Why Are Black People Christian More Often Than Other People?

[TheReasonator]

I mean no disrespect to black people or Christians, but it's always made me wonder.  They were enslaved and Christianity enforced upon their ancestors (most of them).  You'd think they're would be a large movement saying "we're not slaves anymore, let's cast off the chains of Christianity" or even "Let's get back to our roots and embrace traditional African religions."  But yet you see higher percentages of Christians among African-Americans compared to white people.

It would be understandable if it was the result of a high amount of gratitude towards that part of Christianity that preached against slavery and stood up for social justice, but then you'd expect black Christians to be more socially progressive than other Christians, when this is not the case. There is less tolerance for gay people among black Christians than other Christians (though it's not like whites have a stellar record there either).

And then when you look over at Africa it seems like nobody dares raise the objection that "homophobia" is a western cultural import and that practicing it means they are still in a way being controlled by the colonizers. In fact in complete disregard for history many speakers claim that "homosexuality" was imported, even though there are even tribes in Africa where homosexuals were traditionally seen as playing an important religious role.

Is this some sort of strange sociological variation of Stockholm Syndrome?

[Kain]

inb4 shitstorm

[Osama bin Bambi]

inb4 shitstorm

So it begins... the great shitstorm of our time.

[CaseAgainstFaith]

Alex I'll take education for $1000

[Zygarde]

.....I got nothing and I'm black so yeah  I'm just gonna avoid this like the plague.

[Saturn500]

...Yeah, I'm staying out of this. In fact, this thread is now about "yo mama" jokes.

Yo mama so dumb, she flunked kindergarten!

[KZN02]

Boy, this didn't escalate at all immediately.

[Cerim Treascair]

*takes a drink*

... what? none of you have heard the latest addition to the FSTDT drinking game? every time Reasonator says something stupid, take a drink!

And my best friend is both black and jewish.  Fuck you very much.

[Thejebusfire]

This is now a Batman thread:

[gyeonghwa]

I thought they teach world history in high school . . .

[Meshakhad]

I actually think this is an interesting question. Best guess, Western attitudes achieved dominance long enough to become the new norm. And there has been some pushback - the Nation of Islam might be an example.

[Carnivore_Rabbit]

I actually think this is an interesting question. Best guess, Western attitudes achieved dominance long enough to become the new norm. And there has been some pushback - the Nation of Islam might be an example.

You know, I've always find it funny when someone from the NOI tells me my name is a slave name and I have to remind them that Arabs plundered Africa for slaves long before Western Europeans. 

[Cataclysm]

I don't think it's in spite of racism and dominance, but rather because of it. Christianity tells people that it doesn't matter what their race or economic status is, they can go to heaven if they have faith. When people are in poverty or discriminated against it probably feels good that their position is irrelevant to the creator of the universe and they'll be in a better place when it all ends. It also gives them a tighter sense of community.

...Yeah, I'm staying out of this. In fact, this thread is now about "yo mama" jokes.

Yo mama so dumb, she flunked kindergarten!

Yo mama so fat, when she wore a yellow dress she was mistaken for a school bus.

[Art Vandelay]

I actually think this is an interesting question. Best guess, Western attitudes achieved dominance long enough to become the new norm. And there has been some pushback - the Nation of Islam might be an example.

You know, I've always find it funny when someone from the NOI tells me my name is a slave name and I have to remind them that Arabs plundered Africa for slaves long before Western Europeans. 

That and a lot of Europeans bought their slaves from other Africans. A few of the more enterprising African tribes worked out that they can sell slaves to the Europeans, use the money to buy modern weapons and then use the weapons to raid neighbouring tribes for more slaves.

[syaoranvee]

I've actually had someone explain this as a remnant of the civil rights movement, the churches were generally seen as one of the few places a black person could go in a group and not be harassed so everyone generally went even if they didn't particularly care for it.  It built up the community, and so if you weren't at the church like all the others, you weren't part of the community and were seen as an outsider.