Why do African Americans continue to practice Christianity if it was forced upon them during slavery

[luckyluchiano]

Lucky went off! mad knowledgeable. many props to you, brother

still don't know why you're wasting your keystrokes on sillyputty/optimus, though

I'm done bro, they are just trying to bait me into getting banned now and it's obvious.

 

[createdestroy]

the alternate accounts are making an appearance now

 

[miketysonthekiller]

Never said I wanted to get to where he was, I said I'm for practicing group economics building a black community in which we circulate the dollar whether it's owning business or simply supporting our own business, like I literally don't get how you people don't get that quit reaching.

i understand tensions might be a little high with you guy's arguments, or not.

Just found it a bit ironic, thanks fort the clear up.

 

[sea manup]

You ever notice blacks will see a black store owner as ask for hook ups but go to a Korean shop and pay over retail? White people and Koreans only see the color green when it comes to hair business, at the end of the day look at Asian nations historically, Chinese kingdoms weren't trying to integrate with Europeans but when the Europeans were talking money the Chinese definitely did business with them and didn't sell themselves out.

cant speak on the customer habits of koreans/asians but a major reason for the success of asian immigrant businesses in western countries is because they hire coethnic workers for very cheep and get these workers (sometimes this includes family members) to work long hours of overtime often without pay. its an advantage that many asian immigrant businesses have over their american counterparts, immigrant workers are willing to work longer/cheaper/harder than most americans (including african americans and whites) are willing to work. of course this kind of work wouldnt fly for american workers because of labor laws and unions

 

[grey]

the alternate accounts are making an appearance now

sure, bud

 

[gatorbeltsnpattiemelts]

ya'll just mad folk giving Luck props and lookin' at ya'll like you crazy.


And naw, this ain't an alternate account of his

 

[sn00pee]

Hold a god darn minute, darthska is no longer a christian!?

 

[Comparison Ford]

Hold a god darn minute, @DarthSka is no longer a christian!?

As the old saying goes: the best way to become an atheist (or simply not a Christian) is to read The Bible the whole way through. 

 

[HEATHEN]

One of the reasons I left Islam was because it was forced upon my ancestors. A lot of Pakistanis say they're glad that this happened. Not sure if their ancestors felt the same way.



IDK, religion through conquest doesn't sit well with me. I'm not going to sit here and follow the faith of an oppressive invading army who killed and enslaved my ancestors. **** that, can kiss my whole *******.


My ancestors were Buddhists, Pakistani people should stop denying their own roots.


That's my take. Personally I think everyone should look at where their people truly came from and what their ancestors practiced.


Else, conquest just wins out in the end. Your history is wiped out, your ancestor's memory is wiped out, your lineage is essentially not even your own.


My name isn't even MY NAME.

 

[am1x90xnike]

How attached to history do we have to be? At some point history shackles our present.

Then, how far back do we look? Tribes in Africa have been doing terrible things to each other since the beginning of time, so do we ignore them? do we pick a point and go from there? No matter what you have to pick and choose what history to celebrate and which to condemn.

Every peoples on this planet has committed atrocities, we learn but we can't be a slave to the past, one must choose what works for them, and should only be judged on how they treat each other, not what book they read.

 

[TipsyMcStagga]

The Black Community Needs A Collective Agenda

As an African American man, I can say that I’m disenfranchised with America. This country’s treatment of its African American citizens is the basis of my disenfranchisement. The George Zimmerman and Michael Dunn trials are the latest examples of the United States penal system not serving its purpose. When grown white men can shoot and kill unarmed black children and not get prosecuted properly for it, that disenfranchisement grows stronger and stronger. While I currently have no children of my own, my confidence in being able to adequately raise my children in modern day America wanes because I wonder if my children, or any other Black children, could become the next victim of such heinousness.

This article won’t retry Zimmerman and Dunn for what they’ve done. The American penal system has rendered its decisions regarding those two. People have the right to support what they’ve done, just as others can express outrage for what they’ve done.

However, that outrage hasn’t changed anything, as Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis will never come back. In Zimmerman’s case, the perpetrator gets to live his life as a free man, free to kill another black child. Zimmerman has also been made some sort of an American celebrity, which defecates on the memory of Trayvon, as well as the black community in general. Simply put, black life doesn’t matter in 2014 America. If you disagree with that assessment, please show me proof.

This type of disrespect would never happen in any other community. When someone expresses anti-Semitic sentiments, the Jewish community comes out en masse and castigates the perpetrator. Actor Mel Gibson can attest to that. Additional castigation takes place if anyone makes fun of Latinos or Asians on any public stage. Of course, people make fun of different ethnic groups on the Internet, where they can hide their identity and not have to deal with the repercussions of such ignorant acts when faced with the people they’re oppressing.

