I was interviewed by Avis Yarbrough with Associated Content to discuss Infidelguy, black intellectualism, the black church and atheism. Check it out. Looks like there are a few typos but I think I addressed her questions quite well.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/162952/black_culture.......


Copy of text reposted in my archive for safe-keeping.




Avis Yarborough: I was thinking of writing an article on African-Americans and atheism. I did a paper on the subject in college, and I was amazed at how little information their was on the subject. While doing research on the internet, in what was suppose to be the article on 'Black Culture and Atheism,' I came across the website infidelguy.com.That was when I decided to turn my article into an interview. Subsequently, I contacted the host of infidelguy.com, Reginald V. Finley, Sr. for an interview and he said, "Yes." Here is the interview.


1. Could you talk a little about your website(blog) infidelguy.com? When did you start your website and why?

Well, this site design is probably the 8th version of infidelguy.com. I began late in 1998. It was a geo-cities hosted site with the intent of sharing my ideas about religious beliefs to the public and also to reach out to other minorities letting them know that "It's Okay to Not believe" and that it's okay to doubt.

About a year later in early 1999, I started my first internet show. Jake, who is now my partner with AtheistNetwork.com, showed me how to broadcast, as he was doing it prior and conducting the Atheism Freedom Liberation show. My show grew faster than I ever considered and soon I was earning a living doing an internet talk show. I'm considered the first ever non-corporate entity to earn a full-time income doing talk internet radio.


2. I wrote a paper on Black Atheism in college for an African-American religious course.What struck me while researching the paper was that there was very little information I could find concerning the issue. It was like a well kept secret. Do you have any thoughts on this?

Well.. to be honest, I've never considered the idea that black free thought may have been purposefully suppressed. However, I wouldn't be surprised. When we consider the many religious icons in the early civil rights movement, the bandwagon was to espouse True Christian theism as the cure for humanity's ills. It makes sense that Christian historians would leave out direct heretical remarks by atheists and freethinkers that have also made huge advances in black civil rights. After all, we are Satan's little helpers right? We, "can do no good" as the Bible states in Psalms 14:1.


3. Why do you think atheism in the African-American community is not discussed?

Well.. to be black and religious goes hand in hand. In fact, poll after poll supports this. Black Americans are indeed the most religious. With black females being the largest church attenders. I'd say it goes back a long time. The church was one of the primary buildings slave communities were allowed to congregate. As typical, it was believed that the church would "civilize" us.

Here, in church, is where you could discuss issues relevant to the black community, teach our children to read and write. Also, we were doing something that Master (Masseh) was doing and it appeared to benefit them. Participating in church is what placed us on level ground with Masseh. It humanized us, so-to-speak. The Church was the center of our communities and as such became 'the' prominent force in our community. Only rivaled today by clubs, B.E.T and the thug culture. To be Black, is to be religious. Anything else is simply not discussed. Many of the black religions I have encountered don't even know what an atheist is. Some believe atheists are Satan worshipers (Odd as that may seem).


4. One of the primary reasons, I came across, concerning why prominent black atheist are so little well-known were: they had very few places to discuss their beliefs. Most prominent African-Americans who did believe in God could go to the church. Black atheist either gave lectures on street corners or other places that would have them. What do you think?

As I mentioned earlier. I agree whole heartedly. The Black Socrates, Henry Hubert Harrison, did just that. He spoke on street corners lecturing to anyone that would listen. He later became a world class lecturer at many Universities around the Nation discussing race issues, birth control and religious dogma. Yet he isn't mentioned very often at all. Sad. www.infidelguy.com/archives/81-Famous-Black-Freethinkers.html#harrison


5. Are you an atheist?

I am a humanist, atheist, agnostic and theological non-cognitivist. Essentially this is what all that means. I am a humanist in that, I believe in placing humanity above dogma. When many religions put God first, they inevitably cause harm to their fellow man. I'm an atheist in that I do not believe in any gods that man has presented to me or even those that I have fabricated in my imagination. I am an agnostic at times in that, depending on the definition of God, I will simply state that I have no adequate knowledge of this God of which you speak and therefore I'm agnostic about it.

But I'm still also an atheist as I do not 'believe' it exists either. So.. sometimes, I am an agnostic and an atheist. They are not mutually exclusive terms. I am a theological non-cognitivist in that, at times, I may be presented with a God that has no referents common with our experience. It could exist, but since I can not use cognition in anyway to comprehend this being. It's ultimately meaningless and thus, I can't even make a claim of anything about it because it's essentially, nonsensical. Some call this another type of agnosticism.


6. Were you raised in the church? If so, when did you lose faith or did you ever have it?

I wasn't raised in the church but I went to church often. My parents allowed friends and relatives to take me. Oh yes, I believed... with reservation. However, I always knew that something wasn't quite right with the church and Christianity, but I just couldn't put my finger on it. It wasn't until college, when I took a few philosophy courses, that I realized what was wrong. I had an overwhelming desire to question the religious beliefs I was taught.

As I mentioned above, somehow, I didn't realize this until I started taking courses in philosophy and religious history. That's when it all fell apart. I found out that everything I believed or was taught was simply wrong. Moses didn't write the Torah, God's attributes contradict themselves and that men weren't inspired by God to write the Bible, but men were inspired by what they subjectively believed about God. It all became clear.


7. African-American culture has the reputation, rightly so, of being very religious. But religion has been used as a tool against them, i.e. slavery. Also, if you have ever read early writers like David Walker "The Appeal" it bred a kind of passivity. You may suffer in this life but later on, when you get to heaven, you will reap your awards. Could you talk about this a little?

