Author Says: 'Jesus Worship' Emasculates and Devalues Black Manhood

Spidergul

Well-Known Member
I mean no disrespect in posting this, but I wonder what some of you think about this?:look:


Author Says: 'Jesus Worship' Emasculates and Devalues Black Manhood

--New Controversial Book Explains Why and How --




Nationwide (BlackNews.com) -- "'Jesus worship' is equivalent to 'white male worship,' and it is detrimental to the mental and emotional health of black people and emasculating and devaluing to black manhood," argues Dr. Christopher C. Bell Jr. in his book, The Black Clergy's Misguided Worship Leadership. In this book, Dr. Bell cites cogent educational and behavioral reasons to explain why and how the glorification and worship of the ancient, Roman-made, white male, Christian idol, Jesus Christ is not only idolatrous, but that such worship subliminally makes black people complicit in their own psychological oppression.

Here are some points discussed in the book:



The "Jesus Christ" worshipped by black people today is the ancient, Roman-made, white male, idol god created by Roman Emperor Constantine and church bishops of the Roman Church at the Nicene Council (CE 325) and made compulsory for all Roman citizens, and that centuries later white European slave masters for over 300 years imposed this same white male idol god on their black African slaves; resulting in the white male image of the idol "Jesus Christ" being deeply ingrained in the psyche of black people as well as white people.

b. The Jesus worshipping (white male worshipping) customs of the black community are led by the black clergy and these customs reinforce the racist notion of white male superiority in the same ways as white racial discrimination and other American cultural symbols and representations of white supremacy;

c. The Jesus worshipping (white male worshipping) culture of the black community in conjunction with other American cultural symbols and representations of white supremacy subliminally afflicts many black people with a deleterious white superiority syndrome (WSS) that leads to emotional and spiritual depression resulting in self-limiting beliefs and aberrant behavior such as; low academic achievement motivation among black adolescents, mutual alienation between black men and women, increased feelings of hate toward whites and other blacks, and increased stress and other health related problems in black males;

d. The white male worshipping (Jesus worshipping) folkways of the black community are mentally oppressive and emotional emasculating to many young black men who after years of embedment in such folkways feel alienated, demeaned, devalued, and angry, and react in ways that lead to high rates of recalcitrance, self abuse, crime, violence, and incarceration;

e. The Jesus worship (white male worship) tradition within the black community is a black clergy-lead exercise that is a carryover from black peoples' past experiences as chattel slaves, and this tradition ensures that black people continue to learn and believe, as their slave masters would have insisted, that "whiteness and the white male Christian power structure are anointed and approved by God"; a result that promotes behavior and sentiments in many black people that are reflective of a "slave mentality" or a "low caste group" self-image;

f. The white male worshipping (Jesus worshipping) culture within black communities unavoidably buttresses, elevates, and glorifies white manhood, while inescapably and inevitably devaluing and emasculating black manhood; a result that stokes a latent anger, a temperament of violence or of self-injurious behavior in many young black men while promoting a sense of racial superiority in many young white men.


Dr. Bell argues that to neutralize the above negative effects of "Jesus worship," the black clergy must stop teaching black people to glorify and worship Jesus Christ and begin teaching them a "new Christianity" that espouses WORSHIPPING ONLY GOD the creator and sustainer of life and that recognizes Jesus as a human being and prophet. Why? Because this "new Christianity" would promote Jesus Christ from the status of an unbelievable, make-believe, superstition-based, supernatural, extra-terrestrial, god-character to the status of a believable, historically feasible, real life human being and prophet; and young black men will be able to relate to a "Prophet Jesus" and to his teachings with a sense of rationality, human commonality, and self-respect. None of these relationships is possible between today's Christianity and black men.

He explains that due to reasons having nothing to do with the enlightenment and worldly progress of the black community, many black clergy members will be reluctant to change to the "new" Christianity and that change will come only when black clergy members have garnered the moral courage to speak the truth about the negative psychological effects of Jesus worship on the black community, or when black community uplift organizations and/or black university and college students decide to work together to persuade the black clergy to change from "Jesus worship" to "God worship ONLY."

