The Bridge: The Business of God

By Darryl James

            I needed a lock tumbler changed, so I decided to give some business to the Black man operating out of his van on Crenshaw.

            He seemed nice enough and when he struck up a conversation, it seemed fairly harmless. We were having a nice discussion about the weather and women and children, since my son was with me.

            Things were going fine.

            Until he asked me what church I belonged to.

            I politely told him that I wasn’t interested in a religious discussion and that I’d like to get the price of changing the lock. I told him that I would bring the lock to him and that I just needed the tumbler changed.

            He pressed on with the religious discussion, asking me if I were afraid to talk about God and musing that I must be a non-believer.

            I knew I should have walked away, but I thought I could give him a “final answer” and proceed with the business at hand.

            I told him that I believed in God, but I just refuse to discuss religion with strangers.

            He persisted and when I finally told him it was none of his business he stated: “if you were a child of Christ, you wouldn’t be embarrassed to talk about it. I don’t do business with people who aren’t children of Christ.”

            I shook my head.

            I would have given this ignorant son of the devil some choice words, but Junior was standing next to me.

            I told him he had just made the devil smile and walked away.

            I’ve seen many evil, ignorant assheads like him in my life and I knew there was nothing I could say to him to get him to understand that while he was doing the business of the devil, he was chasing away business for himself. After all, his business was in his van, not a church. And shunning people based on a divergence in religion is pure evil.

            It’s something that Jesus would have never done.

            I reflected on my experience with religion from the very beginning.

            You see, I was raised as a Christian, but my experiences from one church to another were as divergent as night and day.

            The church I grew up in was started in the Black community by a white preacher. 

All the neighborhood kids attended and followed the message and the music of this man and his followers.

The choir sang only the sterile church hymns that white people held near and dear.  There was no fire and brimstone in the rhythms, and no blood, sweat and tears in the shouting of the words. 

But I met and fell in love with Black Gospel music on Jubilee Showcase, the television show that my mother would watch every Sunday without fail.  In fact, the love for Black Gospel music made me feel lacking within my original church home, which was already becoming problematic because the preacher told us to read the bible.

And I did.

Reading the bible wasn’t the real problem, but having questions and different views from the preacher was a huge problem.  Especially when he couldn’t answer those questions and instead tried to stifle my views.

I started reading early in life.  The encyclopedia had become my friend and the library was a cool place to hang out.  The world history and alternate religions I studied on my own were difficult to place in perspective with some of the things I found in the bible that simply made no sense.

I wanted answers and I wanted open discussions.  But this just wasn’t the way of the church.

Things came to a head one Sunday when I refused to accept “just believe” as a viable answer.  And this so-called reverend who couldn’t manage the inquisitive nature of a young man with a bourgeoning intellect asked me to leave his church and never return.

I gladly complied.

I had already had enough negative experiences with the traditional church to believe that there would be no relief or growth in a place in which I held no faith.

            The traditional place of worship had held so little solace, so little tolerance of questioning and so little understanding of dissonance that it had caused me to flirt with atheism.

            So my plan was to study religion on my own while exploring my personal spirituality.

            At the library, I began to research the origin of the Christian faith, the Jewish faith, the Islamic faith and even the Buddhist faith.  What I found was that each of them had a commonality in their basic tenets of doing good to others, while preserving your body as a temple for worship of the god.  I discovered that for the most part, each religion was a way of life developed for the people who held the religion based upon the lifestyle lead in that place during the time period of origin.  That knowledge lead me to believe that I could grow to know my own God if I developed a program that made sense for my life during this time period.

            I acknowledged that I had always sought to do what I believed to be right, and that basic premise could prepare me for a righteous life within the eyes of God.  I didn’t need to complicate my moral turpitude or spiritual growth with religious constrictions.

            Historically, I knew that the original people of the earth were Africans.  Thus, if God created man in his own image, then God was African, therefore, it made no sense for people to hold on to the pictures and concepts of a blue-eyed, pale skinned Jesus. But I understood that every group of people wants God to look like them.

            I also understood that anyone who would force their version of God on anyone else had less than Godly intentions at work.

            And I understood my own personal concept of God was just as valid as anyone else’s, and that it would serve me well for the life I wanted to live.

            I can fellowship with anyone from any faith, respecting divergent beliefs because I believe that all roads lead to the one God who is all Gods.

            I know now that God is all things to all people and appears in whatever form we need as individuals or individual cultures.

