African American Influence On Christianity

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For centuries African Americans religious views have been heavily influenced post slave mentalities and old southern rituals practiced here in America in the “Black Church”. When enslaved Africans arrived in the new land they came with practices and customs from Africa that they were stripped of and forbidden to practice. As Christianity and the King James Bible became prominent in the Black Church, church going slaves used christianity as a method to ease the pain and hardships of slavery, slaves found meaning and hope in a hopeless place. Before Christianity many tribes connected with the ancestors, these type and opposing religious beliefs are often shunned by modern Christians, even today. Proponents of slavery at the time used the …show more content…
Douglas details the Bible 's negative influence, the Bible 's effects on slavery and the development of “white” Christianity. At the time American Slave owners who were Christian felt and believed that they were sustaining God’s plan by buying and using slaves. There was a time when it was condoned to cursing a whole race into servitude because there were passages in the bible that allowed it. (Leviticus 25:44) "Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property." --Why do people theorize that the Bible and Christianity are the reasons to blame for the enslavement and control of an entire nation of people? When the slaves would arrive in America, the slave plantation owners would quote and misconstrue bible scriptures to persuade the slaves to think that this was God’s plan, and that God wanted them to remain slaves for generations to come. (Leviticus 25:45) You may also buy the children of the foreigners who are living among you. Such children born in your land may become your property. Slave owning Christians were under the …show more content…
More coming of age Black people and Black Millennials are less religious than and are calling themselves “spiritual” Many are open to a relationship with a ‘Higher Power” or “Most High” as God is referred to by many scholars. American Slavery is one of the most heinous acts in human history known to mankind. But yet and still slavery in some shape or form is prevalent in both testaments of the bible. Millennials and young people disagree with many passages in the bible about Slavery and Genocide. A young people are questioning the fact that Christianity and the Bible may have been used as tool or should I say weapon to control our ancestors for centuries. There is also the fact that young American Americans today aren’t as broken spiritually and we are afforded acceptance into certain social and economic benefits. We have more privilege than ever before. As a result, we don’t feel the need to pray for freedom, pray for benefits, pray for provision or pray for prosperity. Something I will touch on later, Millennials are tired of being judged by “church folks” and simply are breaking the chains of biblical bondage. Finally according to an article in the Atlanta Black Star, many of the youth simply feel that the church is out of touch and out of step on scientific developments and

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