A recent CNN.com article discusses the actions of several atheistic groups to attack religion and the celebrating of Christmas. There is nothing wrong with them pointing out that Jesus was not in fact born on December 25th. It is also acceptable for them to point out that Christmas was grafted onto the celebration of the Winter Solstice or the Birth of the Sun. However, only offering attacks will not help atheists appear loving and moral which is the main attack against them. The better approach for atheists, agnostics, and theists is to help those who are in need. Effecting positive is what we need not more attacks. By doing so, these atheistic groups are falling into the same trap zealous religionists fall into.

Your obedient servant,
Rev. George H. Latimer-Knight

Many of you already know about my studies in philosophy, specifically philosophy of religion. A truckload of posts on this topic are coming. Just give me until next week to get my thoughts together. Revamping this website, along with starting two others, has drained me temporarily.

Father Hurley was very interested in the philosophy of religion. He made references to St. Aquinas, Socrates, Augustine, and others that lead me to this conclusion. Again, bear with me through this weekend and posts in this area will come.

Be sure to leave your comments on the posts, so that we can have a philosophical dialogue right here on the website. May God bless you all.

Related Posts:
Father Hurley and the Universal Hagar’s Spiritual Church
Thoughts on the Richard Dawkins talk on his book The God Delusion

The world Father Hurley and his contemporaries lived in was very different than ours, although we are still struggling with its legacy. The United States of America was partially founded, unfortunately, on racism and slavery. The Civil War, along with pressure from the Radical Republicans (the abolitionist party), forced President Abraham Lincoln’s hand to draft the Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863. (Wormser: (a)) Though the war had to continue before the slaves began to be released, it marked the beginning of the end of the physical slavery; mental slavery, however, continues to this day. In 1875 the Civil Rights Act was passed to ensure “full and equal enjoyment”. (Wormser: (b)) In 1883 it was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. (Wormser: (c)) Congress did not pass another Civil Rights bill until 1957. (Wormser: (c))These events, plus the continued racism, caused the former slaves to live in a horrible world of lynching, burning, and general unfairness. Imagine walking out your door and seeing your best friend dead, hanging in a tree, or maybe your cousin, or even your mother or father – this was a reality for African-Americans. Imagine having to bow your head low whenever a certain kind of person walked by – this was how Blacks had to respond to Whites. Imagine being told everyday that you are an animal, worthless, less than human, and not worthy to live – this was the reality of the former slaves.

Marcus Garvey, DuPont Bell, Noble Drew Ali, Wallace D. Fard, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Father Divine, Sweet Daddy Grace, Father Elias Dempsey Smith, and many other Black leaders emerged in the late 19^th and early 20^th century to respond to this worldview. They also took issue with the American Christian world’s apparent inability to reach out to the Black race and uplift them. It is no secret that some racist White ministers used their pulpits to preach discrimination and oppression.

A great deal of academic work has been done on all of the leaders just mentioned, however one of their most powerful, intelligent, and spiritual contemporaries is still largely unknown and ignored by scholars. This leader is Father George William Hurley….

Father Hurley was raised in the Protestant tradition. His mother, Tina Hurley, began raising him as a Methodist, but after a few years they became Baptist. At the age of seven he began to preach in the churches and challenge the ministers and was ordained at the age of 11. In 1897, at the age of 13, the Spirit of God revealed to him his great Commission. After high school he went to Tuskegee Institute and Phelps Bible Hall Training School to receive ministerial training. Dr. E. J. Penny was Phelps’ dean and Father Hurley’s ministerial instructor.

By the time he reached his early 20s, Reverend Hurley… was known, especially among southern Baptists, as a dynamic preacher and orator with a seeming special relationship with God. It was not just his ability to ‘woo’ the crowd that made him popular; it was his ability to expound on the teachings of Christ in such a way that even the more uneducated members, which were many times the majority, were able to comprehend the lessons of the Gospel.

In around 1918 or 1919 Reverend Hurley met Father Elias D. Smith, founder of the Triumph the Church and Kingdom of God in Christ, which was founded on January 20, 1904, popularly known as the Triumph Church (Triumph Church website). He was spiritually moved by Father Smith and his teachings and consequently joined. After several years, he reached the level of Elder and the presiding Prince of Michigan, but became dissatisfied with the teachings of the Triumph Church. He disagreed with the way they taught the Bible and how some of the ministers purposely lacked clarity in their explanations of the Gospel to the congregation, among other things. [This possibly could be due to the fact that the Triumph Church began moving away from its original teachings after Father Smith passed away in January 1920 while on a trip to Addis Ababa Abyssinia.] After this he briefly joined the International Spiritual Church, but again he was not completely content. So on September 23, 1923 he founded the Universal Hagar’s Spiritual Association (later changing ‘Association’ to ‘Church’).

