It's Not Just Rev. Wright... It's More About the System!

The fiery rhetoric of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright has sent shockwaves throughout the political landscape at the magnitude that could possibly collapse the political aspirations of Senator Barak Obama. The preacher’s preaching is laced with messages of racial hatred, separation and accusation. America itself, in his eyes is the dangerous malevolent force in this world destined to be consumed in the eternal fires of hell—a day when the poor victimized peoples of the other nations will celebrate.
However, to lay all of the blame at the feet of this former Marine and pastor would be a great forfeiture of understanding, and a loss of the unique opportunity to really see the inner-workings of what influences much of today’s African American cultural personality. There is a dynamic here, a near mystical captivation that exerts a hold over a people that cannot be ignored. There is something at work here that even in light of cold, hard fact, the faithful adherent rejects truth in order to irrationally cling to the lie, the impractical and absurd. In short, the 16th chapter of Overcoming Racism Through the Gospel presents a painful theory that much of the black-think process is a result of race-cult influence, and Rev. Wright’s extra-gospel preaching serves well to prove it!
Cult- a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader.
Before the matter is discussed in further detail, let it be known that the credible resources who provide the means for such analysis were experts in the field of cults—Dr. Milton Rokeach author of The Open and Closed Mind, and Dr. Walter Martin, author of Kingdom of the Cults. Although both men are deceased, their research and work present factors and elements which succinctly and comprehensively shed light upon the world of mind and people control. Whether intentional or inadvertent, the devastating results are the same!
Dr. Rokeach explains that the mind of a person susceptible to cult influence will be affected in three regions. In light of such a tumultuous history that has been often craftily manipulated by those in trust, it is an easy leap towards understanding what is happening and how to effectively find solutions.
The first and central region is that which encompasses the individual’s basic primitive outlook on the world of which he lives, and asks such questions as “Is the world a threatening place or is it an accepting place? Although the plight of black America is a complicated matter with enough blame for many to share, it seems to be most convenient and beneficial for a majority of blacks to perceive that white America is the root cause of their plight. Pastor Wright’s message of anti-Americanism is rooted in this racial hatred as many are taught that this anti-blackism manifests in this entire system because the majority of whites control it. Honest dialogue will admit that there are whites who hate blacks with uncompromising irrationality, and this partial truth forms the foundation for the general disparagement of all whites being typical racists.
Though often false today in light of today’s progress in racial opportunity, there could be enough truth in it to make the entire message an easy sell. If one would multiply this ideology by tens of thousands of pulpits at least once per week, then it is no stretch to understand that Wright is not the only black preacher convincing congregants that they are victims.
The belief that whites created the AIDS virus as an instrument of genocide, drugs given to bolster a black prison population and other cultural maladies are readily placed upon the shoulders of whites in general in spite of overwhelming evidence indicting those very liberal policies they embrace!
The second or intermediate region of the mind lies within the matter of authority—whose authority is a person willing to accept in matters pertaining to the functions of life? In terms of the church, this is a sacred trust that cannot ever be violated. The preacher’s role is to work to build a trust between the people and God, not the people and himself. Without the focus truly being on the word of God, the people can easily become attached to the one who best exercises real authority over their lives. When this occurs, the preacher or charismatic leader can say practically anything, and the devout followers will believe because he is supposed to be the one overseeing the spiritual matters of the church as well as the general well-being of its members. He has the ability to shape their world view by painting a picture of constant danger and hostility being perpetrated against the congregants as black people, while offering conspiracy theories ranging from evidentially-circumstantial to the outright absurd!
The third region relates to the circumstances and details which add up to one’s structure of living. Who or what influences one’s way of life for the better or for the worse? It is obvious that Rev. Wright as well as others like Louis Farrakan, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and literally thousands of black pastors across America use the power of the pulpit to convince congregants that it is racist white America that is the cause of their troubles. History tells us of the black experience of progress and opportunity in spite of opposition, but selective history has created a culture of futility and animosity.
