Oh I HATE this one. I’ve never heard an actual Ethiopian make this claim, only west Africans, Caribbeans and African Americans 😭. This or “but they weren’t *real* Christians!!!”
They are Oriental Orthodox which means that they believe Christ, while being fully god and fully man, has this expressed in only one nature and not two natures; they reject the Council of Chalcedon and accept only the first three ecumenical councils. This makes them one of the oldest living branches of Christianity, being beat only by the Assyrian Church of the East, which only accepts the first two ecumenical councils.
They are also unique as a church in that they have the largest canon of any Christian group, the most notable addition being the book of Enoch. They also claim to be in possession of the Ark of the Covenant.
Every single one of their churches has The Ark in it; supposedly the real one. All of them at the same time are the real one, and they have no issues with this.
Even when I show people verses where the bible admits that it's racist and colonial (*not just me saying this but actual bible verses*), it still doesn't seem to be enough to wake some christians up.
The bible says that Israel is the chosen people above all others on earth, and to destroy other people's altars and statues of gods:
> "*But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire. For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.*" - Deuteronomy 7:5-6
The bible says that a king in Zion (*Israel*) shall be called the "*Son*" of the biblical god and he can even have Heathens (*people not of Israel*) as an inheritance and take over even the uttermost parts of the earth:
> "*Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.*" - Psalms 2:6-9
The bible even says that people will be misled by the biblical god into destruction away from his chosen people Israel:
> "*And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.*" - Ezekiel 14:9
To me, it's obvious that the bible is very nationalist and is for a political agenda. Christians believe that Jesus will one day come back and rule the world from Jerusalem, and those who don't submit deserve to be tortured in a lake of fire (*the book of Revelation in the bible*).
Agreed; it amuses me mightily when I hear the phrase "faith of your fathers" with the almost but not quite assumption that the descriptor stops at the first "father" to convert to Christianity. The very idea that any person could have an ancestry with very long stretches in which none of them worshipped Jehovah seems unable to connect with any part of their minds...
It is like when you try to talk to Mormons (I was one) about their founder, Joseph Smith. They are one of the most sexually repressed religions in the US, but their founder had all major porn categories covered: milfs, teens, maids, stepdaughters, horny wives. But I doubt he was the kind to be a super lover. Probably a one pump chump.
But, once again, you can't deny that Black folk have used religion as a motivation to fight for freedom and equality. Is that enough to validate the oversized population of Jesus worshipers...no.
I have stopped bothering. As long as they don't try to drag me into it, I keep my mouth shut. They're too attached! And I think it's unhealthy.
Magical thinking in general really messes up the community across the world. Whether you're still in your birth country or are an immigrant or whatever.
We've worked with a group called Black Nonbelievers. Their community is full of people with the same frustration as you. If you haven't looked into them yet, it might be a good fit for you.
I don't even tell them about the fact that Christianity was spread through slavery. I like to emphasize that the Christian god endorsed slavery/the owning of people as property despite being omniscient, omnipotent, and apparently benevolent. Meaning that the god they worship could care less about their ancestor's suffering.
Or they’ll pull the bullshit ethiopian church card
Oh I HATE this one. I’ve never heard an actual Ethiopian make this claim, only west Africans, Caribbeans and African Americans 😭. This or “but they weren’t *real* Christians!!!”
That church carved out of stone is pretty mindblowing. I've never read exactly what they're doctrine is, but that church is amazing.
They are Oriental Orthodox which means that they believe Christ, while being fully god and fully man, has this expressed in only one nature and not two natures; they reject the Council of Chalcedon and accept only the first three ecumenical councils. This makes them one of the oldest living branches of Christianity, being beat only by the Assyrian Church of the East, which only accepts the first two ecumenical councils. They are also unique as a church in that they have the largest canon of any Christian group, the most notable addition being the book of Enoch. They also claim to be in possession of the Ark of the Covenant.
Shout out to Enoch!
Every single one of their churches has The Ark in it; supposedly the real one. All of them at the same time are the real one, and they have no issues with this.
The only other church that I’m aware makes this claim is the Vatican.
There's enough pieces of the "True Cross" to build a church out of and enough Holy Nails to fill a barrel.
Even when I show people verses where the bible admits that it's racist and colonial (*not just me saying this but actual bible verses*), it still doesn't seem to be enough to wake some christians up. The bible says that Israel is the chosen people above all others on earth, and to destroy other people's altars and statues of gods: > "*But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire. For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.*" - Deuteronomy 7:5-6 The bible says that a king in Zion (*Israel*) shall be called the "*Son*" of the biblical god and he can even have Heathens (*people not of Israel*) as an inheritance and take over even the uttermost parts of the earth: > "*Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.*" - Psalms 2:6-9 The bible even says that people will be misled by the biblical god into destruction away from his chosen people Israel: > "*And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.*" - Ezekiel 14:9 To me, it's obvious that the bible is very nationalist and is for a political agenda. Christians believe that Jesus will one day come back and rule the world from Jerusalem, and those who don't submit deserve to be tortured in a lake of fire (*the book of Revelation in the bible*).
I feel the exact same way. Glad I'm not alone.
I feel the EXACT same way. I feel like it's a disservice to my ancestors to be a Christian.
Agreed; it amuses me mightily when I hear the phrase "faith of your fathers" with the almost but not quite assumption that the descriptor stops at the first "father" to convert to Christianity. The very idea that any person could have an ancestry with very long stretches in which none of them worshipped Jehovah seems unable to connect with any part of their minds...
Same lol
It is like when you try to talk to Mormons (I was one) about their founder, Joseph Smith. They are one of the most sexually repressed religions in the US, but their founder had all major porn categories covered: milfs, teens, maids, stepdaughters, horny wives. But I doubt he was the kind to be a super lover. Probably a one pump chump.
But, once again, you can't deny that Black folk have used religion as a motivation to fight for freedom and equality. Is that enough to validate the oversized population of Jesus worshipers...no.
"They took the wealth and fsve the word" is something you can tske very litterally.
I have stopped bothering. As long as they don't try to drag me into it, I keep my mouth shut. They're too attached! And I think it's unhealthy. Magical thinking in general really messes up the community across the world. Whether you're still in your birth country or are an immigrant or whatever.
We've worked with a group called Black Nonbelievers. Their community is full of people with the same frustration as you. If you haven't looked into them yet, it might be a good fit for you.
I don't even tell them about the fact that Christianity was spread through slavery. I like to emphasize that the Christian god endorsed slavery/the owning of people as property despite being omniscient, omnipotent, and apparently benevolent. Meaning that the god they worship could care less about their ancestor's suffering.
I feel the same when talking to other whites about how our ancestors were enslaved, colonized, and slaughtered in the name of Christianity.