a295: God and colour in Haiti: Chamberlain comments on Archim (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>

"Archim" wrote:

> So to even question the color of God is an exercise
> in futility. God exists, to be sure, but He exists as
> spirit, "and all that worship Him must worship Him in
> spirit and in truth". (St. John 4:24) God took on the
> form of man (Jesus) so that man (and that includes
> woman!!!) in following Him could eventually become
> one with Him, and that's what we mean by "salvation".


I am interested to note that even as the "Archim" rightly
deplores the depiction of God as a white man, his own
very residence in Haiti as a white working priest with
the intimidating grand title of "Archimandrite,"
referring to the deity as Him, His etc. and talking of the
need to "worship" (and obey) God and, "that's right,"
all the rest of the mumbo-jumbo in his post is
perpetuating the very cultural imperialism he deplores.

What are white priests doing in Haiti at all, if there is
no serious battle against depicting God as white?
They are mostly avoiding this prickly issue, preferring
not to confront the contradiction in the baggage
they bring to Haiti with them.  Ordinary Haitians are
still receiving a clear visual (if not verbal) message
that "white is right."

It is one of Haiti's tragedies that it has been used as
a "laboratory" by so many foreign religious people.
Circumstances (the failure/absence of the Haitian
state) have given them the lucky break of being
able to provide much of the educational and health
services, and they indeed do much good work.

But how about a bit more attention to the fact that
_in practice_ Christianity is straight, race-based
cultural imperialism?  As we know, those priests
who have tackled this issue to some extent (Aristide
and the progressive white foreign or Haitian priests
who "educated" him and helped him to power)
have been in effect shunned by their superiors
(Haitian and foreign) and by most of the American
Protestant clergy as dangerous men.

OK, all you priestly Corbetteers, let me feel the heat
of your flames consigning me _in practice_
to the nether regions.

Mambo Racine, you have My blessing...


        Greg Chamberlain
        Church of the Perpetual Conspiracy