religion", which is as vague and ambiguous a concept as I've ever run across; rather the solution is receiving the grace and mercy offered in the gospel.
ReplyDeleteJared,
ReplyDeleteContrary to popular belief we are not hard wired to sin. Name one thing that I listed above that we can not stop doing immediately! Most of us can tell the difference between our societal rights and wrongs. In fact we can stop breaking most rules when ever we want to! It is never acceptable to play the sinner card when a teenager comes home past curfew or acts out inappropriately. They are held responsible for their actions, why aren’t we. We can not tell our bosses, judges or the IRS that we messed up because we are sinners. That would be laughable and unacceptable. But everyday we tell it to ourselves.
Post Script
How is receiving the grace and mercy offered in the gospel not a part of fidelity to religion? Fidelity means faithfulness. So you are saying that the answer is receiving the grace and mercy offered in the gospel. But not being faithful to the gospel?
Yomi,
ReplyDeleteAgain, the list isn't the problem. I'm not sure where you've been the past 50 years or so but it is far from popular to believe that human beings are sinners by nature. It's still true though, contrary to popular belief or not. The problem isn't breaking rules, having more of them, having less of them or having different ones.
I agree with you that there's no such thing as "the sinner card" when it comes to responsibility; Scripture is plain as day about that point. We can say that we messed up because we're sinners (it's true), but that does not magically alleviate responsibility. You're missing the distinction between being a sinner and actually sinning. You can't help being a sinner but why do you think there are rules and laws in the first place? To help reign in that sin nature. In fact, a deep rooted understanding of this innate sinfulness is what helped establish the system of checks and balances in the U.S. system of government. Of course, back then Christians actually believed what their Bibles said.
I know what fidelity means and receiving the grace and mercy offered in the gospel is not a part of fidelity to religion. Rather it's a part of fidelity to Jesus and his word. I understand that Christianity is a religion but it's also true. So when you say "fidelity to religion" you are saying faithfulness to whatever religious system you are advocating, be it Christianity or atheism. The problem is that fidelity to a system will only slightly hinder the hypocrisy. But fidelity to Him who is able to rescue you from yourself can affect real change and offers real hope.
One last thing, if you think people aren't starved for change and hope then why do you suppose Obama won the election? He deceived a whole mess of evangelicals for starters and a whole other mess of liberals to boot (not that that would be difficult). But I digress.
Jared,
ReplyDeleteI am truly not missing the distinction between being a sinner and actually sinning. Trust me, I get it. I think that we should agree to disagree. I tried to use Christianity to encourage us to do better as a people, but in actuality I am not pushing a Christian agenda (you figured me out). Christianity is the religion of most African Americans and I use it as a conduit for social change. We often act as if our claim to Christianity magically alleviates us from personal responsibility (great quote). Hopefully if we see the contradiction in our religious beliefs what ever they may be, it will spark a systematic change within us! In some areas we are completely starving for change and in other areas not so much!
one last thing, when you said "Of course, back then Christians actually believed what their Bibles said." That is what I am talkin bout! You get it.
Yomi,
ReplyDeleteWhat I am saying is that having our eyes opened to our religious hypocrisy is not the great solution you are presenting it to be. Outside the context of the gospel, any systematic change within us is only a marginal and fleeting improvement; often it is barely even that. Christianity is not a tool (or a crutch) and using it as such will not get you the social results that you seem to be seeking.
Jared,
ReplyDeleteYou are right! Speaking out against negative behavior is not the right thing to do. The gospel is the answer for everything, what was i thinking? I now know what I must do. Thank you!
Yomi,
ReplyDeleteI've got to say that while this common ground you have found is a good thing, it seems to have been won at the cost of the truth, dont you think?
Mr. Robot,
ReplyDeleteMaybe my sarcasm was too subtle. Please be clear that my focus is unwavering. I think that some people are more concerned with selling their wares to the masses than effecting cultural change. I am not trying to get you to change your religion or join any groups. I am not asking for 10% of your earnings, but 100% of your effort. This article is not about arguing religious rhetoric; it is about calling attention to negativity. Many of us act as if we are not in control of our own actions. If you agree with the Flip Wilson way of thinking and blame your actions on original sin and the devil then we have nothing else to discuss. I am dumbfounded by those who discourage positive change if it is not predicated by a Christian slogan (or any slogan). It takes so little effort to spew religious clichés. Some people try so hard to push their beliefs on others that they miss the opportunity to put their beliefs into action. Why argue with them?
Just for the record, I am overjoyed by the number of Christians who saw this article for what it was, my effort to start a discussion to positively change my community
Yomi,
ReplyDeleteI didn't say that speaking out against negative behavior isn't the right thing to do, rather I said it doesn't address the core problem. If you want to positively change your community you need to address the problem along with the symptoms, not just the symptoms.