            I know enough about God the world over and throughout history to realize that most people have no idea what they are talking about even though they act with conviction.

It’s almost as if some people think that holding a religion means abandoning common sense.

For example, I’ve heard Christians say that God has been taken out of school, because students are not allowed to pray. I’ve also heard that God has been removed from buildings that do not allow the Ten Commandments to be displayed.

Honestly, those are amongst the dumbest things I’ve ever heard. Essentially, morons who spit out such nonsense are saying that even though God is omnipotent and all powerful, humans have effectively moved him physically by removing some words or by not allowing people to worship under one religion. All I can think of is that these people must be wiping their behinds with their brains.

And, I will never understand how ignorant, evil morons justify shunning someone with divergent beliefs.

God is Love and it’s ignorant and evil to assert that a divergent belief is equivalent to a divorce from God.

That’s just too stupid for any thinking person to process.

            As a thinking person, I eventually gave up the smallness of singular religion for a direct connection to the richness and fullness of God.

            I discovered that abandoning the things that made no sense to me was the only way for me to focus on my relationship with God and my desire to fellowship with the entirety of humanity.

            I already understood that for some, God is a business, and in order to keep that business thriving, dead brained zombies must be kept dead in the brain, repeating things they have no understanding of and pressing others to hold their belief, even if their deeds are done for the delight of the devil.

            And I also realized that some people are minding God’s business when they should be in the business of minding God. 

Darryl James is an award-winning author of the powerful new anthology “Notes From The Edge.”  James’ stage play, “Love In A Day,” opened in Los Angeles in 2011and will be running throughout 2012. View previous installments of this column at http://www.bridgecolumn.proboards36.com. Reach James at djames@theblackgendergap.com.

Jesse Jackson, Jr. and Bishop Eddie Long: Is It Time To Just Go Away?

By Gary A. Johnson

September 27, 2010

Last week’s public revelation of Jesse Jackson, Jr.’s extra-marital affair with a blond nightclub hostess which reportedly occurred a couple of years ago, has caused many columnists, talk show hosts and beauty shop and barbershop patrons to ask:  Is it time for the Jacksons (Jesse, Sr. and Jesse, Jr.) and Bishop Eddie Long to just sit their asses down somewhere out of public view?

Speaking of Bishop Eddie Long, Jesse Jr., should have sent Bishop Long a nice “thank you,” note for taking over the scandal headlines.  Whew!  Did you see the photos of Bishop Long all muscled up in his Spandex tank top and shorts with a huge soaking tub in the background?  Ouch!

The scandal associated with Bishop Long is that he appears to be a first class hypocrite.  Bishop Eddie Long has been one of the most vocal public advocates against homosexuality and gay relationships.  Disgraced Pastor Ted Haggard, who fell from grace a few years ago when a gay male prostitute exposed Haggard’s visits for both illegal drugs and sex.  Haggard was on CNN defending Bishop Long.  (Not sure if this is a helpful endorsement).

At last count, four young men have filed a lawsuit against Bishop Long claiming sexual coercion and misconduct.  I don’t care what the Bishop is being accused of; there are many others who will support him regardless of the evidence.

I don’t know what it is about preachers and politicians, but it seems they get a longer leash than others who get in trouble.  It seems as if you could have video evidence of a preacher or politician “doing wrong” and there will be a group of supporters who will attribute that video to a racist conspiracy, a government plot or some digital interference by Satan himself.

Men and women who like Jesse, Jr., and Bishop Long know that they have a core group of supporters who will not hold them accountable and blindly support them in the name of the Lord.  This is why Bishop Long can address his congregation and essentially say nothing about the allegations against him.  (I don’t want to hear this crap about his lawyer advised him not to say anything or try this case in the media).  Bullshit!  That has nothing to do with proclaiming your innocence.

I watched Bishop Long address his congregation yesterday.  From what I saw Bishop Long DID NOT deny the allegations against him!  Why didn’t Bishop Long state that he was not guilty of luring young men into sexual relationships?

Instead of proclaiming his innocence, Bishop Long said the following:

“Please hear this. Please hear this: I’ve been accused.  I’m under attack.  I want you to know, as I said earlier, I am not a perfect man.  But this thing I’m gon’ fight. There have been allegations and attacks made on me. I have never in my life portrayed myself as a perfect man. But I am not the man that’s being portrayed on the television.  That’s not me.  That is not me.”

This partial explanation leads to more questions.