Dr. Bell argues that the "new" Christianity is a crucial intellectual and cultural transformation that black people must undertake if they are to ever gain religious enlightenment and psychological liberation from the damaging effects of their white male worshipping folkways. Such an enlightenment and liberation will lead to: improved academic achievement motivation in black male adolescents, a downward mediation of the high rates of recalcitrance, anti-social temperaments, and violence among many young black men, a collective gain in authentic black male racial pride, and a reduction in young black men's plight and plunge toward incarceration.


About the Author:
Christopher C. Bell Jr., Ed.D., Major, US Army Retired, is a long time observer and analyst of the motivational and behavioral effects of religious educational programs on black people. Visit author's web site at Christopher C. Bell, Jr.

To order The Black Clergy's Misguided Worship Leadership, ISBN# 9781-251-7806-2: ($19.00), visit The Black Clergy's Misguided Worship Leadership - Trafford or send an email to [email protected], or call 1-888-232-4444. The book is also available at major online book retailers such as Amazon, Borders, and Barnes and Noble.


PRESS CONTACT:
Dr. Christopher C. Bell Jr.
[email protected]
Christopher C. Bell, Jr.

Trafford Publishing
888-232-4444
 
To attribute all of the failures of the black community to Jesus worship is very silly, and clearly the author is stuck on the idea of Jesus being a white man..

However, a discussion of Jesus worship from theological point of view is very important IMO.
 
I was trying also to not fixate on the issue with Jesus being portrayed as white. It also makes me wonder is this maybe why Muslims don't want the Honorable Mohammad ever portrayed? Because who really knows what Jesus may have looked like?:perplexed
 
when black community uplift organizations and/or black university and college students decide to work together to persuade the black clergy to change from "Jesus worship" to "God worship ONLY."

I light-weight agree with this.
 
This author just seems like another person making up excuses for his lack of relationship with God.

I say this because truly none of this has ever stopped my Black Son; my Black Father, My Black Grandfather, My Black Uncles, nor my Black Male Friends, nor my Black Male Pastors, from being strong holy men who love to worship the Lord Jesus Christ.

Folks have to go beyond the 'flesh' and just see God for who He truly is which in God who is a Spirit which has nothing whatsoever to do with color. Just worship God and get on with life, instead of creating reasosn for separation and strife. Stop creating excuses or allowing the enemy to place hindering nonsense in the path of righteousness which Jesus is leading one upon.

Geeesh....

:Rose: Spidergurl, my comments are not 'at' you, babygirl. :kiss:

It's just the way I feel when I see book after book and article after article on this same theme. So I hope I haven't appeared to be speaking against you. I'm not. It's the theory of the author. Okay?
 
I am going to state my opinion and I don't care how controversial it is.

I love my black men, I really do, but I need them to step up collectively and stop finding a scapegoat to cast their problems and utilize as an excuse for their issues.

Who knows the real appearance of Jesus? The Bible describes him as having skin the color of brass and hair like wool if I remember correctly? Jesus worship does NOT emasculate and devalue black manhood, I think some black men do that on their own by attempting to pull down black women who are doing the dang thing. Yes, there are people (men and women) who devalue and emasculate each other, but don't you dare place the blame on Jesus. Do not go there sir!
 
I am going to state my opinion and I don't care how controversial it is.

I love my black men, I really do, but I need them to step up collectively and stop finding a scapegoat to cast their problems and utilize as an excuse for their issues.

Who knows the real appearance of Jesus? The Bible describes him as having skin the color of brass and hair like wool if I remember correctly?

Jesus worship does NOT emasculate and devalue black manhood
,

I think some black men do that on their own by attempting to pull down black women who are doing the dang thing. Yes, there are people (men and women) who devalue and emasculate each other, but don't you dare place the blame on Jesus. Do not go there sir!

