By Rachel Adams
As far as religion is a form of acknowledging a higher power and of connecting with the creative force that is responsible for this incredible universe, I have no problems. But if there is any group of people that has gone one step further and adopted religion, Christianity particularly, as a legitimator of and explanation for all sorts of social, political and economic deprivations, it is Africans. Steve Bantu Biko put it aptly in an address at a Conference of Black Ministers of Religion when he stated: ” … if Christianity in its introduction was corrupted by the inclusion of aspects which made it the ideal religion for colonisation of people, nowadays in its interpretation it is the ideal religion for the maintenance of the subjugation of the same people.”
True to the point, and decades after Bantu Biko made this observation, there probably has not been one single system that has been used effectively and consistently in convincing black Africans that our condition of perpetual poverty and suffering is one that was somehow divinely decided and not created by deliberate oppressive political and economic processes, particularly in our more current colonial and postcolonial history.
The effectiveness of this belief system lies in the fact that while initially it was preached to us from a pulpit by the coloniser, it has now spread like gangrene into our own language and dialogues, from pulpits to households, from pastors and priests to the retorts of black mamas, from churches to political activists and yes even politicians themselves, subtly but powerfully whispering to us that if God can see the suffering of so many masses and “allow” it, then surely God must have a divine plan to “deliver” us from our deprivation. I cannot count how many times I was advised in my childhood to not question the condition of black people in my country because “God understands”. Or that I should not insult God by complaining about the disparities that I observed socially because “God will deliver the poor from the injustices of the land, but in his time”.
What this did to me, and I am certain to many Africans across the continent, is that it made our political and socio-economic deprivation seem somewhat noble and gloriously shrouded in the mysteries of God’s secret plan that would, in the sweet by and by, deliver us from all suffering. When I went to church and lifted up my hands in praise, and cried for deliverance, it gave me a tingling and warm feeling all over my body, knowing that God had a special plan for the “blessed poor” and that he held us in a more sacred place in his heart than the “stingy rich” who had horded all the earths resources for themselves. It was a divine plan, and because it was a divine plan, there was nothing really that we could do to change it.
If you think that this is a gross exaggeration of the mindset that many Africans share, then you have not fully understood the psychology of religion amongst the masses. Nietzsche put it very well when he observed that Christianity in particular, has acted as a sort of sedative amongst the poor or the oppressed. This is because in the absence of a credible explanation for why people actually suffer on earth, it seems easier, and again more noble, to resort to an esoteric explanation as to why that suffering occurs. In Nietzsche’s analysis therefore: “Powerlessness [becomes] ‘goodness’, baseness ‘humility’, submission to people one hated ‘obedience’ and not being able to take revenge turned into ‘forgiveness’.”
I could not agree with his philosophy more. The thing that bothers me the most about religion amongst many Africans is not that it exists, but that amongst the most deprived of us, it replaces concrete social and political action with endless prayers of deliverance. Night vigils replace social, economic and political revolution and the reading of Psalms replaces active protest. And in cases were people are not even actively religious, there is a subtle psychological conditioning that exists to convince us that we have very little power to change our conditions. We have been psychologically and spiritually convinced that if we accept suffering with grace, then our courage is to be applauded and encouraged. And it is this belief that has allowed us to endure poverty, wars, political and economic bullying from within and without: the basic dehumanisation of our human experience for centuries.
The effectiveness of this mental conditioning is that we have become disengaged from the power that we have here on Earth, to question, to protest and to actively seek to change our dire conditions. We perpetuate our own poverty and political disadvantage by failing to create systems (here on Earth) that empower us and allow us to reclaim even the most basic material and social rights that have been taken from us. We expend more energy “praying for our leaders” than we do actively removing them from their illegitimate thrones of power. While we are building empires in the clouds, the powerful amongst us are building systems here on Earth that will effectively decimate us as a people, if they have not already begun to do so.