Indeed, I hit on some of this earlier but I shall expound on the passivity issue. Many Christian slave owners used scripture to enforce slavery. There are passages in the Bible (Ephesians 6:5) for one that talk about "obeying your masters", then of course, there's that loving place called Hell that Jesus invented and promises to non-believers.However, today, I'd say passivity is mostly gone in the black community as now we have claimed Christianity as our own.

It now empowers us sometimes in the most arrogant of ways. What I have seen now-a-days is a growing lack of personal responsibility. I guess, it's now moved from oppressor passivity to, passivity when it comes to taking on other direct challenges in life. All to often, when I used to work in property management, I'd hear, "God will make a way" in response to not having their rent on time. I mean come on! Get a job, save up for goodness sake! Whether your readers agree with my theological position or not, they know this is true. They can easily reflect on dozens of similar circumstances in which someone close to them has used God/Jesus as an excuse to not directly address an issue. It CAN breed laziness. Only because it's such a convenient excuse.Agreed, not all Christians take this attitude to such self-aggrandizing, arrogant levels.


8. Prominent African-Americans who are referred to as being atheists are Hubert. H.Harrison, J.A Rogers and George S. Schuyler. Are you familiar with any of them and their writings? If so, could you talk about them a little?

Yes.. I mentioned Harrison earlier, the black Socrates. To mention briefly, J.A. Rogers was another black atheist. He is most well known for his book, "From 'Superman' to Man", in which he writes: "The slogan of the Negro devotee is: Take the world but give me Jesus, and the white man strikes an eager bargain with him." George Schuyler is another not well known black atheist. Schuyler was a war vet (no atheists in foxholes eh?).He was a journalist and wrote for Asa Philip Randolph's paper, 'The Messenger' in the 1920's. One of Schuyler's many memorable quotes: "On the horizon loom a growing number of iconoclasts and Atheists, young black men and women who can read, think, and ask questions, and who impertinently demand to know why Negroes should revere a God who permits them to be lynched, jim-crowed and disfranchised." - "Black America Begins to Doubt" Schuyler published by American Mercury in 1932.


9. Do you believe that religion is hurting African-American culture? If not, what does religion do or not do for African-Americans?

Well, what is Afro-American culture in the first place? This is still Very hotly debated. Obviously, since we were stripped of our culture. We Must create one or adopt earlier ones. I think I'll quote Mike Estes here (a guest on my show), in response to a question about educating our kids about what is our black tradition, paraphrasing he says, "Our tradition is a tradition of educating ourselves and beating the odds and mastering the rules that white society have put on us, and once you master those rules then you can change the rules." Since the church does not, nor many of our schools, teach blacks about their intellectual tradition, we cannot produce a culture substantive of that. They are getting a very skewed a limited view. We aren't being taught to question, only to follow Jesus or some other unprovable claim. Our tradition is riddled with blacks that philosophize and question the authority of the church. That's now been replaced with blind obedience.

It's a Catch 22 for us. I mean, there ARE positive influences. The Church keeps us off the streets and gives people something to do. It empowers them to think positively and face adversity with knowledge that God will make a way. But... that's all ultimately superficial. The churches are the ones draining the Black Community. They are the adversity we must face to move toward a brighter future. They don't teach critical thought, just blind obedience. Just the way Masseh wants us to. The church is robbing us blind. They give you a Bible in one hand while reaching in your pocket with the other. I know too many people that have lost their homes and cars from giving to the church. If they were taught to think critically, they might have said to themselves, "Hmm.. well I have to pay my rent, but I owe God 10%.

Hmm.. well.. how do I know that God will return my money? So many people all over the world are starving to death and they believe. Hmm.. perhaps that's the problem. Perhaps using our brains about this is really what God wants." car screech In comes the Bible Believing authoritarian. The Pastor. "Stop questioning the Lord. It's very clear in his 'word'. If God says he'll reward you for giving up ALL of your possessions, he will!" If you believe deeply enough, you will give and give until you can't pay your rent. Many of the devout have given their entire fortunes to churches. Then the church takes that money and builds a new wing of the church or the Pastor gets a 5th car. All tax Free dollars and very unaccounted for. If you were to have the courage to ask for it back. Well.. good luck! "That's the Lord's money now." How is this truly helping us? The Church is a just a big ass club on Sunday. Hey Pastors! Teach your congregation how to read, write, speak well and think critically for a change.


10. If you are an atheist do you like being one?

Well.. if my atheism means having the ability to think freely. Yes.. I love it.


11. Finally, any thoughts on atheism and black culture that I failed to cover that you would like to talk about?

Well.. I think it's imperative that the prejudice many churches perpetuate against non-believers is addressed, it's quite sad. We are your barbers, your grocers, your local police, politicians, servicemen, heroes, and even sitting right next to you in church and on your job. To believe or not to believe is a right given to us by our Constitution.

Atheists are always being called anti-American and un-Patriotic. Yet, we see atheist military veterans and defenders of civic equality all doing their good share to make this world a better, safer place to live.Theocratic politicians have successfully drawn lines in the sand and you are on either one side or the other side. Conservative Republican,Christian, or Liberal Democratic God Hater?

Who's "more American" here? There is probably no such animal. However, what I do know is that, at the heart of being an American (ideally), is the allowance of an individual to believe and worship as they see fit, provided that they aren't harming anyone. Much like the founders of this country wanted.Most atheists I know support this view.. but the Bible disagrees. "Thou shalt not have any other God's before me." - The First Commandment - The Holy Bible. The Bible, it could be argued, is un-American.

Thank you for this interview. I had fun.

Reginald V. Finley, Sr.
Host: The Debate Hour & Infidel Guy Show