The Ebony Exodus Project: Why Some Black Women Are Walking Out on Religion--And Others Should Too by Candace R. M. Gorham

Author:Candace R. M. Gorham [Gorham, Candace R. M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: African American, African American Women, Atheism, Christianity, Culture Wars, Fundamentalism, Fundamentalist Christianity, Non-Fiction, Religion, Spirituality, Women
ISBN: 9781939578075
Barnesnoble:
Goodreads: 21395008
Publisher: Pitchstone Publishing
Published: 2013-08-31T23:00:00+00:00

Problems with the Church

"What kind of people are they breeding in these buildings?"

Although Ivori never attended a historically black church and has not been a part of that culture and those norms, she's experienced enough through visiting black churches, heard enough through friends, family, and associates, and seen enough through pure and simple observation to express concerns about how she feels religion is negatively impacting the black community.

Blacks tend to be very, very conservative considering our history. Overall, we vote Democratic, which tends to lean to the left and be more liberal, but we're actually very conservative. For example, we're homophobic. Considering our history, we should be the last people to judge. But we take on this close-minded stance. It's very divisive. From the outside looking in, they seem okay with being divisive because it's ingrained in them. They're indoctrinated with it. If you set foot in a black church, they'll turn around to see what you have on. And they say, "Come as you are," because they say that's in the Bible, but they don't really mean that.

One big thing I have a problem with is homophobia. They just think that gays are disgusting. When they began to recognize civil unions, my uncle's wife, who's a very fundamentalist Christian, said, "This is such a waste of time because even if it's legal here, it's illegal in the sight of god." And I thought, Open your mind! You could possibly have a friend that's gay. A gay person could save your life. Also, I wait tables and black church people are the worst people to wait on. I mean, you just got out of church and you're pretty much being a butt hole. To me, that says a lot about your character. What kind of people are they breeding in these buildings? What kind of people are you sending out into the world? What messages are you teaching that you're sending these hateful people out into the world?

I don't go out much. I'm a loner anyway but I live in a small city. And that's pretty much why I'm single. Try being open-minded in a small city in the Deep South. Most of them are really churchy and don't want to be open-minded to anything else. For example, when we lived in Chicago, I remember very distinctively they would ask, "Do you go to church?" Not assuming that you're a Christian or that you go to church. But when you come to the South, they ask, "What church do you go to?" So, the black community within itself is divisive, but then the southern black community is even more divisive.

Michael Baisden, a radio host who I follow on Facebook, once asked: "What would you do if you found out the next day that god was not real?" I read the posts. About 97 percent of them used the phrase: "I don't want to entertain that thought!" That's just amazing that they don't even want to question it! I have a

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