But I digress. A fellow author asked the question “Does the black community need a leader, or can we right the ship on our own?” The question should be “Is there someone galvanizing enough to unite the black community in an effort to collectively build our community?” It’s sad that our community cares mostly about new sneakers, rims, the latest hip hop CD, and which sista’s getting beat down on whatever reality TV show that passes for entertainment. We should be concerned with education, protecting our families, creating jobs, and building an environment conducive to not only our survival, but our children’s children’s chidren’s survival.

We can’t wait on the established American social and economic system to give us anything. We need to build our community from within. We must support our black businesses. We must be vigilant in taking a vested interest in our children’s education by attending their parent-teacher conferences. We must mentor our young people (especially our young men and boys). Tell our children that they mean the world to us, and show them with love and discipline. We must build up our desolate brother and sisters with love and respect, not tear them down with hatred. While we’re at it, we can build up each other with love and respect too.

Men like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Medgar Evers were on the frontline fighting for our rights in this wilderness that we call America. They sacrificed their lives, as well as left legacies of their greatness, so that we as black people can supposedly live and thrive peacefully. Standing pat without challenging the current system that suppresses and murders us (read: white supremacy) isn’t working. We still have a long way to go. As Black people, we must support black businesses in an effort to build our community. We must build a pride amongst ourselves that reaffirms the term “Black Is Beautiful”! Most importantly, we must be proud of our blackness, like every other ethnic group mentioned in this writing is proud of their ethnicity.

This piece serves only as a discussion to reach the goal of real black unity, not a start all-end all discussion. Any and all suggestions designed to achieve and sustain black unity and growth will always be welcome.

Saw someone posted this article on FB earlier...

 

[HEATHEN]

How attached to history do we have to be? At some point history shackles our present.

Then, how far back do we look? Tribes in Africa have been doing terrible things to each other since the beginning of time, so do we ignore them? do we pick a point and go from there? No matter what you have to pick and choose what history to celebrate and which to condemn.

Every peoples on this planet has committed atrocities, we learn but we can't be a slave to the past, one must choose what works for them, and should only be judged on how they treat each other, not what book they read.

What are these terrible tribes you speak of? Yeah not denying tribes quarreled, but what was so barbaric about their faiths? They were animists. These were religions of spirit, not doctrine.


The very same people that enslaved and murdered my ancestors had a hand in the slave-trade in Africa, Muslim Arabs.


Seems like people were getting along just fine with their own belief systems before Arab conquest and British imperialism came along.

 

[RIP sleazyy]

How attached to history do we have to be? At some point history shackles our present.

Then, how far back do we look? Tribes in Africa have been doing terrible things to each other since the beginning of time, so do we ignore them? do we pick a point and go from there? No matter what you have to pick and choose what history to celebrate and which to condemn.

Every peoples on this planet has committed atrocities, we learn but we can't be a slave to the past, one must choose what works for them, and should only be judged on how they treat each other, not what book they read.

History is our greatest teacher. Focusing on just one or two aspects of history or the history of a people doesn't really work, I feel it's best to take what is known (all sides, bad and good) and build from that.

There are patterns and things to look for throughout history that can help show us the way right now, that should not be ignored or trivialized just because of how long ago they happened.

I agree we should not be slaves to the past, but history is all we have. The present is life, the future doesn't exist. The past is to be analyzed so we can make the present a better place.



Edit - I like that long post up there in the quote. While I'm all for humanity working as one, I've expressed to people I know and around me for a long time that we need to somehow rebuild and put ourselves in a better position as a people. The problem is, what the hell do we do at this point?

 

[me love nutella]

In the instance of enslaved Africans in America and religious conversion, wouldn't you concede that slavery had a lot to do with one's religious choice in this situation?

What are these terrible tribes you speak of? Yeah not denying tribes quarreled, but what was so barbaric about their faiths? They were animists. These were religions of spirit, not doctrine.


The very same people that enslaved and murdered my ancestors had a hand in the slave-trade in Africa, Muslim Arabs.


Seems like people were getting along just fine with their own belief systems before Arab conquest and British imperialism came along.

 

[am1x90xnike]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/nov/18/africans-apologise-slave-trade


This is what I mean, tribes in Africa sold other tribes to whites and Arabs. So are we to celebrate those who sold their brothers? Or conveniently forget that?

People pick and choose history, acting as if everything was sweet in Africa before Europeans anchored on African shores.

One must do what feels right to themselves. I personally don't reach back to Africa because I don't know where that portion of my DNA is from, just as I don't know what portion of my DNA is from Europe.

Personally, I feel my history started when the first Negro was born and fought and struggled to make his way in America, at least I share language, I share customs, food etc. with those people.