When a charismatic leader’s message is able to effectively control and manipulate these three regions of the individual’s mind, he will certainly influence their beliefs and patterns of thought. It becomes a greater threat in the faith-based culture because he can interject ideas and messages of hope and deliverance based upon things not seen, or to be realized in a futuristic day of judgment—off-shoots from established conventional record and tradition.
In addition to what has been presented through the work of Dr. Rokeach, Dr. Walter Martin’s research identifies four recognizable characteristics in those who live quite possibly under cult influence.
The first characteristic is a form of closed-mindedness in which the cult mentality is not interested in a rational cognitive evaluation of the facts. Critical decisions pertaining to the individual’s world view are derived through an emotional process instead of simple reasoning. Negative cultural indicators such as black-on-black crime, illegitimate births, below-standard academic achievement, and high incarceration rates are not linked to personal responsibility, but are based upon conspiracy theories, distrust and paranoia. The closed mind is the perfect vessel for the errant preacher to pour his own psychoses, bad judgments and personal agendas based upon wealth, influence and power.
The second issue is genuine antagonism at a personal level. This is because the cultist identifies the message with the messenger, and if the authoritative voice successfully convinces the believer that the message is detrimental, then anything and anyone outside of that cult’s environment is viewed as the enemy. White America is the embodiment of evil and in many African American church congregations, a skilled pastor readily preaches a gospel contaminated with the Lord’s vengeance upon the white oppressors. Words like conservative and Republican are now synonymous with the Ku Klux Klan, and those associated are generally viewed as the enemy. As illustrated in many of Rev. Wright’s sermons, the preacher stirs up the anger and clamor of the victim experience, and then feeds off of the dynamic energy released from the critical mass of the emotional explosion.
Thirdly, the system will reflect a type of institutional dogmatism that bears a pronounced intolerance for any position but its own. Apparently, the need to belong to the system outweighs the innate desire to express free-will thought and in many cases, actions. The traditions, rules and customs form a significant part of the doctrine, usually given credence through the authority’s interpretation of the group’s holy writ. Whatever is done collectively is viewed as the best for black people with chronic intolerance of different or opposing views intertwined throughout the culture. To be a true black person according to the race-cult thought process, one must accept what the ruling intelligentsia determines is the policy. Even one who dares to quietly oppose the conventional wisdom of the leadership class is ostracized, and anyone who openly does so is publicly flogged by the whip of the tongue through name-calling and personal denigration. Labels such as race traitor, sell out, Uncle Tom, Oreo, token and other derogatory tags are placed upon the dissenter, and the extent of the punishment normally includes ostracism and public humiliation. This is the race-cult enforcement portion of the mindset.
The fourth and final element characterized by the race-cult mentality, as with any cult system is isolation. If nothing else, the messages of this group of black preachers serve as the perfect instrument for keeping many blacks isolated from full participation in the American experience. The idea of having an eternal white enemy produces a paranoia that causes nearly the entire group to live in constant distrust, suspicion and fear of whites and other groups while firmly believing that only black unity will produce the best outcomes for blacks in America. Bill Cosby was castigated for “exposing the black community’s dirty laundry” because he began to challenge black parents and youth to become accountable for their actions and to live up to their responsibilities.
Because a significant part of the black church experience has dwelt in isolation, many people in America are shocked to hear of such messages like Rev. Wright’s. Even ministers who support him seek to pass his behavior off as something unique to the African American community that outsiders will not and cannot understand. The conclusion to this discussion strongly suggests that this system has done very little to uplift the people it is supposed to benefit. In fact, as one considers the plight of the African American people, much can be certainly placed at the feet of the preacher! It seems evident that he is more concerned with his control over the masses than their freedoms! The seven elements presented using the cult system models of Drs. Rokeach and Martin suggest that this religious system is ominous and detrimental instead of wholesome and beneficial. Some liken it to a modern-day plantation, where the beneficiaries are those who are politically connected to the party they support without question practically 90% of the time. Others see it as a marriage between the church and Marxist ideology. Whatever the case might be, the black church itself may be in need of a change!

