The reverse of the KKK?

raquor

I've mentioned in a different thread that every Friday afternoon/evening at the bus stop I must wait at so I can go home from work it is what I refer to as "Yell about God" day. I finally remembered to do a little research and have determined that they are from what I can tell, the reverse of the KKK. The group is known as the Israelite Church of GOD in Jesus Christ.

wikipediaThe basic doctrine of the ICGJC is that Blacks are a master race superior to all peoples, and the World was created only for Black Israelites. They preach that God loves only black israelites and that there is no room on this planet for people they deem undesirable, a list which includes Caucasians, East Indians, Homosexuals, Arabs, and Asians.

I was raised catholic, at this point I don't know exactly where I stand, but my religious background screams at me about all kinds of ridiculous BS in the above statements.

Chief among the screaming in my mind is that Christianity teaches tolerance for all human beings so far as I'm aware. I dunno...just had to get this out there somewhere as a sort of sanity check I guess. I'm pretty sure most of the people here are at the most in the same boat as me, whereby I can believe in a God but religion in general is retarded. Many of you seem to be anti-God entirely which is fine, as I said...I don't know exactly where I stand.

Various linkages: Relevant Wikipedia Passage, Official Web Site so far as I can tell

Johannes Uglyfred II

While I do not support the ICGJC or its beliefs, I think the issue at hand is rather important and deserves to be looked at from a larger, less subjective angle.

Remember that religion, as an institution, is about more than just God or particular tenets or beliefs about the supernatural. Religion also functions to convey and reinforce the values and ideologies of the dominant social group in a society - these are called hegemonic values. With this in mind, let us view the ICGJC from the perspective of resistance theory, which examines how less powerful or dominated social groups resist conformity to and control from the dominant groups. The ICGJC members are resisting mainstream hegemonic values (which devalue blacks and Israelites) and forming their own group in which those persecuted traits are now prized; they are swapping one hegemony for another, placing the values and qualities of their group as superior to the values of the group which was dominating them. This is not about God - this is about tension between social groups, which has manifested itself, in this case, through religion. It is not that the ICGJC has misinterpreted Christianity's supposed core teachings about mercy and tolerance; it is that a marginalized group has donned the mantle of religion in order to legitimize its message of resistance. Religion is often used in this way; for instance, consider how religious fundamentalists here in the States have used religion as a vehicle for legitimizing and validating their call for a return to traditional values.

In short: The ICGJC isn't a sign of people being batshit crazy. It's a sign of social unrest and upheaval in society's power structure. The issue is much deeper than "believers are irrational" or "God says this and that."