You pick Africa...forgetting that they sold their neighbors, I prefer to start here with a people who only knew struggle and lived and thrived, they were Christian...they are who I'm proud of.

 

[HEATHEN]

wut?


video does nothing to detract from my point or add to yours, whatever point that is..........wut?

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/nov/18/africans-apologise-slave-trade


This is what I mean, tribes in Africa sold other tribes to whites and Arabs. So are we to celebrate those who sold their brothers? Or conveniently forget that?

People pick and choose history, acting as if everything was sweet in Africa before Europeans anchored on African shores.

One must do what feels right to themselves. I personally don't reach back to Africa because I don't know where that portion of my DNA is from, just as I don't know what portion of my DNA is from Europe.

Personally, I feel my history started when the first Negro was born and fought and struggled to make his way in America, at least I share language, I share customs, food etc. with those people.

You pick Africa...forgetting that they sold their neighbors, I prefer to start here with a people who only knew struggle and lived and thrived, they were Christian...they are who I'm proud of.

Whatever works for you bud, but don't tell me that Christians only knew struggle when throughout history they, like Muslims, would force their faith upon others.


I can understand the reconquista, taking back the Iberian peninsula from the Muslims, totally understandable. But after that, the Crusades was all about expansion by Western Christian Europeans into the East.


Not exactly what a nation of struggling, peace-loving, pious people would do.


Just my take, don't have to agree with it. I'm just not going to follow any religion that was forced upon my ancestors. You don't have to reach back to Africa, fine. I myself choose to look back to what the Indian subcontinent was like before it was exposed to conquest and Islam. I myself choose to try and find out as much about my history and my lineage, who I really am.


Not going to go throughout life not knowing the answers to these questions.

 

[HEATHEN]

Also it was the Nigerians who primarily sold slaves to the Portuguese and the English. Those Nigerians were NOT animists nor did they practice traditional African religion(s).



So yeah.......


http://hnn.us/article/41431

 

[darthska]

[quote name="Comparison Ford"][QUOTE name="sn00pee"]
Hold a god darn minute, @DarthSka is no longer a christian!?[/QUOTE]As the old saying goes: the best way to become an atheist (or simply not a Christian) is to read The Bible the whole way through.  [/quote]Wasn't even JUST about reading it all the way through (but yes, that was some); it was about paying attention to the racist, sexist, abusive culture, and the 'prayers' that accomplish... nothing. And the prayers that do accomplish something, there's ALWAYS a reason for the accomplishment.

 

[al audi]

LuckyLuchiano

always liked that kid

 

[me love nutella]

You mentioned how people were getting along with their own personal beliefs before Muslim Arabs and British imperialists. I showed that video to show that religion as conquest was used since always, no matter the religion. How do you think Hinduism and Buddhism were also spread? Through religious bloody conquests. 

 

[HEATHEN]

You mentioned how people were getting along with their own personal beliefs before Muslim Arabs and British imperialists. I showed that video to show that religion as conquest was used since always, no matter the religion. How do you think Hinduism and Buddhism were also spread? Through religious bloody conquests. 

Buddhism spread through bloody conquests?


So now you're assuming this because of a video you found online that doesn't even support this claim?



You're wrong by the way.


Buddhism was NEVER propagated through violence.


http://www.ushistory.org/civ/8d.asp


http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/e...m/general_histories/spread_buddhism_asia.html



I can't speak for Hinduism but then again I never brought Hinduism up, my ancestors weren't Hindu, they were Buddhists. So again, I can't really speak on that.








.

 

[am1x90xnike]

I get your point but I do find it hard to believe Buddhism was spread through conquest. Islam, Christianity etc. we're def spread that way though.

I don't get why we shouldn't follow the ideals of conquers. I believe we should take each idea, examine it and decide. We don't have to take all ideas as a whole, no one is forcing you to, everyone has to choose what to believe and what not to, bible says beat your slave as long as he is alive, it also says love thy neighbor as thy self, adopt one a d drop the other, make your own belief system, no need to rigidly follow everyone else's.

This statement rings about as true in this context as in most contexts I use it in.

Are all men not created equal because Thomas Jefferson wrote it?

 

[HEATHEN]

I get your point but I do find it hard to believe Buddhism was spread through conquest. Islam, Christianity etc. we're def spread that way though.

before I address the rest of your post, who are you talking to?


Because I never said Buddhism was spread through conquest.



So I'm assuming you're talking to that other guy.

 

[mr marcus]

Lucky

 

[am1x90xnike]

Yea, I'm talking to the other dude. I actually spoke with a former Buddhist mink today (co owner of the restaurant I work with, Thai dude) and I can't believe Buddhism was spread through conquest, I know a lot about Buddhism, hopefully I can visit a temple one day.