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| Open Theism Discussion Board > Public Forums > General Chat > are small groups just for white people? | Forum Quick Jump
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Duigan MacBoyd
Registered Member
Date Joined May 2007
Total Posts : 24
| Posted 11/2/2009 8:39 PM (GMT -6) |   | | | |
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Corey
Five with a Four-wing
Date Joined Feb 2003
Total Posts : 1893
| Posted 11/5/2009 1:08 PM (GMT -6) | | | | |
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Starkman
Registered Member
Date Joined Oct 2001
Total Posts : 1747
| Posted 11/5/2009 2:11 PM (GMT -6) | | OK, I'm going out on a limb here.
The fact is, people, we are all different. In the US alone, the east coast is known for being the aggressive and fast-paced side of the states; the west coast known for not so much aggression, but more just the fast-paced partying (not that the east coast doesn't party, but I'm talking about attitude here); the midwest for being melancholy (I mean, sitting on a tractor, by yourself...all day? You gotta be an introvert—and indeed they are; and the south for being slow (any arguments there?) I have no idea how the lay of the land became such, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that what I've noted above is, in general, the way things are.
Now, let's go global. The western Europeans (which included America): very entrepreneurial; Asians: mathematical, philosophical, more prone to discipline, and able to duplicate well—the Japanese proved this over and over in how they have mastered duplicating (and then innovating) cars and electronics; and finally, the Negroid being with a strong command and control of (many) athletic sports (yet, there are many sports they don't bother with because, I believe, it just doesn't make their socks go up and down).
Incidentally, why is it that I can count on one hand the times I have seen a black (African American) person riding a motorcycle? In movies, in travels, in real life, you just don't see black folk on motorcycles. Is there a reason for this that transcends lifestyle? I think so; it doesn't fit into what makes them tick, plain and simple. We are different all the way around on this planet, both as individuals, within our countries and globally. Why is it I can almost always tell, sight unseen, when an African American (not someone from, say, Egypt) person talks? Simply, I can hear the difference in the projection, namely from the nasal. Why is this? Because the facial structure of an African American obviously has developed something unique to them that creates this sound. Again, this is the norm, not the case for absolutely every African American.
WHAT THIS DOES NOT MEAN is that there aren't influences of all these traits found in all peoples of the world. Indeed there are. I'm talking "norm" here. And we had better be men and women enough to admit that, clearly, we are all different and be willing to celebrate our differences instead of shy away from or malign them. The faster we get on with doing so, the much faster racism takes another dagger in the heart.
Now with regard to the question that started this thread, I spent a few extra lines above on noting the differences between African Americans (namely in this country) and others. I did so because I'm going to carry that right into my answer about the issue of how we worship.
First, black folk have got soul, period. They walk with that element we call soul more than any other group of people. I don't care how one derives its existence in them, it is simply part of how they express themselves. That soul, along with the history that has made them the people they are today, creates far more desire for social interaction in, say, and environment like church than what is found in white folk. White people, on the other hand, wouldn't avoid worshiping on, say, a porch or on the sidewalk, but they would do so only if there were a reason (evangelism, the church fell down, etc.!) It's simply not what makes them tick. White people just aren't sociable with each other in the same way black people are. Now, we can either celebrate who and what we are, or are we going to shy away from that and keep the bonds divided?
I'll take myself as what I will qualify as a classic example of a white guy trying to make sense of all of this. I would not be comfortable in a—stereotyped, if nothing else—American black church service. Why? Because I simply cannot relate to the way the soul of black folk expresses itself. It isn't that I don't like the expression of soul, it's just that I'd be lost and unable to relate with it. Oh, I could still worship God, but I'd know that I was doing so separately, in an unable-to-connect worship style, different from my African American brothers and sisters. Some white people can fit into that environment, but most can't. And, unfortunately, these kinds of differences become an object of horror rather than an object of admiration. (If just one black person would pull me aside in a black worship service and say, "Dude, since you ain't got soul, just relax and enjoy yourself. We'll handle it for you," I'd be absolutely relieved! Otherwise, I'm going to feel like I'm sticking out like a sore thumb.)
So, there it is, my brothers and sisters. We are all different in ways that will never change, AND THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE TO. It's always going to be that white folk will worship and congregate in a building, and black people will worship and congregate anywhere. This is what makes the world interesting.
Finally, I believe all of you on this board have the common sense and smarts to see what I'm saying here. Most of you may not have the nerve to come out and say it like I have, but I trust no one here is going to call me a racist. I believe it's long overdue for all people of all nations to recognize that we, flat, plain and simple, are all different. And then we can get on a bit more with loving each other, the way God intended us to do so.
Starkman | | Back to Top | | |
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