Freedom and A Little Something Left Over...That's All I Ever Wanted

[wlotus]

A young lady I used to mentor has taken on a "Queen" name and joined The Nation of Gods and Earths (also known as The Five Percenters). She seems happy in the photos and posts I have seen on her Myspace page, and she currently lives among other Five Percenters. While I do not embrace their beliefs, I respect and appreciate that this conversion appears to have given her a new focus and possibly raised her self-respect, at least from afar.

I asked her what drew her to that sect of Islam. She said she studied it for about a year before converting, and all of her questions were met with warmth, respect, and information. (The movement is big on black people having knowledge.) She found that was a sharp contrast to the, "It is so because I say so now stop questioning me and just believe!!!!" mentality she had encountered in the Black Pentecostal Christian movement she was raised in. I know that mindset all too well; it is part of what drove me from the movement, too. Being respected rather than treated like a pesky, unwanted child for daring to doubt is appealing. I am not surprised she was drawn in by that...and by the guy she is dating, ahem.

Where does this unwillingness to accept questioning come from in the black community? I think it is part cultural. People whose ancestry includes a few centuries of American slavery no doubt have passed down to their subordinates (whether their children or the membership of the churches they pastor) some of the same mentalities the slave owners beat into them. Questioning authority is frowned upon and, in some cases, is punishable by violence (verbal and/or physical). Believe what the master/mistress says, or at least put on a damn good act of doing so, simply because they said it. The maddening nature of those expectations was enough to make countless slaves risk their lives and the lives of their loved ones to escape. Many of us are still taking considerable (social and familial) risks to escape, today.

It is this desire to be free that may be driving my insistence that there is no true choice without justice, without an evening of the playing field. Mere survival--going along to get along, making so-called choices within the limits of the master-slave relationship--was not good enough for the slaves who escaped, and it is not good enough for me, either. I can do it to survive, but I don't expect to be happy doing it.

Comments

[far-gone.livejournal.com]

I think (modern, American?) Judaism is really interesting for that (I thought about converting at one point). Look where the fundy non-questioning sects have gotten the whole country. That someone like Sarah Palin wins respect because she has those same, unquestioning beliefs, very scary. Sorry, off topic, but it was a thought that came to mind reading all this.

I think any tradition that discourages questioning is a tradition that seeks to control, probably by force and by fear (whether physcial or by threatening eternal damnation).

[wlotus.livejournal.com]

I believe that openness to questioning and debate is a part of traditional Judaism and is not a modern, American phenomenon.

There are many other reasons to respect Governor Palin, but for those people who think blind following of conservative Christian principles is a good thing, Palin, Bush, and others of their ilk will garner respect. For those people who believe blind following of mere charisma is a good thing, Obama and others of his ilk will garner respect. It's two different sides of the same coin. In both cases, if questioning were allowed, rather than shut off with orders to "fall in line", if people were encouraged to truly think for themselves, there would be far less mind control, far fewer cults. But when questioning is not allowed, some get brainwashed, and some become disaffected.

My young friend and I became disaffected by a religious tradition that did not respect our questions. I find that sad, because (at least in my case) there was hope for peace and inspiration in that tradition. But we were forced to leave behind the previously comforting religion of our youths, in order to be true to ourselves. I still feel anger over that.

[(Anonymous)]

It's true that the tradition of questioning is not modern in Judaism. Studying the scriptures and trying to determine God's exact will is considered a mitzvah, a religious duty. Anyone who has done serious study of the Talmud (in other words, not me) can find various different interpretations of the same verse, including ones which directly oppose one another. One of the things I like is that in a lot of cases, scripture is reinterpreted by rabbis and scholars in order to fit the circumstances. Very practical, considering the dangers Jews have experienced over a long history. There is always the attempt to strike a balance between holding to their beliefs and culture, and the need to survive in a hostile world.

"You always have choices," is both true and untrue. It's true that you always have choices about how you will respond to something, at least internally. I've read stories about women in the concentration camps who made the choice to live godly lives and reach out to others in any way they could. The degree of spiritual and emotional freedom they experienced as a result was awe-inspiring. On the other hand, they had things they identified as miracles to keep them going. Not everybody gets that. Some situations are unbearable no matter how you approach them.

In a lot of situations, if you're willing to accept negative consequences, you have choices. To a certain extent, that's unavoidable; to effect change, we have to take risks. But to say that means there is always choice is disingenuous. Sometimes, the risks are all unacceptable.

My other problem with the idea that there are always choices is that the idea is often taken up by the oppressing group and used as a reason not to change.

[rockbirthedme.livejournal.com]

The anonymous commenter is me. Choices, but no brain to make them.

[wlotus.livejournal.com]

I was just thinking, "What a well-written comment! It's a shame the commenter is anonymous." :-)

Sometimes, the risks are all unacceptable.

This is a fact I think many people do not understand. Perhaps one must be oppressed in some way at some point in one's life in order to understand it?