I remember some years ago back in my Psych of Self class, the professor had come up with this bright idea of a class debate where the issue was to be about a controversial subject in which the outcome (I guessed) was some personal data he was trying to get about sameness and differences about pressing subjects.
Ok, I was cool with that, but when he had the class divide between pro and con-that’s when I got pissed. Because I didn’t feel he should force a class to pick a side such that it would be painfully (or joyfully) evident what each person felt about the subject.
I felt like, considering how easy it is to single out and judge each other based upon our beliefs, he should have just left us seated as normal: One chair in front of the other.
Needless to say, my logic didn’t register with him and he told me that if I wanted to take an ‘F’ and leave he’d be glad to give it to me or I could stay and participate for the easy ‘A.’
There was no such thing as “easy” taking turns discussing why you were pro or con [this particular issue] sitting smack dead across from a group of people opposing your view who, if you were surprised to know this about them-you know somebody across the room was just as surprised to know this about you, too.
I was annoyed like you wouldn’t believe. Others were too but they were scared to express it but instead-rolled their eyes at him for instructing us to position ourselves like such.
That moment is such a stain on my brain because I almost felt raped (at gunpoint-not robbed) of my right to choose.
Only in recent years, have I gotten a little more comfortable about discussing sex, politics, or religion. And when it comes to “religion,” (not God) I don’t do much talking…I just ask questions as, I have questions:
Me: Do you believe in “God,” a higher power/or some omnipotent entity greater than man? (The answer has been “yes” more than “no”)
Me: How many Gods are there? (1)
Me: Do you need a bible to believe in/that there is a God? (no)
Me: Do you need a church or congregation to believe in/that there is a God? (no)
Me: Do you need a pastor or reverend to believe in/that there is a God? (no)
Me: How many religions in the world are there? (Typical answer: “I don’t know. Many”)
Me: So, if there’s just one God, and one way to that one God, why so “many” separate religions to get to 1 God? (Typical answer: crickets)
Well something godly and miraculous happened for these “black” (mostly Baptist) churches erroneously burned: young Muslims from different parts of the country, raised monies to repair these churches (to date)-something to the tune of around $48,000.00
Despite the ashes, reasons and denial that these burnings are most probably some persons most probably acting in concert with one another doing this (considering the close proximity of them all from southern county to county and state to state), the fact is: one of these “many” (other) religions came through [and is continuously] raising monies to repair all 8 churches via a crowd funding campaign getting known as Launchgood, which (to date) has raised a total of $56,173 with only 1278 supporters.
Initiated on July 2, 2015 by 23 year-old Faatimah Amat-Allah Knight (a theology student), she and a group of friends from varying Muslim groups (American Association of New York, Muslim Arc, and Ummah Wide) set out to raise $50,000 during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan (during which they fast and give alms).
This initial goal for this campaign was only $10,000 but surpassed that goal in just twelve hours time after launching, all funds raised will be collected July 18, 2015 at approximately 3:45 a.m.
On the campaign page’s website, the group of Muslims note one important thing that, although doesn’t answer my question as to why there are so “many” separate religions to get to one God, they did a very good job of explaining that, although they are a separate, one of ‘many’ religions, their mission is to “protect the vulnerable who call on God in their various tongues” stating [quote]:
“As Muslims we know the importance of protecting the vulnerable and respecting people who call on God in their various tongues. We want for others what we want for ourselves: the right to worship without intimidation, the right to safety, and the right to property,”
[unquote]
With all this happening shortly after 21 year-old Dylann Roof having opened fired in a black church in Charleston, S.C, these church burnings are thought to be the acts of some group or people-done in an effort to intimidate the community.
As explained in our original write up about these burnings, although the weak conclusions drawn for each investigation and reported elemental, near-against the laws of physics-like reasons have not sufficed and settled too well with many [people] with something being done to help repair all 8 churches via solidarity cross-religion; these churches are no longer out there with no answers and insecure with the inability of being rebuilt again.
No arrests have been made as yet about probably won’t be.
But it’s good to know that this banning together of religions ensures there will be no arrests being made in development of putting these church homes back together again, either and this launch, and this coming together (despite separate religions) sends a clear message to whom it may concern:
“This could be us:
…but we will ban together, raise monies and rebuild again.
The Muslim groups launching the campaign also wrote [quote]
“We must always keep in mind that the Muslim community and the black community are not different communities. We are profoundly integrated in many ways, in our overlapping identities and in our relationship to this great and complicated country. We are connected to Black churches through our extended families, our friends and teachers, and our intertwined histories and convergent present. Too often cowards inflict us with a crippling fear, but with encouragement and support from likely and unlikely places fear cannot stop us” [unquote]
And so it is written (and raised) and will: again and again and again if need be so help the “many” all praying to 1 God…indivisible.
https://youtu.be/VsF6DJm5yHk