And as for your discussion, how about owning up to the fact that you, here, are merely selling your own wares for some undisclosed purpose (or the spurious purpose of positive communal change)? What you have done in the body of your post is construct a straw-man caricature of "cultural" Christianity (placing emphasis on hypocrisy, just like every other Joe Blow "critic") and then you proceeded to knock it down in the name of some vague and disparate concept of community development.
Mr. Robot appears to be right on target. You don't seem to want, or care about, truth; you simply want to "positively change" your community (whatever that means within the context of your religious schemata). I guess I'll have to take you up on the "agree to disagree" offer; you know, because that isn't cliché.
Great post Yomi! There's a few reasons that this post resonates with me.
ReplyDeleteFirst, in my opinion the reason why there is not only a blatant level of incongruency in the Black community but also in other communities is because of unaddressed RAMPANT dysfunction!
I could rant on about that forever but until one takes responsibilty for their actions or inactions and until one is courageous enough to begin an honest journey of self-exploration then...
I will stoke the fire you created Yomi and add that the Black community seems to have Liquor Stores, Fast Food and Churches on every corner.
Yet for every bottle of Hennesy sold we don't earn not a penny! Thanks to processed foods we do get hypertension, diabetes and a host of other health related issues!
And with all the praising we do in church, we still incur high numbers of HIV infections, incredibly 1 in 4 black males gets incarcerated and 50% of our households are headed by women not to mention all the other daunting statistics that permeate our community!
So I'm with you Yomi, what is all this prayer getting us exactly? Biblically speaking, God says "faith without works is dead" so why do so many of us say that if God wants me to have such and such, then he'll give it to me? LOL!
Man I could comment all day on your post but I'll leave you with this, those of us who are afraid of "Christian Mexicans" stealing our jobs will undoubtedly suffer from something more painful then unemployment, they will suffer from a life of pain and blame created by the ravages of low self-esteem.
We can't build our community through riding around in Bentley's, singing Gospel Music or even by getting an Ivy League education because just like the practice of western medicine, all of that typically only addresses the symptom while totally neglecting the root!
Until we develop healthier self-esteem and do the "real 9-5" job of going to work on ourselves, no amount of praying is going to turn things around because God already told us "faith without works is dead!"
Looks like we have work to do people!
RT
Jared,
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid that you misunderstood me. As can only control my end of any conversation I will take the blame and clarify. The "truth" that I accused him of sacrificing consists mainly of not challenging some of your statements in the hopes of finding a common ground, which I believe you did.
You stated that the root cause of all was sin and that fidelity to religion was not a powerful enough tool with which to combat this. Yomi countered that "sin" is irrelevant as we can make choices to do or not do whatever we wish. He then explained that "fidelity to religion" and "accepting the gospel" are the same thing. You seemed to disagree. Here's where Yomi chose to ignore "truth" in search of commonality (a desire I neither feel nor appreciate): First, you talk of fidelity to religion as an abstract concept. This is not so. What he obviously meant was paying attention to and actually following the "moral" rules set forth for us by our respective religions. Nothng abstract about that whatsoever. What makes your statement that it was abstract so ironic is that you're alternate solution "accepting the gospel" is the most abstract concept there. If it does not mean the same thing as what Yomi said, then what does it mean? If it isn't simply following the tenets of your religion then what is it? Yomi made the point that you were saying the same thing, while willfully ignoring (at the time) that you were not interested in a solution if it did not fit your worldview. One might assume from you're tone and word choice throught your dialogue that you meant fidelity to Christianity only. Accepting Christian gospel, only.
You state that you, "understand Christianity is a religion but it is also true." If I understand this statement correctly, you mean to say that Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism... ect. are all religions, but Christianity is the true one, making the rest all false. This is a strong statement. It is also one that renders further debate that involves this warrant useless. You have decided that your "truth" is more "truer" than anyone else's. At this point what can be said to you? Perhaps this is part of religion's allure. It gives people, in this unsure world, a solid core of stability. A single truth which cannot be denied no matter what. Any idea that contradicts said belief, by virtue of that contradiction, is therefore wrong. Even if those ideas are the laws of physics or biology. Wow. What a powerful thing. The problem arises when two of these "truths" contradict. How can that which cannot be wrong, be wrong? How does the believer reconcile this? What is the answer? The solution he thinks, is simple, the one he believes in is true and the one the other guy believes in is false. The problem is, had he been born in the other guys land, he'd probable believe the other guy's "truth." The subjectivity of religion negates the possibility of reasoned debate between them.
