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It is simple really. It is self imposed segregation. People choose which group to associate with based on similar beliefs, practices and cultural similarities. It's that simple. Not sure why most have to make a big deal out of this. It's not like these churches are not accepting people of different races. If a white person were to choose to join a traditionally black church, I'm sure they would be welcomed with open arms. And vise versa.
Nothing to see here!
I agree. I have attended many all black congregation in my life and felt very welcome. I don't think they ended up being an all black congregation because of race. I think it was just a natural thing that happens without thought or prejudice against anyone. The church I attend is over 95% white. We have a few Hispanic's (I know they want to call any Hispanic person white that is involved in an altercation with a black person) and a few blacks. Actually I believe one or two may be bi-racial. No one ever choose to keep the congregation the way it is. It is this way by the way people decide where to go. All are welcome but not all choose to come. Why force them?
Very interesting. I live in the DC region. In some ways this is a very segregated region. I guess that same culture manifest itself in the churches. I have also lived in North Carolina for a while and it was very similar there to. Maybe the areas that these churches are in dictate how church handles diversity.
Or maybe non-denominational churches draw a more diverse crowd.
Who said I was looking for a church? I was just making a general statement. I have a church and it is diverse, but I was just making an observation of churches in my region. Please don't add to what I have said. I have said nothing about me struggling to find such a church for myself.
My apologies. It sounded like you were lamenting the fact that there are few diverse churches and you wanted to find one.
As I stated--a lot of churches tend to be made up of families--and families tend to look like each other.
I live in a very racially diverse area and it's odd how rare it is to find a multi-cultural church around here. It seems like most church are predominantly black, white, asian or hispanic. It bothers me because if the church is teaching the straight up unadulterated gospel or if you have believers that are looking for the unadulterated gospel, then shouldn't those churches be attracting people of different backgrounds? Why is it that so many church seem to attract only people of a certain background? Thoughts.
My take on it is that it is simple tradition and culture. In other words, a church that has a predominately black, white, or asian congregation tends to stay that way, not because of racism but because of that's how it's been and because of the cultural differences they way different races worship as well. When you think about it, and my own pastor has reminded my predominately black attended church to be mindful of the fact that we got to stop calling churches black, white, Asian, or Mexican churches, when the church is GOD'S CHURCH. I know the history behind how my predominately black attended church was charted stemmed from them branching off from a diverse church where some of the white members weren't as accepting of how African Americans worshiped and they suggested that the black worshipers charter their own congregation. I am not saying what happened was right, but in the early 1900s that was they way it was. Therefore, those same churches that are still around are basically known as traditionally black attended churches in the community.
It is simple really. It is self imposed segregation. People choose which group to associate with based on similar beliefs, practices and cultural similarities. It's that simple. Not sure why most have to make a big deal out of this. It's not like these churches are not accepting people of different races. If a white person were to choose to join a traditionally black church, I'm sure they would be welcomed with open arms. And vise versa.
Nothing to see here!
Quote:
Originally Posted by balunman
I agree. I have attended many all black congregation in my life and felt very welcome. I don't think they ended up being an all black congregation because of race. I think it was just a natural thing that happens without thought or prejudice against anyone. The church I attend is over 95% white. We have a few Hispanic's (I know they want to call any Hispanic person white that is involved in an altercation with a black person) and a few blacks. Actually I believe one or two may be bi-racial. No one ever choose to keep the congregation the way it is. It is this way by the way people decide where to go. All are welcome but not all choose to come. Why force them?
I am sure in these instances there are churches like this, but let's be honest this does not happen every time, I doubt it happens most of the time either but that's my personal opinion. If it did, there would be no such thing as an AME church. Sure the origins of that denomination were rooted during slavery and post-slavery times, but the fact remains that there are people who still maintain worshipping in these type of places because they do not feel accepted by people of other races.
I think people are under-estimating how much our nation's culture influences our churches. Racism is still a major problem in our country (look at how people reacted to Trayvon Martin or Paula Deen). Unfortunately it doesn't stop at church. People bring those same cultural views into church. Those are the churches that I am frustrated in seeing, because to me they are not the true representation of what the Bible describes the church of being. I am sure there are places where people go because they feel comfortable being around people who look like them, or because they like the music, but I just really question those who attend those churches, and those churches are carnal minded. Those are the type of churches that I am really talking about here.
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