church/state and the importance of religion in the black community

[ulysses]

The folks with whom I work - in a public middle school with a 100% African-American student population - are not, I've learned, terribly shy about expressions of faith in the classroom. Several of them are ordained and go by "Rev" in the classroom, and my parapro last week passionately declared a Biblical paraphrase to be the quote of the week (although that was quietly changed).

This causes minor discomfort for the civil libertarian in me - minor because this is a community-based school in a troubled community where the church plays a very large role, civil authorities having largely abandoned it to its fate, and minor because they're not white fruitloop fundamentalists. Still, the discomfort is quite real. I'm waiting for the first Muslim child to enroll.

After the fights and worrying about state-mandated tests and all the shit NCLB requires, this is about the last thing I might worry about on a given work day, but I think it's worth considering in a wider context. Thoughts?

[Seeking Serenity]

1. I find this quote kind of disturbing in a double-standard kind of way

"minor because they're not white fruitloop fundamentalists"

So, the behavior you absolutely would oppose done by people you don't like becomes something you have doubts about opposing in people with whom you are allied?

You can't have a "Bad for thee but not for me" opinion. That's a double standard. Double standards are bad for many reasons.

I know that to many black communities, the church is the linchpin of that community, the hub around which the wheel turns. And I think that's a good thing if it's helping that community. But to many white fundamentalists, it is the same thing. Their church is their community. If it's absolutely bad for one group, how is it not absolutely bad for another?

I empathize with your quandry.

[ulysses]

2. not exactly, but close.

So, the behavior you absolutely would oppose done by people you don't like becomes something you have doubts about opposing in people with whom you are allied?

It's not the same behavior. I spent last year teaching in a private fundie school and it's not the same behavior or outlook...or cynicism or greed.

Is there a double-standard in there somewhere though? Yeah, I'll cop to it.

But to many white fundamentalists, it is the same thing. Their church is their community. If it's absolutely bad for one group, how is it not absolutely bad for another?

It's not bad at all for white fundamentalists to find community in their church. But that community is not the same as the neighborhood community in which I work, and I find those fundies a far greater danger than the black churches where influence in the public sphere is concerned.

[PassingFair]

3. ...and why is it...

that my black religious friends can still be proudly DEMOCRATIC, while white fundies are stepping all over themselves to vote for *face.

[AnnInLa]

4. I am a math teacher in a public high school in the South,

and cannot express myself nearly as well as you guys do, but one thing I have noticed: here, in the Black communities, religion is celebrated and is friendly and inclusive. In our private, fundie church schools, religion is used as a weapon and is judgemental and exclusive. I do see your dilemma and don't know what I would do in a similar situation. Maybe you must decide the lesser of two evils...compromise maybe?