... continued
ReplyDeleteThis is rapidly confirmed when you state that, "faith to a system will only slightly hinder the hypocrisy. But fidelity to Him who is able to rescue you from yourself can affect real change and offers real hope." My problems with this statement are numerous. Grammar and syntax aside, the real problem is that you once again say the same thing as Yomi, only with the exception that the only "system" which must be used is Christianity. Still throughout all this Yomi does not disagree with you. It is obvious that Yomi cares more about positive change in the community than he does about which system one chooses to use to get it. It so happens that the brand of snake oil we as a people prefer is Christianity. Rather than challenge our beliefs as a people, he is advocating that we simply ACTUALLY hold true to those stated beliefs. You, however, maintain that the single must important action that we must take is to "accept the gospel." Once again, rather than talk of specific rules to use as guidance, you simply repeat a religious catchphrase that has almost no meaning other than professing faith. Somewhere, faith and belief have to intersect with action. Simply believing does not affect action, no matter who you pledge yourself to.
Yomi lets all of these things go, as he simply wants things to be better in our community. He refuses to challenge people's beliefs. Instead he challenges us to actually take our beliefs seriously and live by them.
When you quoted me, you missed that I was talking about you. You falsely accuse Yomi of wanting change only within the context of his "religious schemata." If it wasn't so wrong it would almost be funny. You spend all of your time saying exactly this, then accuse Yomi of it. Ironically it is Yomi who completely divorces himself of his own "religious schemata" and argues within the context of yours (and much of the black community's). What irony! Maybe irony isn't the word... maybe the word is hypocrisy...
This is a great piece Yomi. I agree with you that we as a culture and as Christians are missing the mak in many areas. We have a lt oif work to do as Christians, but it has to always be understood that God is a majority by Himself. He is right if nobdy in the world He made follows Him. True Christians must do better to be better examples to the world though, so the world will see their need for a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I have been let down by my culture and YES.. even by christians ,but God has never let me down. I love my culture, and I see nothing wrong with some cultural things. Jesus observed Jewish culture ( food, traditions, etc.) but He never compromised His beliefs. When culture calls for compromise to our christian culture or lifestyle that is where we must draw the line. I agree, we see a lot of professing christians doing any and everthing, but the truth is, everyone who proclaims to be a christian is not. Its popular today to say that you"re a christian and walk around with crosses on your neck, thanking God for awards for profane music...WOW!!! So people look at that and say, "look at those christians" just like they do when a black man hold up a store, but what about those of us who have Masters and PHD's? Christianity is a lifestyle. We will never be perfect here on earth, but we must not use our inability to achieve perfection as a license to continuously abide in sin and embrace what our culture accepts that contradict our Christian culture.
ReplyDeleteBrother Phil,
ReplyDeleteCould you please explain what you meant when you wrote, "Jesus observed Jewish culture (food, traditions...etc) but He never comprimised His beliefs."
Thank you
Was civilization EVER perfect? I am wondering this as I read the many responses. It seems as though people want religious persons to be perfect when man was never perfect from the beginning of time. If you are a Christian then you believe in the story of Adam and Eve where the conception of the human race was indeed perfect until the moment Eve met the serpent. And in every belief system there is a good and evil because that is the way life is.....good and evil.
ReplyDeleteSo I think it is somewhat naive of us to think that we can have this culture thing figured out to where there is a perfect solution or situation. The fact of the matter is that there is no error free thinking because we are all flawed. And as a Christian the only One who isnt is my Lord and Savior. And that is the main reason why I need such a savior is because of my flaws.
The effort one places in living a life dedicated to Christ doesnt go unnoticed by the Savior. But the sins arent just pushed away so that one can continue to live a sinful life and still proclaim to live under the Grace of the Savior.
Such concepts are hard to understand by persons who dont claim any faith at all. Faith is the substance of the unseen and faith is absolutely necessary to believe. It isnt about logic although I purposely make a logical decision to believe in the unknown. I feel fine with this however, those who dont believe seem to think I am a person who cannot think for myself even though I made a choice to believe what I want to believe. I am not flawed in believing what I believe.
robbierobot,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the clarifications. You say that my alternative solution is abstract when, in fact, it is nothing of the sort. I will admit error in saying "accept the gospel" when I should have said "receive the gospel" but, technicalities aside, there is nothing abstract about that. I can see, however, that it might seem abstract to someone who doesn't know what all receiving the gospel entails. Primarily (and this is the not abstract part) it entails receiving the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The process of salvation from sin is wrought by the presence and working of the Spirit. The grace and mercy which has been shown to us in Jesus is the only thing which is able to effect permanent change to individuals and, ultimately, to societies. This is because the life of one who has the Spirit is characterized by two things: (1) love of God and (2) love of neighbor; nothing abstract about that.