References

Triumph Church website. “History of Triumph Church”, 19 Feb. 2004 <http://www.triumphchurch-jax2.org/history.html>.

Wormser, Richard.(a) “The Emancipation Proclamation (1863)”, 19 Feb. 2004 <http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_events_emancipate.html>.

Wormser, Richard.(b) “Civil Rights Act (1875)”, 19 Feb. 2004 <http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/ stories_events_civil.html>.

Wormser, Richard.(c) “Civil Rights Act of 1875 Declared Unconstitutional”, 19 Feb. 2004 <http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_events_uncivil.html>.

 

Relationships take time to build. In our society, marriages, romantic affairs, and even friendships have been reduced. It takes time to learn how to relate to a person. Why should our relationship with God be any different? It takes time to know God. We in our humanity will never know God completely, seeing that God is infinite. Therefore, we will never know all there is to know, so we must never stop building our relationship with God.

Related Posts:
Fast Food Religion #1: Random Introductory Thoughts

 

Fast food religion for a fast food nation. First in a series of talks about how we have reduced God to a quick/right now idea. Anything worth having is worth working for. Why should knowing God be any different?

SOURCE:
Schaeffer, Frank. Interview with Maureen Fiedler. Interfaith Voices. Interfaithradio.org. 04 Oct 2007.

Also see. Crazy For God — How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right, and Lived to Take All (or Almost All) of It Back by Frank Schaeffer

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Fast Food Religion #2 – Relationships Take Time to Build

To my brothers and sisters, Peace and Love,

Brother Ryan Adams sent a video over the University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) Agora email list. In it Richard Dawkins was giving a talk in Lynchberg, Virginia, concerning his book The God Delusion. Several thoughts came as I watched the video.

1) Dawkins believes that if one is intelligent and educated that they will no longer believe in God. He further asserts that there are many atheists and agnostics in the closet in America. Is this really the case? Since I am a minister, does this automatically make me unintelligent and ignorant? I know I received a high-level education at UDM. In addition, there may be many theists in the closet in the scientific community.

2) Dawkins says that atheists and homosexuals are the last two unelectable groups in America. He states that Blacks, women, Jews, etc. are well accepted in American politics. Well, is this the case? It is true, there have been Blacks in congress. However, there have never been more than one Black in the U.S. Senate at any given time in history. Also, “when the 110th Congress first convened, Democrat Nancy Pelosi became the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House, Keith Ellison became the first Muslim in Congress, and Mazie Hirono and Hank Johnson became the first Buddhists in Congress.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/110th_United_States_Congress) There has never been a Black, Women, Buddhist, Hindu, or Atheist president. I think he oversimplifies in trying to say everyone is free in American politics, expect atheists and homosexuals.

3) I think Dawkins and the majority audience had too much fun putting down Liberty University.

4) This video reminded me of my time in Wayne State’s graduate philosophy program. All the full-time professors were atheists (well, one I was not sure about). They made it there business, in everyone of their courses, to denounce religion as folly. Several of them said they always take time to refute the existence of God in their introduction to philosophy courses. My problem: tearing down and taking away is one thing, but where is the building. This is just as true for the theist.

5) We must all, in my opinion, adhere in some fashion to Matthew 25:35-40, where Christ charges us to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, house the stranger (homeless), clothe the naked, visit the sick, and uplift the prisoner. Atheists, Agnostics, and Theists are all at fault for the condition of the world. There is surely room for the philosophical underpinnings Matthew 25:35-40 in all camps.

6) If atheists do want a stronger position in America they must organize around the afore stated verses. In the aftermaths of Katrina, I remember it being commented that religious organizations flocked to the rescue, while the government was very slow, and atheistic organizations were not seen. Dawkins said that atheists are too intelligent to be herded (organized). If this is so, then they will never gain power, for there is power in organization and leadership.

I hope all of you receive something positive from these six thoughts.

I have the honor to be your obedient servant,
Rev. George H. Latimer-Knight
Written January 30-31, 2007 at age 25

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Philosophy and Religion Coming Soon
Father Hurley and the Universal Hagar’s Spiritual Church