I want to make a point about POWER.  The power bestowed upon some public figures is intoxicating.  Many simply cannot manage the power that comes with their positions.

If the allegations against Bishop Long prove to be true, dude looks like a sexual predator.  Thank goodness for him he lives in America.  Bishop Long will have his day in court with the best lawyers money can buy, (unless the parties settle for an undisclosed amount of money and agree to a gag order sealing all the evidence).

Allegations that Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. offered to raise $6 million for former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich in exchange for an appointment to Barack Obama’s former Senate seat is potentially damaging to Jackson politically among his constituents.  However, Jackson’s admission of having an extra marital affair with Washington, DC hostess Giovana Huidobro who Jesse, Jr., described as a “social acquaintance” have hurt his wife and family.

Giovana Huidobro

Sandi Jackson, Jesse Jackson, Jr.’s wife who is a Chicago Alderman, was interviewed by the Chicago Sun-Times.  In her interview, she talked about her husband’s affair and said last week’s public release of the story opened up old wounds.

Sandi Jackson said that the affair is in the past and that she and Jesse, Jr., had the opportunity to receive therapy out of the public eye.  Showing a bit of humor, Ms. Jackson referred to the blond nightclub hostess as “kryptonite in the world of the African-American woman,” a reference to the one property that can weaken the superhero Superman.

Ms. Jackson appeared to be quite candid in the interview, (a trait that her husband and Bishop Long should use) when she recalled her husband’s discloser of the affair to her.  At a public gathering celebrating her birthday, with Jesse, Jr. in attendance, Ms. Jackson said:  “’I put my foot knee-deep in his ass and he has been having a very difficult time sleeping peacefully since then.” (Spoken like a true sister).

When will the public, particularly “church folk” stop being so gullible and enabling politicians, sports figures, entertainers and others who hold responsible positions.  Stop putting a microphone in front of Kanye West, Snoop Dogg and Gilbert Arenas.  Many of these folks don’t know enough about current events outside of the isolated world that they live in.  This is not to say that all rappers, entertainers and sports figures are not socially conscious, smart and literate.  I’m not saying that—some are.  Let’s not throw the public trust to someone because they can hit a ball and talk fast.  Everyone makes mistakes.  No one is perfect.  Some public figures actually learn their lessons and return to society as better people doing great things.  Case in point—Michael Vick.  Two years ago Vick was ending a two-year absence from football after serving time in jail for spearheading a dog fighting ring.  Today, the NFL Quarterback is the “toast of the town” in the NFL and Philadelphia for his play.  Michael Vick is one of the top rated Quarterback in the league and the “must see” player on the field.

Before I get off the topic of being gullible, I’ve noticed a few disgraced white pastors resurfacing on BET?  Many would argue that religion has no color, however, this writer sees almost everything through a racial prism.  Albeit, the shows featuring these disgraced pastors are broadcast late at night, I find it curious these pastors are getting their “second chance” in the black TV community.

When will we as a community come together and hold “leaders” accountable for being responsible to those that support them?  No wonder good school teachers, nurses, community organizers and volunteers are “pissed” about their salaries and the influence they have in the community.

I’m especially sick of these preachers and politicians who seem to be in the spotlight more than any other group.  I’m particularly offended by the hypocrisy of it all.  People tend to look up to preachers for spiritual guidance and advice and to politicians because they hold the key to funding sources that can affect people’s livelihood.  To abuse that power is wrong.  To abuse that power against children is immoral and criminal.

What can we do to protect our children and our senior citizens against people who have abused their power, the public trust and pretty much just lost their way?

Bishop Long is a senior pastor at church with over 25,000 members.  Jesse Jackson, Jr., is a Congressman in the United States Congress.  Inherent in their positions is the trust of others, many of whom are less fortunate.  If their supporters vote to keep these men in their positions, then I guess those supporters deserve whatever comes their way as a result of their vote.

For the record, Bishop Eddie Long and Jesse Jackson, Jr. are the latest guys making headlines.  There have been others before them.  Jesse Jackson, Sr., President Bill Clinton, Bill Cosby, Marion Barry, Julius Erving, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Jimmy Swaggart, O. J. Simpson, Kwame Kilpatrick have all been part of public scandal.  The sad thing is that there will be more notable people who will follow.

What do you think?  Leave a comment below.

Gary A. Johnson is the Founder & Publisher of Black Men In America.com a popular online magazine on the Internet and the Black Men In America.com Blog. Gary is also the author of the new book “25 Things That Really Matter In Life.”