Also, you understand me correctly as regarding the truth of Christianity and the falsity of all other systems of belief. While other systems may contain some elements of truth (even in large quantities), in the end they are all inconsistent with reality. Your "assessment" of the subjectivity of religion is quite laughable though, as if there is an alternative to religion, as if man can function coherently or reasonably without it. All human beings hold at least one single truth which cannot be denied no matter what. If there were no starting point there could be no experience, no knowledge, no culture. Subjectivity isn't the problem, for it resides not only in religion but in all thought. You continue,
Rather than challenge our beliefs as a people, [Yomi] is advocating that we simply ACTUALLY hold true to those stated beliefs. You, however, maintain that the single most important action that we must take is to "accept the gospel." Once again, rather than talk of specific rules to use as guidance, you simply repeat a religious catchphrase that has almost no meaning other than professing faith.
Except that receiving the gospel does have more meaning than simply professing faith. I didn't mention anything about "specific rules" because that's not the point. The point is relationship. Rules are not effective outside the context of relationship and even the right rules operating within the wrong relationship will ultimately fail. So most religions do have good and practical rules but because they aren't set within the right relationship they cannot successfully effect the desired change; man will always fall short so long as they remain separated from God (and, yes, I mean the Triune God of Christianity). You say,
Yomi lets all of these things go, as he simply wants things to be better in our community. He refuses to challenge people's beliefs. Instead he challenges us to actually take our beliefs seriously and live by them.
Yes, I get it. And this is misguided. Refusing to challenge falsehood isn't the way to go about facilitating change. Taking any religion but Christianity seriously will not affect the change Yomi desires, that's part of what I was saying. I haven't falsely accused Yomi of anything because you cannot divorce yourself from your worldview, it colors everything (and if it is wrong then those colors will be off). And he clearly is not arguing from within the context of Christianity; at least not any biblical form of it. That was one of my other points, Christianity isn't a tool in the way he seems to want to use it.
Jared,
ReplyDelete“Taking any religion but Christianity seriously will not affect the change Yomi desires"
Wow!
3 questions, please be honest
1 How are you?
2 Have you ever traveled outside of North America?
3 Could you seriously explain this statement?
Hey Robbierobot, good question. Luke 2 tells us a lot about how Jesus was raised. In Luke 2:41-43, we see that Jesus' mother and Joseph brought him up recognizing customs and feasts that his jewish culture observed, however, Jesus did not let culture keep him from doing the will of his father. In Luke 13;14-17, Jesus was ridiculed for healing a woman on the sabbath when culturally that was a day of rest. Our christian convictions should never be compromised even when the culture calls for you to go along with their program.
ReplyDeleteI see see Phil, and I am in agreeance with your sentiment. I must ask, however, whether or not your last sentence is somewhat reversed. In the story you cited, Jesus makes a choice to act against his religion, not his culture. That leads to another question as to what exactly is the difference between religion and culture? Back then the two were even closer. Nowadays they are much further apart. The culture is not religious but is religion mostly just cultural these days?
ReplyDeleteOnce again I agree with you Phil, I'm just musing here. The passage spurred some thoughts...
Yomi,
ReplyDeleteHappy to oblige.
1. I am well, all things considered.
2. Intellectually, yes. Physically, no.
3. What is confusing? Christianity is the only religion which offers a solution to the problem of sin. Because sin is at the heart of the social issues you wish to be resolved, Christianity is the only religion that can truly affect the changes you wish to see.
robbierobot,
Since culture is the result of religion, I'd say the two are still very much partnered. And as for Jesus' healing on the Sabbath, it wasn't against His religion, rather it was against a particular (mis)understanding of His religion.
Jared,
ReplyDeleteStop! Please do your homework before you post!
The Global Peace Index annually rates countries against a set of criteria, including commitment to UN peace keeping, crime levels,political stability and respect for human rights etc. The Top 10 countries are Secular. USA 83 0f 144 (please look it up) In secular countries you are less likely to
be murdered
get divorced
be a pregnant teen
be a criminal
etc etc
Once again I Encourage believer to follow Christ (not just talk about it)if that is their thing. You continue to miss the point of this article! (Changing Negative Behavior)
I really wish people like you would help to change negative aspects of our community! Do you not want to help? Time for a new post! You are still welcome to post on the next topic!
Yomi,
ReplyDeleteI noticed that the "dominant" religion in all five of the top five countries on that list is Christianity. Even if you have a secular system of government it's the people that make a difference.
You continue to miss my point: changing negative behavior is not viable long-term solution. What you need is a cure for the disease, not a salve for the symptom(s).
Jared,
ReplyDeleteOn this same list there are 8 countries with majority atheist POPULATIONS that all rank in the top 39 of 144! Not the government the People! The USA ranks 83 of 144. This should show you that if is possible for non-believers to be well behaved. As a Christian you should be ashamed to say "changing negative behavior is not viable long-term solution". Pat Robertson would be proud of this type of rhetoric! You want to be Christian more than you want to be Christ like. Sad!