I was having a discussion with a friend recently and he commented on the belief that fewer young people, and in particular young men, are in Church today. This caused me to wonder about something. When you were growing up, was your minister, pastor (or Imam) also very visible in your community or did he (or she) primarily stay in the pulpit?
13 Comments
ET
11/5/2013 12:19:20 pm
Definitely involved in the community. I had a pastor who walked the walk and talked the talk.
Reply
PJ
11/5/2013 12:20:10 pm
Pulpit preacher nothing for the community
Reply
CR
11/5/2013 12:20:57 pm
Did not go to church except for funerals
ET
11/5/2013 12:22:59 pm
Even at a young age if I didn't see a preacher doing things in the community, practicing what he preached and helping ppl I wouldn't have wanted to be at the church at all
Reply
CR
11/5/2013 12:21:43 pm
There was one church on each corner of our hood, the Minister had a NOI compound in it, and LDS/Mormon temple a few blocks away though.
Reply
CR
11/5/2013 12:22:20 pm
Admidst horrific poverty and gangs by the way... and every Sunday the grandmas dressed up and attended one or the other.
Reply
CR
11/5/2013 12:23:38 pm
One of the fiercest gang members I knew (who is now finally doing life in prison) 's grandpa was a well known preacher in Phoenix. The first ppl we knew to get computers were at the churches. When Feds did some investigation and came in and took all the computers from every church, it was because of some crime going on. I grew up with zero respect for preachers or churches. It was NOI in our hood that fed children.
CR
11/5/2013 12:24:24 pm
They also had tutoring after school, a room you could go to and get help with homework or whatever for school.
Reply
ET
11/5/2013 12:25:01 pm
NOI when I grew up in Tulsa were full of garbage they sold their pies and fish and incense but did zero in the community I think they had a cleaners business too but that was really it no programs feeding kids tutoring none of that at all that was all done by the churches but that's on the Black side of town over where the big mega churches were they were full of garbage and racists Bible belt right wing coalition Christians I can't stand them none of them
Reply
ET
11/5/2013 12:25:44 pm
In fact them Bible belt right wing Christians were probably some of the worst ppl I met when I was young, I didn't know y'all Mormons Cel Richards but I knew them and couldn't stand them
PJ
11/5/2013 12:26:26 pm
Mormons think the black race is cursed & is going to Hell
Reply
DN
11/5/2013 12:27:07 pm
I learned early not to trust overtly "religious" ppl, whatever their sect. As I got older, I lost all respect for all of them. As many churches as there were close, i have to say that it was NOI who had the programs for kids and affiliated with the Panthers in their actions in our community. However, as I got older I saw their agenda too. If I give props to the Minister and Nation for anything, it is that they did feed us and the ones in our hood were very very kind. I did get to kno a branch of the Farrakhan family and have to say they were very active and helpful teaching me how to grow food etc. Honestly, Christians scared me. Again - this was all when I was a kid and I dont necessarily think one is any better than the other any more or has the answer or gets credit for being "better". You would be shocked at who was kindest to me in my life.
Reply
DN
11/5/2013 12:27:46 pm
(so I guess pulpit is my answer)
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Keith Orlando Hilton, PhD
Feel free to leave comments (even corrections) on any of these posts (old and current ones) at any time. Archives
September 2015
Categories
All
|