I would like to see an Africa in which the spirit of revolution is borne within us again. An Africa in which our spiritual leaders actively preach against a commitment to the ideology of suffering (“blessed are the poor for they shall inherit the kingdom of heaven” etc) and inspire people to believe that their protests are valid and their situations unacceptable. An Africa in which workers do not feel unjustified or that they are ungrateful for what they already have when they demand a decent living through decent wages. An Africa in which our education systems actively teach our children that until the African condition is no longer equated to chaos and depravity, then our economic and political revolutions are far from over: and that it is our spiritual responsibility to continue in those revolutions.
I would like to experience an Africa in which we cease to use the religious language of “evil” or “it’s the devil” to limit a more useful intellectual exercise of understanding and thus eradicating the conditions that feed the greedy tendencies of our leaders. An Africa in which we cease to support leaders because they are black and fought the liberation struggle for us, even when they begin to abuse their power. An Africa in which we truly cease to buy into the mythology that white people are superior (or closer to God as I have had many older relatives tell me), and actively challenge the white supremacist attitudes that stifle the real empowerment of black people on every economic, social and cultural front.
An Africa in which we demand that every person, from the field worker to the domestic helper and the security guard should have access to a more than decent standard of living. An Africa in which we acknowledge that within a money system, people need a certain level of monetary capacity to exchange resources, and that they have a right to demand that money, not based on their qualification but based on the fact that their quality of life is valuable and must be made possible within that system. An Africa in which dark bodies cease to be representative of all the things that we detest: poverty, suffering and a lack of any visible progress. An Africa in which we cease to normalise depravity and where we actively seek to challenge those in power who create and perpetuate our current nervous conditions.
I am reminded finally of a most popular psalm in black churches: “I will lift up mine eyes to the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord”. Perhaps a different psalm that we could now adopt would go a little different: “I will lift up mine eyes and cease to look shamelessly at the ground beneath me as though I have created my poverty and deserved it. I will look at the human being next to me and say come now brother, come now sister, let us go the hills of power and ask those who claim to understand systems why it is that our system despises and abuses us so. I will look squarely at my leader, at that foreign corporation, at that profit-making machine and ask how long more with the primitive upliftment of profits over the value of the African man, woman and child. And finally, I will look at this history of mine, no longer with religious justification and acceptance, but with a fervour that inspires me to once again ask why it is that the African is still treated as the lowliest of us all. Surely it’s not divinely meant to be so.
Rachel Adams has a master’s in African studies from Oxford University. She is a social scientist who is openly disgruntled by current world systems and seeks to make commentary that will make us uncomfortable with them.
Beautifully written, Thanks You.
Beautiful Rachel. And spot on correct.
While I agree whole-heartedly with your stand against organised religion as an ‘opiate for the masses’, I have 2 problems with the rest of the piece:
1) You seem to grasp the dangers of religion and the fact that random belief without proof leads to indoctrination and a form of slavery yet you start your piece with a faith-based acceptance of a ‘higher power’ and a ‘creative force’, neither of which has any proof of existance. You are perpetuating the very problem you claim to be against.
2) The rights that you describe at the end of your article where you demand certain standards and you demand certain amounts of money are an ideological stretch of reality. Your rights are only as solid as the system that supports them. If the economy is poked, you can demand all you like that people should have a right to this and that. Its not going to happen.
As an alternative, why not put the onus on same said people to develop a hunger to achieve and a thirst for knowledge. Put the onus on these people to organise themselves and to understand democracy and punish those that do not deliver at the polling stations. If they do not use the machinery of democracy at their disposal, they are personally responsible for the situation they find themselves in.
Inspiring and thought provoking. Thank you.
And the ‘feminist theologians’ Rachel? Is their plight not similar? But as Grant suggests, the ‘feminists’ are doing something themselves not waiting upon someone else to come to free them.
