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It is certainly amazing to me how great of a stranglehold the Christian faith has on black people, most notably. It is so great that I am almost sure many of us who are black barely know 3 black people within our circle of family and/or friends who are avowed atheists or agnostics.
I believe my cousin and his father who are black are atheists.
But it is very easy to be an atheist here in Holland.
That's the amazing thing. European countries are relieving themselves of fundamentalist attitudes in regards to Christianity. Christianity for them is seen as some old relic of the past. Folks pay lip service and attend church on religious holidays or for special ceremonies and that is about it. The irony here is, the countries/peoples European nations once colonized/enslaved and held in check in great pat with Christianity's teachings are still locked in the grip of their former "master's" religion. An example would be that of Spain and Mexico. A sizable portion of Spain's population are either atheists, agnostics or simply people who do NOT believe in the biblical god yet in Mexico, a country Spain once owned and ruled with strong Catholic elements, less than 1% of the population considers themselves atheists or bible unbelievers. Go figure.
Errrmmmm... I'm kind of hesitant to touch on this subject because I think it raises some issues.
I think if you look at American history, it's no secret that slavery is a horrible part of our past. However, it's even sadder (and to me it's quite typical) that Christian slaveowners (or "Masters") taught their slaves the Bible. What's even sadder is that many of these slaveowners fed verses of the Bible that promoted (or failed to condemn) slavery in order to keep their slaves "in check". Keep in mind that any sort of formal education was completely unallowed for slaves in those days so any interpretation of the Bible was done by the "Master". It's no surprise to me, that even 140 years after the abolishment of slavery, that people still stick to their roots in regards to their beliefs. It's just passed down from generation to generation. No one questions it. No one bothers to ask. It's just accepted. I think with the typical Caucasian settlers you won't find much difference. Although they weren't 'slaves', their respective homes in Europe were all or mostly rife with religious fervor. Irish and Italian Catholics, English Protestants, etc.. etc.. all form a part of this country. Not much has REALLY changed except that people are speaking out and against religion a little more than was ever socially or legally allowed.
Anyway, anytime you have groups of people that have it really, really 'tough' such as the slaves of the 1500-1800's, the following inhumane equality that African Americans had in the early 20th century, or any other 'tough' time you'll find that religion becomes a little more deeply rooted. I think it's one of man's ways of coping with the unfairness of life. It doesn't mean it's true, it's just a way to deal with the bad things in life. "Life got you down? God is there." "Are you being treated unequally? God is there!" "Sad about the death of a loved one? God is there!" I think that many people bind to that because it gives them hope that there is a better thing than just this plain old miserable life. It's a way to cope, a way to deal. However, I'm forced to think that if there were no concept of God than people would strive harder to make their lives better. A belief in God says "Don't uprise, God will be there when you die." A belief in God says "You don't have to make things better for yourself, God will do that." In the end, it seems to me like far too many people throughout history have sat around waiting for God to do something and he never did it. What a waste!
I think there's a lot more to African Americans being Christians or believers than just the history of America but I think this is where you'll find the largest cultural impact of Christianity on African Americans.
That's the amazing thing. European countries are relieving themselves of fundamentalist attitudes in regards to Christianity.
Yeah, well, I believe that a religion (or any kind of cultural manifestation) is just a developmental stage. I mean Europe learned throughout the Middle Ages that colonialism also has it downsides and most often is not maintainable, while America still uses the use of satellite states (Iraq), which in my opinion is the same as having a colony. So in America religion is still very important especially when 'the enemy' has another religion or philosophy to create the us vs them feeling.
are still locked in the grip of their former "master's" religion.
The entire premise of your post is obviously to bash Christianity, so I'm not sure anything I say at this point will change your crusade...
BUT I would like to point out that Christianity spread through Africa LONG before the slave ships arrived (as a footnote Islam also later spread into Africa long before the "slave ships" showed up too.) Over a thousand years in fact.
Many of those enslaved already had a Christian faith and to assume that they are ONLY following the religion of their masters is simply false.
You may continue on with your rant without interruption from us uneducated, fundementalist, racist, bigots now.
The entire premise of your post is obviously to bash Christianity, so I'm not sure anything I say at this point will change your crusade...
BUT I would like to point out that Christianity spread through Africa LONG before the slave ships arrived (as a footnote Islam also later spread into Africa long before the "slave ships" showed up too.) Over a thousand years in fact.
Many of those enslaved already had a Christian faith and to assume that they are ONLY following the religion of their masters is simply false.
You may continue on with your rant without interruption from us uneducated, fundementalist, racist, bigots now.
I don't think it was to bash Christianity. It's not like the Christian faith has always been a religion of peace, even the most fundamental of Christians would probably agree. All I'm taking out of it is how something, such as religion, (not necessarily Christianity) can affect the sociological patterns of people. I don't think the post was meant to incite racism or bigotry by any means.
I know you didn't reply to me, but as I said in my post, I was a little cautious about posting on the topic because I felt it may bring up some other issues. I hope you can see that this is about trying to have some civil discourse, and not a black/white argument.
Location: Boy, giraffes are selfish, just runnin’ around looking out for number one.
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Originally Posted by GCSTroop
Errrmmmm... I'm kind of hesitant to touch on this subject because I think it raises some issues.
I think if you look at American history, it's no secret that slavery is a horrible part of our past. However, it's even sadder (and to me it's quite typical) that Christian slaveowners (or "Masters") taught their slaves the Bible. What's even sadder is that many of these slaveowners fed verses of the Bible that promoted (or failed to condemn) slavery in order to keep their slaves "in check".
You're so right about that. Slavery was rampant throughout the Bible. I don't beleive there are any passages that speak against it. There are however plenty of passages on how to treat your slaves and other lovely tidbits. If I remember right, Jesus himself never spoke out against it. I'm sure this went a long way in helping Christian slave owners control their slaves.
If I remember right, Jesus himself never spoke out against it. I'm sure this went a long way in helping Christian slave owners control their slaves.
Well, Jesus told us that if we want to be loved, we should love others the way we want to be loved ourselves. So one could conclude that if you don't want to be a slave, you also should not keep slaves yourselves.
Or condone it.
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I believe my cousin and his father who are black are atheists. 
So in America religion is still very important especially when 'the enemy' has another religion or philosophy to create the us vs them feeling.