WELLLLLLL !!!

:amen: :notworthy: :clap: :notworthy: :amen:
 
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I am going to state my opinion and I don't care how controversial it is.

I love my black men, I really do, but I need them to step up collectively and stop finding a scapegoat to cast their problems and utilize as an excuse for their issues.

Who knows the real appearance of Jesus? The Bible describes him as having skin the color of brass and hair like wool if I remember correctly? Jesus worship does NOT emasculate and devalue black manhood, I think some black men do that on their own by attempting to pull down black women who are doing the dang thing. Yes, there are people (men and women) who devalue and emasculate each other, but don't you dare place the blame on Jesus. Do not go there sir!

I had to come back.... cause I love your post! :clap: :yep: :clap:

Because didn't God tell us to listen to HIM and not man!

Didn't God say, 'My Sheep KNOW MY VOICE and the voice of a STRANGER they will not follow...'

So if this man [the author of the article] and those who agree with his theory [which is not God's theory cause God doesn't need theories anyWAY], however, if this man and those who bow to his theory would just get to KNOW the voice of God for themselves then NOBODY, Black, White, Green, Yellow or Blue, can emasculate them...

WHY O' Why do they not realize that they are doing this to themselves. I ain't neva' stopped myself from getting to know God because someone depicted Him as a white man. That would indeed make me a bigot. :look:

It was the Holy Spirit who drew me in...unto Himself and I simply fell in love with Jesus... all the way. No color, Just Jesus....Just Jesus...Just Jesus is all I see and where I want to be. :love4:
 
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Im am sick and tired of black men wanting a darn scapegoat for every little thing my daddy didnt love me that why Im a whore blah blah blah..man up or shut up..I think this is why I dont do black churches anymore..the church I call home is a mix and is headed by a white man.

I dont see any nonsense there and they are really fired up about the Lords work..If they can be so focused on finding all the reasons why not to worship and get right if they only took that energy and found the reasons why they should they would be all right.
 
Im am sick and tired of black men wanting a darn scapegoat for every little thing my daddy didnt love me that why Im a whore blah blah blah..man up or shut up..I think this is why I dont do black churches anymore..the church I call home is a mix and is headed by a white man.

I dont see any nonsense there and they are really fired up about the Lords work..If they can be so focused on finding all the reasons why not to worship and get right if they only took that energy and found the reasons why they should they would be all right.

:meme: All I can say is :wow:

Praise God for the fire in your bones. You are speaking the truth...!
 
Food for Thought:

They're standing on the corner and they can't speak English.

I can't even talk the way these people talk:

Why you ain't,
Where you is,
What he drive,
Where he stay,
Where he work,
Who you be...

And I blamed the kid until I heard the mother talk.

And then I heard the father talk.

Everybody knows it's important to speak English except these knuckleheads. You can't be a doctor with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth
In fact you will never get any kind of job making a decent living.

People marched and were hit in the face with rocks to get an Education, and now we've got these knuckleheads walking around.

The lower economic people are not holding up their end in this deal.

These people are not parenting. They are buying things for kids.

$500 sneakers for what?

And they won't spend $200 for Hooked on Phonics.

I am talking about these people who cry when their son is standing there in an orange suit.

Where were you when he was 2?

Where were you when he was 12?

Where were you when he was 18 and how come you didn't know that he had a pistol?

And where is the father? Or who is his father?

People putting their clothes on backward:
Isn't that a sign of something gone wrong?

People with their hats on backward, pants down around the crack, isn't that a sign of something?

Isn't it a sign of something when she has her dress all the way up and got all type of needles [piercing] going through her body?

What part of Africa did this come from??

We are not Africans. Those people are not Africans; they don't know a thing about Africa .....

I say this all of the time. It would be like white people saying they are European-American. That is totally stupid.

I was born here, and so were my parents and grand parents and, very likely my great grandparents. I don't have any connection to Africa, no more than white Americans have to Germany , Scotland , England , Ireland , or the Netherlands . The same applies to 99 percent of all the black Americans as regards to Africa . So stop, already! ! !

