By Victor Ochieng
One of the main reasons why so many people are either running away from Christianity or simply staying away from it is because of how the so-called Christians carry themselves. When it comes to atrocities committed across the globe right from colonial times, the biggest perpetrators have been white Christians. In Africa, for example, they went with the Bible, left it there, but took away their minerals and their able men to serve as slaves.
Those who understand this fully are the victims – the people of color. Those of them who are in the United States even understand it better to this very day. From slavery sanctioned by white Christian leaders to the kind of injustices that still live to this day, you get to acknowledge that there is a problem with white Christians that urgently needs to be addressed.
That’s why when recently, a group of Christians of color gathered under the banner of Mystic Soul Project, it was quite simple for them to share their plight under white Christianity. Mystic Soul is a Chicago-based organization focused on creating spiritual spaces with a leaning towards people of color, touching on, among other issues, their trauma, ancestral traditions, experiences, and activism.
Mystic Soul is just a portion of a bigger movement that’s seeking to break away from dominant Christianity, which, by all standards, defines white culture and acts as a tool to chart their own spiritual paths. That’s why you still find predominantly white churches that don’t accept people of color yet claim to preach the love of Jesus. For this reason, many people of color are questioning the authenticity of their Christian practices and are, therefore, embracing the faith traditions practiced by their ancestors.
What many Christians of color have realized is that white Christianity isn’t enough, and to be clear, it’s never been enough.
Even though this movement isn’t new, it’s been rejuvenated by the political grandstanding that’s witnessed among white Christians. First, they voted overwhelmingly for a bigot in the name of a president; someone whose closest associates are white nationalists; someone who’s got no respect for women; someone who’s got no respect for people of color. How could white Christians, people who claim to be guided by the Bible, without the guilt of conscience, vote for a divisive figure?
Because of this, many Christians of color have re-energized their clamor for refuge in other religions.
While for some it’s about running away from Christianity in totality, others view it as “decolonizing their Christian faith from white patriarchy and capitalism.” There are some who end up in their ancestral faiths such as Buddhism and Yoruba, among other traditional religious practices.
The modern American Christianity is that which is driven by capitalism and racial superiority, focusing on completely brainwashing the world to believe that white people are God’s favorite. That’s why they’re constantly trying to make people believe that Jesus was white despite history refuting the claim.
The kind of insincerity white Christians are displaying is what’s driving many people away from the faith. How can you stick to a religion that doesn’t give you full spiritual satisfaction?
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