Jeez, one of the best TL articles I have read in ages. And yes this is sooo true. I always have debates with my wifey to be about how the ZCC church goers and a bunch of other churches seems to have accepted that suffering is a way of life.
My word, thanks for this inspiring article and will definately share it with others.
Grant on October 5th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
I love your alternative there and especially the part where those people who are suffering are supposed to vote for DA so that they can be saved from the suffering. Very smart indeed.
Hi Rachel,
Please keep them coming..Worst of this is when they impose this religions on us, yet take offence when we reject them..
I would like to atend a session where this can be discussed further and perhaps become something phenomenal that will de-indoctrinate the masses..
Nice! I have recently been thinking about how the original religious hooks were sunk into society, maybe by using the primal urge to breed? Like – you may only breed if you subscribe to this religious system, but if you don’t we won’t sanction procreation with any of the current members.. Most people would gnaw off their own limbs for the privilege to breed with someone with the most desirable DNA.
The best piece ever written, eloquently, to reflect the key ingredient of African’s paralysis recipe
Thank you Rachel Adams
Look at what you’ve started.
I enjoyed the thoughts and the debate that your article has provoked, Rachel, and I would like to think that this is only the beginning of this dialogue.
More needs to be done by those that hold influence to bring about the change that your article envisages, and we need to realise that it all begins with us the readers.
Yet it is unfortunate that this article might not reach our leaders, as lamps of knowledge like this article often end up extinguished before they get to light fire they were intended to.
However, I will pass it on to other intellectuals and professionals, in the hope that we can begin to set about waves of change in our already tainted thinking.
In the mean time, you keep up the good work, and we’ll spread the word.
In the hands of Hitler, Nietzsche’s “ubermensch” became the rationale for the extermination of the Jews. You selective quote of Nietzsche, who I believe was an atheist, does not give credence to your justifications.
Contrary to the gist of your treatise, there have been African leaders like Robert Sobukwe, Desmond Tutu, Frank Chikane, Stanley Mogoba who, far from asking the formerly oppressed black South Africans to accept their oppression, championed the struggle of the black masses. The men that I have just mentioned have one thing in common, their christian beliefs.
If you cared to read a little bit about the William Wilberforces of this world, you would find that their contribution to world freedom and the emancipation was informed primarily by their belief in God.
Generalizations are the pitfalls of the many.
While your overall assessment is spot-on, I have to agree with Grant about your apparent acceptance of the main tenet of religious ideology. In years to come, you are bound to find that that slippery slope can be very treacherous indeed.
Otherwise, you have also cottoned on to why clerics persued the implementation of religious doctrine, so fastiduously over the centuries. It gave them the perfect excuse for the misery their lust for power, had heaped onto the masses.
Yes, the hook and the upper-cut that clinched (religious) mankind’s subjugation was:
(a) the inculcated belief that you were born unworthy
(b) the inculcated belief that your suffering was the result of your unworthiness and that a supreme being decided your fate in life
As, a christian myself, I do find myself asking God, if truely you’re there why permit such suffering of Africans the worldover, whereever they find themselves amongst other nations, they are the most downtrodden.
Havng asked that question and not finding an answer. I always doubt my beliefs sytem in God an question God intentions sometimes.
There can be no justificatin of allowing so much sufferring for so longer without intervention by God if he is there, So, my scepticism about his presence has been reassured by this article.
Rachel I share your thoughts on organised religion, especially Christianity, in the South African context. The problem with such notions is that they are usually restricted to forums such as this, whose users are part of the intelligentsia and do not necessarily constitute “the masses”. So if you wish to spark a continental economic, social and political revolution, the question then is:
How do you package your message in a way that is both accessible and comprehensible for “the masses”, while also giving due consideration to the fact that the questioning of established beliefs (religious or otherwise) is frowned upon in African culture?
