MAINTAINING the STATUS QUO

Recently, I have begun to make known some of my personal spiritual conclusions. I have reached some of these “revelations” after spending many hours in research and meditation. By expressing my understanding, it has always been my hope to stimulate real interest in the pursuit of the connection between the CREATOR and his/her creation. It has never been my purpose to “convert” others, or to cause anyone discomfort concerning their religious/spiritual beliefs. Growth has always been at the forefront of my written expressions because in the spiritual realm, as in the physical realm, you evolve or die. With all this in mind, I offer you the reader some historical perspective below for your consideration, in your journey to spiritual enlightenment.

Historical Beginnings of the Black Church

America’s war for independence gave slaves the desire for their own religious expression. However, the slave master feared the slaves would come to understand the contradiction of how they (slaves) were being treated and the Christian doctrine of "love" for your fellow man portrayed in the Bible. Personally, I could never understand how someone could lynch and murder a human being and in the next breath talk about GOD'S grace.  So whites applied very strict limits on black religious services. Initially a few “house negros” as apposed to the “field negros” were allowed to attend services with whites, but were segregated to an all black section within the church.

Interestingly enough ”church” still remains one of the most segregated institutions in America!

Slave owners soon came to realize that religion could be utilized as a mechanism to control slaves. They began to allow field slaves to attend white church services as long as an “overseer” accompanied them. Later because they didn’t want black field hands in their services they began to build blacks their own modest churches on the plantation, with the ever-present overseer attending ensuring that the "proper message" was being preached.

During the latter part of the 18^th century whites allowed blacks to begin building their own churches and conduct their own religious services. A national policy was developed requiring whites to select and license ALL BLACK PREACHERS. Slave owners only allowed the most compliant, controllable blacks that were selected and licensed to become ministers. These ministers were taught to encourage slaves to be meek, obedient and to accept whites as their masters. The slaves were taught to remain loyal to their slave masters, to accept their station in life and to disregard any thoughts of improvement in this life, to look instead for your "reward" in the next.

Although I cannot offer it as fact, after exhaustive research, I couldn’t find one major Black Divinity School in America, not one !!!

Since blacks couldn’t develop any independent businesses or any professional organizations, the ministry became a “profession” as well as a business. Black ministers numbers began to multiply in number. They instantly began to be looked upon as leaders among the other blacks. Popularity, respect, and security came with the position. There was no “educational requirement” only the obligation to maintain the existing Status Quo between slaves and their masters.

The black church was once a sanctuary from the daily grind of racial discrimination and inequality for the Black Afrikan American community, now....

The modern black church has developed into a profit centered, big business. This institution, which should be standing up for its poor and disenfranchised members often represents the worst exploiter of the poor and disenfranchised that has ever existed in the Black Afrikan American community. Its unconsciousable embrace of individualism and materialism is cloked in a feel good message of salvation and prosperity. Unfortunately the message of salvation and prosperity that the black church promotes seems to only apply to a select few (ie, pastor). While the financial situation of the members remain stagnant.

I don’t want to insinuate that this is the case in every black church, but it is the reality in far to many black churches. There are a numbers of issues and problems that face the Black Afrikan American community, ie, drugs, self-induced extinction through violence, disintergration of the family structure, disproportunate incarceration of our black youth, and economic stagnation just to name a few. On most of these issues the church remains strangely silent, offering no viable solution to the multitude of problems.
Churches could use the money you give them to institute programs to educate and uplift our people, but instead their passivity works in concert with the mechanism of our oppression, to maintain the Status Quo.

We, as a people must learn to develop and institute our solutions. Organized religion, polititians, so-called black leadership have all contributed nothing in our pursuit of freedom and socio-economic empowerment. We must come together, as a Afrikan people and stand tall in  the face of adversity, admit our weaknesses and amplify our strenghts. We must decide if the Staus Quo is good enough. Are we content to always accept what is given or will we come together on one accord and build a community we can all be proud of ?

Together we can accomplish all things,

if we just BELIEVE WE CAN !!!

Ase’