con.
Reality is, we are not born with any of these attachments. We have to be indoctrinated into them which means, from birth, we have old and ancient beliefs installed into us which are not to be questioned. If grandma and granddad were Christians, and they made mom and dad Christians, then we, as children, were to automatically assume the same. As a result, our thinking remains the same, European operating system intact. Quality contextualization is that there were generations of us born on plantations who were terrified of the prospect of leaving them. The grandparents and parents instilled in the children an unhealthy fear that rendered them allergic to freedom. The plantation was home, master and family were custodial parents. They provided all basic needs, and there was nothing worthwhile beyond the threshold of the plantation’ s gates. We were taught to feel“ blessed” to be so fortunate, a misfortune fostered and cultivated through fear. However, there were always a few“ rebel rousers” who didn’ t quite adapt to master’ s version of freedom or his wholesome hostility. SHANGO was ready to GO. There were always those who were scheming to get off those plantations, unafraid of the unknown, but fully aware that what existed as life for them wasn’ t as it should be. The ability to read precipitated much of that rebelliousness, along with common sense, and an unyielding desire to be free. Evolution is inevitable, and eventually, more and more Africans began to rebel, wreaking havoc on the entire South, stories we seldom hear about. But imagine if we all simply adhered to what was told to us from previous generations and didn’ t bother to do the legwork, asking those questions, quenching what comes natural as curiosity.
Most of our marches today are against the violent behaviors too many of our children have adopted due to societal sickness: poverty, disenfranchisement, poor mental and physical health exacerbated by food deserts and the lack of access, schools that disengage, negative, toxic, and degrading media, and politicians and public policies that craft the contrived reality that exist for many Black people in America. We also march against genocide and discrimination.
Do we discriminate against and divide amongst ourselves?
Not all Black people subscribe to religions which incorporate a belief in“ sky daddies”. There are Africans who choose to not subscribe to any of them. They are known as agnostics or atheists. Agnostics doubt the existence of gods, and atheists simply do not believe in gods. I am an atheist who is a humanist in many aspects. I do not believe in gods and I strive to be the best possible human being I can, on purpose and with purpose. I believe NATURE( NTR) to be the higher and highest power. Nature is universal balance, it is sustaining, and it is the provider of all. Nature is tangible, I can see, hear, taste, feel, and embrace it and all it’ s wonderment. Most importantly, nature features the SUN at it’ s pinnacle. Without the SUN, there is no life. The most ancient spiritual systems subscribe to the notion of the SUN as a main principle. Many religions came on-board later and misconstrued the SUN to mean a SON, or they simply changed its meaning to suit their own cultural beliefs. Heru, an Egyptian principle or god, represents the SUN. I’ ve done substantial research on the subject as a teacher of history, but I encourage others to do the same to see what you discover or uncover. One of the many reasons I cannot subscribe to the existence of gods or a God is because I’ m quite certain a god of us would not be a spectator to what is offered as life for the vast majority of the world. While a relative few greedily prosper, the rest of the world suffers either physically, socially, or economically. Being in America gives us such a narrow view of the reality of so many. Life for the majority in the U. S. isn’ t quite par either, it’ s far from what one would consider paradise, an economy bolstered by the exploitation of poor people domestically and abroad. Black people in America remain the most religious group among all ethnicities, yet suffer the most from carefully constructed inequality. No, I can’ t fathom praying to a god that would bear witness to what exist and have no reaction, and my lifespan does not allow me the privilege of waiting for a god’ s return to fix our very real problems. Lastly, many religions, especially Christianity, socialize its participants to embrace individualism and prosperity as key tenets. They see themselves as“ blessed and favored” based on material gains, possessions, and fortunate situations, while ignoring the plight of many when it comes time to give praise. I’ ve often noticed how a god is acknowledged when“ good” occurs, but not spoken of when“ bad” happens, beyond praying that a god fixes it. No judgment, but if I see a person drowning or burning, it is me who will save that person. It will be me who dives into or fetches water.. unless they’ d rather me just pray, and stay dry. What would I look like standing there praying for help? If someone callously kills a member of my family, the judgment and execution will come from me. I won’ t have a prayer for that person. I will not ask a god to forgive that person. Praying after such egregious acts kind of leaves the impression that it’ s ok to keep attacking, to keep killing, and to keep oppressing. Solely praying only opens the door for a person or people to continuously be preyed upon, there’ s zero incentive for the antagonists to stop. If I’ m your friend and someone walks up and punches you in the mouth, do you want me to pray or do you want me to muscle up? Here we are though.
Are we divided on too many fronts to solidify our families and communities?
I am 100 % certain that as many African women or men are reading this, they are shuddering at the thought of a Black man who doesn’ t look to the skies for answers and they are already conjuring up those adjectives; crazy, foolish, and confused. I’ m actually very clear. My thoughts are completely lucid, and I work actively to evolve my thoughts through constant reading and research, through introspection, and continuously entertaining other perspectives, never settling for what I think I know. The sad part is, many of our people, especially some of our sisters, do not find suitable mates in Black men who don’ t subscribe to religions or gods, as if a man is incomplete without these beliefs. They will not embark on a relationship with, and, as evidenced, are active in judging and ostracizing them as well for not accepting what they accept and perceive as direction.
Crazy thing is, I don’ t judge or seek to ostracize religious Africans for believing as they do. I understand clearly why they believe and the roots of their beliefs. I come from a family that is 99 % Christian, with that 1 % probably containing just me and one cousin. At the end of the day, we’ re ALL Africans and that is the sole reason why we are oppressed, not because we’ re Christians, not because we’ re Islamic, or any other denomination. Malcolm said it best, keep your religious beliefs in the closet when it comes time for us to assemble for the common good, to grow as a collective. There is no place for any divisive energy in Black Nationalism, a philosophy we all should be adhering to in order to truly heal as a whole. I don’ t see crucifixes when it’ s time to fix this, not until someone asks that I drop to my knees to speak with a god to ask him / her to help us. From my vantage, we have all we need. It’ s a matter of mental and spiritual elevation, organization, and re-allocation of our vast resources. Just a quick note, about a half-trillion of our dollars go into church collection baskets each year.
Are“ free-thinkers” persecuted among Africans?
As an African male, I unfortunately have to say yes. I’ ve seen and lived it. I’ ve seen many a relationship or potential courting situation go south due to my refusal to acknowledge the existence of gods. I’ ve lived it in Chicago, I’ ve gone through it in D. C., and I’ m feeling it here in Dallas. If you don’ t outwardly profess to be a man who fears gods, you are stained immediately as an undesirable. There isn’ t much room to move around Black social circles for the Black man who doesn’ t
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