Lastly, regarding the making of demands to afford ALL people decent lifestyles within the monetary system, I think, is unsustainable (within such a system). The financing of such a policy would mostly likely fall on the government, which could either borrow the funds (usually from foreign creditors), increase taxes or print money. All these options could have potentially damaging effects on the country’s economy in the long-run, which would adversely affect the well-being of the very people you are trying to protect.
I’d say do away with the monetary system but I haven’t a functional and potentially feasible alternative to propose… yet.
A well written piece of another ideology. Christianity does not approve oppression of the poor by the rich, not exploitation of the masses. Any good medication that is used incorrectly used is as poisonous. Thank you to our christian leaders who stand up against abuse of the poor and innocent.
A powerful and enlightening article. Let’s start the real revolution.
Thank You very much.The best piece I have ever read on Thoughtleader by far.Looking forward to more thought and debate stimulating writing from you!
Thank You!
Very true and very well written. It’s a poignant piece to read given where so many Africans are today and how much further we could be!
Thanks!
ARISE AFRICA! ARISE!!!
Rachel, I do believe that the tide is turning. African Christians are denouncing this legacy of poverty and depravity that was bestowed upon us by our oppressors.
The onus is on us young Africans to perpetuate this dialogue and inspire change in our spheres of influence.
ARISE AFRICA ARISE!!!!
Ghandi once said, “If it weren’t for Christians, I would’ve been a Christian.” Therefore, it’s important to look at the life of Jesus, not his followers, when making generalisations about Christianity. God isn’t interested in religion (which has admittedly been used to ‘sedate’ people, but also to oppress them). God is interested in a relationship with us. In fact, He HATES religion (do yourself a favour and read Matthew 23 again). Personally I am less supportive of your ‘revolutionary’ stance. Bear in mind that Jesus never loaded a gun, yet He changed Kingdoms; He never benefited from a formal education, yet silenced the most learned critics of his day; He never started a movement, yet billions follow Him to this day; He never wrote a book, journal or blog, yet His Word (the Bible) is the world’s best selling book and translated in more languages than any other book ever written; He was born in a manger, yet our calendars still refer to the date of his birth (and irrespective of their motives, most people celebrate his birthday every year). Lastly, regarding suffering: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) Yet we forcibly try to remove God from government, schools and society and then we turn around and ask, “Where was God?” Suffering is separation from God. We bring it upon ourselves.
Funny, this just in.
On BBC Radio’s Thinking Allowed, Dr. Tom Rees explains his study on the link between income inequality and religious belief.
After examining 50 countries, Rees has found a correlation between a country’s level of economic stratification, and its religiosity.
Listen to his interesting podcast at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00m1nlh#synopsis
Rachel, this is fantastic and thought provoking. Interestingly, I had a debate about this very issue the other day and someone noted that the God of the colonialists, in all representations of Himself, is White- white caricatures, paintings of a caucasian Jesus with blue eyes, etc. This is partly the problem of christianity in Africa, where we have been conditioned to imagine that God is White. Obviously, the continuing colonization of our hearts and minds takes place at a very subtle level. The slavery of our forefathers continues to make us believe, quite spiritually, that the ‘saviour’ is a white persona- hence all agency is taken away from us. Right now, my country is experiencing a severe drought, while we remit millions of dollars every fiscal year to the Bretton Woods& etc in loan repayments. We are currently begging caucasian institutions for food aid, and on the ground, almost everyone believes we have been cursed by God because of post-election violence and the ‘shedding of human blood’. We are resorting to healing prayer crusades instead of questioning our politics, policies and practices. Thanks for this piece Rachel, I will forward it to all I know and get us all debating and re-thinking our religiosities!
What an insightful article. I’d go further and say that all religions are colonisers of the mind. The underlying motive is exploitation. What is most frightening is that humans are so gullible that they believe all the imaginary mumbo jumbo that clerics sprout endlessly. I think that world will be a better place for all when humans realise that there is no supernatural power that cares for them…their futures depend on themseves, on other humans and on environmental factors, some of which they can deal with and others which are beyond their control.