A Black Man's Declaration of Independence

By Rev. Dr. M. L. Johnson

(Modeled after our United States Declaration of Independence)

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for a person to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God has entitled him, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel him to the separation.
I still hold these truths to be self-evident, that I, like all men are created equal, that we are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
That to exercise these rights, Political Groups are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the constituents, That whenever any Form of Political Group becomes destructive of these ends, it is the My Right to alter or to remove from it, and to join or establish new political bands of my own choosing, if I choose to do so, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect my Safety and Happiness. Principles, indeed, will dictate that Political Platforms long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind is more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is my right, it is my duty, to throw off such Political Bands, and to provide new Guards for my future security.
Such has been the patient sufferance of my People; and such is now the necessity which constrains me to alter my former Political Loyalties and Devotions. The history of the present National Democratic Party is a history of repeated injuries, deceptions and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over our Communities, Cities and States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

• It has worked to overthrow, thwart and detour the progress and advancement of people of color declared free by the Emancipation Proclamation with a history of reverse legislation, political machinations, and blatant deprivations ranging from total alienation, social apartheid to unbridled acts of legalized terrorism.


• It has presided over the genocide of over thirty per cent of the current black population in the land, by serving as the support system of destruction for millions of unborn black babies with an additional urgency to control the black population around the world through similar tactics.


• It has made merchandise of the weak and the poor, shackling them into the links of bondage that has formed chains of human misery stretching from the obscure rural abodes to the hollowed-out inner-city disaster areas with no chance of escape, while for themselves instituting self-serving, job-producing programs for the carrion to feed off of the living flesh of those enslaved.


• It has created and forced upon the masses a public education system modeled after a process foreign and alien to our beliefs, designed more to produce a controlled population rather than academic success; resulting is failure for our black youth who graduate from there to prison at rates disproportionate to occurrences other racial groups.


• It has cunningly sought and successfully purchased the unfailing devotion of a class of political black co-conspirators who supposedly represent the black race, but has only served to maintain black unity in the form of obedience and compliance to systems, ideologies and programs detrimental to free expression and the acquisition of our said unalienable rights.


• It has promoted disunity amongst us, rewarding the name-callers and the race-baiters for their attacks upon free-thinking dissenters, conducting public high-tech lynchings to discourage opposition to their causes.


• It has adopted and instituted throughout our cultures a belief system that denies the existence of God and the inferiority of men amongst men—a system that promulgates the notion that nature has no God, and all things exist through the final rule of impossibility, even in defiance of the laws of probability.


• It has made it acceptable in the face of a moral people that man can lie with man as with a woman, and has begun to recondition the minds of our younger generations to accept perversion as a normality.


• It has established a system that has established an unyielding class of dependency that deprives a man of his right to prosperity by working to add the burden of excessive taxation upon his productivity, and redistribute it to those who may not be industrious or even desirous to earn a living for themselves, in the name of fairness and justice.


• It has used the history of the suffering of black people as a commodity to form alliances and use as leverages with groups and organizations that do not serve in the best interests of black people.

In every stage of these Oppressions I have sought to be heard in the most humble terms: my repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. An Organization, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Manipulative Deceiver, is unfit to be the representative of a free people.

Nor have I been wanting in attentions to my complicit African American brethren. I have warned them from time to time of attempts by their manipulative efforts to extend an unwarrantable, Marxist jurisdiction over me. I have reminded them of the circumstances of our involuntary importation and subsequent settlement here. I have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred and ancestry to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. I must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

I, therefore, a natural born Citizen of the United States of America, a Born-Again Believer in my savior and Lord Jesus Christ, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of my intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority God Almighty, solemnly publish and declare, That I as a free-willed being, and of Right ought to be a Free and Independent agent; that I am Absolved from all Allegiance to the Democratic Party and that all political connection between me and the Political Affiliation, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent Agent, I have full Power to lay full claim to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness , and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent Persons may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, I solemnly pledge to all who join with me, to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor in the further pursuit of freedom for all peoples as our great and wonderful God has purposed.