With names like Shaniqua, Taliqua and Mohammed and all of that crap ......... And all of them are in jail.


Brown or black versus the Board of Education is no longer the white person's problem.


We have got to take the neighborhood back.

People used to be ashamed. Today a woman has eight children with eight different 'husbands' -- or men or whatever you call them now.

We have millionaire football players who cannot read.

We have million-dollar basketball players who can't write two paragraphs. We, as black folks have to do a better job.

Someone working at Wal-Mart with seven kids, you are hurting us.

We have to start holding each other to a higher standard..

We cannot blame the white people any longer.'


Dr.. William Henry 'Bill' Cosby, Jr., Ed..D.
 
Dr. Bell argues that to neutralize the above negative effects of "Jesus worship," the black clergy must stop teaching black people to glorify and worship Jesus Christ and begin teaching them a "new Christianity" that espouses WORSHIPPING ONLY GOD the creator and sustainer of life and that recognizes Jesus as a human being and prophet. Why? Because this "new Christianity" would promote Jesus Christ from the status of an unbelievable, make-believe, superstition-based, supernatural, extra-terrestrial, god-character to the status of a believable, historically feasible, real life human being and prophet; and young black men will be able to relate to a "Prophet Jesus" and to his teachings with a sense of rationality, human commonality, and self-respect. None of these relationships is possible between today's Christianity and black men.

Wow, the devil is a lier.

According to John 14:6, Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me", we can't just cut Jesus out of the picture and try to down play his role in our lives.

This happens to correspond with the post that Leala made: Beware of the Angry Watchman. His guy is spreading a false idea of Christianity and it is going to lead a lot of people away from the true gospel.
 
I haven't even read the article yet and am responding to the title. Most of these punk-bleep men who mistreat and don't take care of their families or womanize, commit crimes and gang bang or white-collar criminize/worship their jobs and power...guess what, they dont' even know Jesus.:rolleyes:


Besides, good Jewish boys have large families. Jesus' bride is fat with millions of children....:lol: The above-mentioned don't apply.
 
Dr. Bell argues that to neutralize the above negative effects of "Jesus worship," the black clergy must stop teaching black people to glorify and worship Jesus Christ and begin teaching them a "new Christianity" that espouses WORSHIPPING ONLY GOD the creator and sustainer of life and that recognizes Jesus as a human being and prophet. Why? Because this "new Christianity" would promote Jesus Christ from the status of an unbelievable, make-believe, superstition-based, supernatural, extra-terrestrial, god-character to the status of a believable, historically feasible, real life human being and prophet; and young black men will be able to relate to a "Prophet Jesus" and to his teachings with a sense of rationality, human commonality, and self-respect. None of these relationships is possible between today's Christianity and black men.

Come on, Dr. Bell, just say it, you don't believe that Jesus is the Son of G-d. Hey, to each his own...but :rolleyes:
 
Wow, the devil is a lier.

According to John 14:6, Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me", we can't just cut Jesus out of the picture and try to down play his role in our lives.

This happens to correspond with the post that Leala made: Beware of the Angry Watchman. His guy is spreading a false idea of Christianity

and it is going to lead a lot of people away from the true gospel.

:yep::yep::yep::yep::yep::yep:
 
I think that there are aspects in which Jesus of Nazareth presents a very countercultural type of masculinity that is not going to satisfy many people. Remember, the Jewish people were expecting a militant leader, and yet they got a Man of whom it is said "A bruised reed He will not bend, and smoking flax He will not quench."

It is not uncommon for black men in Islam to talk about Christianity being feminizing. There's a lot of talk even among white evangelicals about whether the church is too feminine. But still, at some point we have to recognize that we don't need to change our theology or worship, but we need to accept God as He presents Himself to us--even if that presentation does not match our expectations or political agenda.
 
