This post was written about the African American church because this is my perspective. It could clearly be relevant to many other communities/ethnicities, but this is the area where I see the most systematic damage. I am aware there may be pockets of action, but I am addressing this “church of consumerism” and sermons of prosperity which are contrary to everything Christianity should represent. It is not an attack on personal beliefs…it is an attack on an institution that in its current state, has outlived its usefulness.

The people in the black community are praying the most, but progressing the least. The most troubling of all, is the actual regression I see happening, all over the country.

If you ever read a newspaper or watch the news, you know this to be true, and I don’t feel posting the statistics are needed, but if you want to look for yourself here is a link:

http://madamenoire.com/107615/8-important-statistics-that-black-america-should-pay-attention-to-now/

During the civil rights era, black churches were used to congregate and organize out of necessity. We had no other place we could go legally and assemble, without harassment, but we weren’t there to pray. We were there to activate. Action is what brought about change. It frustrates and saddens me to see how this spirit of activism has been replaced with apathy.Fast forward to today…now church members go sit, and listen for a couple of hours to what is essentially a post-modern minstrel show. The actors lofty salaries are paid through divine intimidation, with the congregation often shaken down several times in one service. The well-dressed audience may say a couple of “Amens,” “Preach,” or my personal favorite, “He’s Able!” Once done, the “saints” get into their Range Rovers, go to Houston’s or Pappadeaux’s to have a meal fit for several kings, and give good old sweet baby Jesus a shout out on Facebook or Twitter, so that the other sheep know they are still faithful, all the while not really changing or evolving in any capacity.

The lack of critical thinking skills in the black community is epidemic. It is evident everywhere you turn…people not really thinking anything through, believing every Internet rumor, falling for every scheme a Nigerian can send in a poorly spelled email. We sit brainlessly watching sporting events, Basketball Wives, The Game, Love & Hip Hop, Real Housewives…the list is endless, but the motives are not. The “establishment”…the one we used to fight against…is now using the media to distract us from what is important to save our community and make a real change, and we are willingly letting them derail any notion of a fair and equal society by not paying attention.

I cannot stress how important it is to teach our children to investigate every claim. Religion perpetuates mental laziness, by making people believe that all the answers to their questions are in a 2000 year old anthology.

So maybe you are reading this, and you are thinking, I’ve come a long way, I’m doing well financially, I think critically at work and school, etc…and all “by the grace of God.” I see this compartmentalization of critical thinking in every other area of your life, except this one as the most dangerous element of the equation.

Why? Because the sheep, the group who do not think about things rationally, see these successes in life, and believe it was all due to prayer and submission to god. So if they keep praying, fasting, and tithing, they too, will become successful. Instead of taking credit for their hard work and achievements, they give all the glory to an imaginary being, further perpetuating the fallacy.

We are the stewards of the legacy of achievements made by those who gave their lives so that we could have better ones. What life are we leaving for future generations if we allow the progress to dissipate? Do you wait for communities and states to completely disenfranchise African Americans before you realize a change is needed?

What many black believers fail to understand is that the frustration of the black non-believer comes from a place of love. If we did not love the community and the people in it, we would simply go on living our god-free, intellectual lives with no concern for their welfare. Real love, the love believers claim to know, is action. There is no love in feelings or prayers. You cannot change a person’s situation by praying for them, anymore than you can by feeling for them. What is sometimes perceived as anger is passion for something most fail to see as an issue or as urgent. I refuse to wait until we are completely disenfranchised of all our rights before speaking against the status quo.

These are my problems with blind faith…it cripples the majority of people from being able to develop reasoning skills, thus robbing our community of the great minds needed to manifest revolution, when absolutely nothing short of revolution is required to see change.

-Mo