My Strife with Christianity Part I

The last time that I can recall going to the physical church was the day of my grandmother's funeral. I have no idea what day it was, i just know that it was in June 2007. The last time that I can recall being emotionally in church while being physically in the building, who knows when that was. I used to love going to church. I could recite bible verses. I would be at all the Church functions; I was excited and had faith. But now that I am older, I have learned more, read more, experienced more, and subsequently questioned more.

Please do not confuse my message as saying I do not believe in a Supreme Being, because I do. And I do believe that the message that is said to be of Jesus (immaculate conception or regular) is a good one, and one in which I pull for reference for my life. However, there are some fundamental flaws in Christianity, and I am perplexed when people of color, never question this, or follow this blindly.

There are several reasons why Christianity and I haven't been getting along too well this past year, hence Part One in the title. As of late, it just feels as though this whole Christianity thing is not working for me. Well at least the formal indoctrination of Christianity. With the racial injustices, the false prophets, the social injustices, the forced subservience and/or lack of equality for women. And its not like, I am creating issues out of nothing, but its when I read the bible, while reading the historical content of the bible.

How can I fully embrace a religion, when I know that the overall existence of the religion was to desecrate my people; people of color all over the world? To use our skin color, from the reference of religion, to establish deplorable conditions and justification for the wretchedness for years to come.

Black people are Inbreed Killers

No i do not believe this, however this is one of my biggest issues with Christianity. My first issue is racial injustice. The Mark of Cain and his descendants was black skin.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the story of Cain and Abel, click here

This interpretation did not start with the Mormons, who would at one point not allow Blacks to become members of the church, or even the earliest African Slave traders and slave owners, who used this skin color to deprive people of basic human rights. The concept of blacks being inhumane on the basis of religion started at least in the 4th century (300-400 ad). The following is taken from wikipedia, simply because it is a good site for quick reference.

Early interpretation of the Bible in Syriac Christianity combined the "curse" with the "mark", and interpreted the curse of Cain as black skin. Relying on rabbinic texts, it is argued, the Syriacs interpreted a passage in the Book of Genesis ("And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell") as implying that Cain underwent a permanent change in skin color.

In an Eastern Christian (Armenian) Adam-book (5th or 6th century) it is written: “And the Lord was wroth with Cain. . . He beat Cain’s face with hail, which blackened like coal, and thus he remained with a black face.

From the 4th century, it was ingrained in people, with the assistance of Christianity, that Blacks were inferior. Obviously, this was not only in the Western world. Or in America, Europe, but it also took root in the Middle East, and Asia, particularly India, where you still have women lightening their skin to be declared beautiful. The religious text clearly was manipulated for people to believe that white is good, and black is bad.

Jesus Was White

When I was in high school, I attended the Upward Bound Program at the University of Maryland College Park, great program by the way. We would have various debates in class, and one of our conversations came to what color was Jesus. Some people believed that Jesus was Black, some thought he was white. Some people didn’t care as long as he died for our sins. I agree that it shouldn’t matter what color Jesus was, however, because of the things that have been done in Jesus’ name, I think it is important that we know.

I believe that using the false image of Jesus, only perpetuate the inferior/superiority complex of race throughout the world. Of course some white people are going to think they own the world – According to them they are made in the image of the savior. When we look at DaVinci’s Last Supper, or Carraivago’s The Supper at Emamus, or paintings of the Madonna, which eerily resemble sculptures of Horus and Isis, who do we see? Not a person of Color. Christianity is how it was justified to enslave Africans, and to treat people horridly.

I show people false image of God, and tell them, look at this picture, this God in the Flesh. Who does he look like? He looks like me. He doesn’t look like you. Therefore, I am closer to God. I am more like God I have dominion over you. I am better than you because I look like God.

And maybe not at the exact moment the captured Africans believed what these people said, but over the course of time, you best believed they did. That’s why you have black women who continuously get relaxers, and get tracks. Yes some claim its because their hair is unmanageable, but honestly, there were millions of people who lived before you who could manage the exact same hair you have. I know from experience that that shit hurts…when your scalp gets burned, when your hair starts to fall out. You aren’t doing that because you cant manage your hair, you are doing that because you have been conditioned to not appreciate our natural beauty.…

How can I believe in something, knowing what others who believed in it did? I cant be apart of that. So of course I constantly find myself battling with Christianity, because Christianity was used to oppress me…and to enslave others…and now, people are just exploiting the HELL out of it...LITERALLY