I think that there are aspects in which Jesus of Nazareth presents a very countercultural type of masculinity that is not going to satisfy many people. Remember, the Jewish people were expecting a militant leader, and yet they got a Man of whom it is said "A bruised reed He will not bend, and smoking flax He will not quench."

It is not uncommon for black men in Islam to talk about Christianity being feminizing. There's a lot of talk even among white evangelicals about whether the church is too feminine. But still, at some point we have to recognize that we don't need to change our theology or worship, but we need to accept God as He presents Himself to us--even if that presentation does not match our expectations or political agenda.

One can certainly find strength and comfort by deeply knowing the origins of the Church. I always so it but it often falls upon deaf ears. To know Jesus intimately to that degree, one has to learn who His people were and are today. Most folks don't venture past the supermarket, let alone another neighborhood...even though the mere concept of a Messiah has crossed thousands of miles to all the world from the very heart, Israel. Incidentally, when I think of Jesus, though I'm not male, He's not that typical European figure wearing a "dress," singing a Presbyterian hymn:lol: ...he has chutzpah.
 
^^^^^^Why the question marks?

You know, I really don't think much about what Jesus looks like. Is that the case for anyone else? And would it really matter if he were blonde haired and blue eyed? I mean, He does look like *something* and that means that there are people who He doesn't look like. The whole tug of war over Jesus' physical appearance strikes me as so beside the point. As if that would make Him any less everyone's Savior. And maybe that's God's point--we're the ones who are caught up in hair textures and skin tones, not Him.
 
^^^^^^Why the question marks?

You know, I really don't think much about what Jesus looks like. Is that the case for anyone else? And would it really matter if he were blonde haired and blue eyed? I mean, He does look like *something* and that means that there are people who He doesn't look like. The whole tug of war over Jesus' physical appearance strikes me as so beside the point. As if that would make Him any less everyone's Savior. And maybe that's God's point--we're the ones who are caught up in hair textures and skin tones, not Him.

AGREE. I have a feeling Jesus may have been very physically unattractive when He was on Earth.
And Jesus belongs to the whole human race, not just one nation or region.
 
AGREE. I have a feeling Jesus may have been very physically unattractive when He was on Earth.
And Jesus belongs to the whole human race, not just one nation or region.


Isaiah 53:2--"...he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him."
 
I think that there are aspects in which Jesus of Nazareth presents a very countercultural type of masculinity that is not going to satisfy many people. Remember, the Jewish people were expecting a militant leader, and yet they got a Man of whom it is said "A bruised reed He will not bend, and smoking flax He will not quench."

It is not uncommon for black men in Islam to talk about Christianity being feminizing. There's a lot of talk even among white evangelicals about whether the church is too feminine. But still, at some point we have to recognize that we don't need to change our theology or worship, but we need to accept God as He presents Himself to us--even if that presentation does not match our expectations or political agenda.


I love the fact that Jesus is "feminine". On the day of his second coming he is not going to be so feminine and people are going to wish he was. :lachen: :lachen: :lachen: :lachen: :lachen: :lachen: :lachen: :lachen: :lachen:
 
And I hate how often men complain that the church is too "feminine." What is wrong with femininity? Weren't the most loyal supporters of Christ women? These are often the same men who want to hyper-masculinize the Scriptures and Christian life. So it's okay for a religion to be male-centric but all of a sudden we have a problem if the church is a bit feminine? Isn't the church the BRIDE of Christ? Gosh, men want everything! I mean, geez, they already have the beneift of God HIMSELF being described as male, they already have Jesus HIMSELF, be a male. The whole Hebrew Scriptures mostly contain male characters (The Hebrew Scriptures were really written by men for men), speaking from the male perspective. All the 12 formal disciples were men! Most of the authors if not all were men too! And yet they still complain that Christianity isn't "masculine" enough?

People who complain about the church becoming too "feminized" obviously do so not for the glory of God, but for the glory of themselves. Many people use religion as a source of power; to legitimize dominating other people particularly women. Christian women CANNOT fall for this!
 
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