Have you ever wondered why we as black people are the most church going folk in the world, yet are also the most oppressed people in the world? Have you ever questioned why the biblical Jesus that we believe in has not redeemed the black community from our continuous oppression, yet we continue to believe He will? Last night I watched a very interesting documentary that addressed these questions head on and provided an alternative perspective on our faith.
In Contradiction: A Question Of Faith, film producer Jeremiah Camara explores whether or not the black church and the Christian religion has been beneficial or harmful to us. To answer this question, Mr. Camara travels to various churches and events to ask specific questions to church pastors, leaders, members as well as former Christians and non-believers. Among the many people interviewed in this film, were Martin Luther King III, Norm Allen, Prof. Walter Williams, Dr. Iva Carruthers, Rev. Earl Thorpe, Keidi Awadu, Ayanna Watson and many more.
One of the key things I liked about this film was Mr. Camara’s interviewing style. His questions were very direct and caught many people off guard, which forced them to give an honest answer on the spot. He asked his interviewees a variety of questions, but most of them revolved around the following topics:
- Is our high praise the reason for our low productivity?
- Why are there so many churches in the black community, yet so many problems?
- Is Jesus answering our prayers?
- Who helped us get to where we are today… Jesus or our ancestors?
- Do you talk to God, and if so what does He say back?
These questions warranted different responses, depending on who was being asked. Most of the believers who received these questions had no real answers or solutions and did all they could to take up for Jesus or their church, regardless of not seeing any results. For the non-believers, most of them agreed that the black community’s dependence on Jesus and the church were the reason we remain on the bottom of almost all areas of society. Although I believe in The Most High – but am not a Christian or apart of any religious organization or group – I agreed with the non-believers.
As I watched the film, I was ashamed by the level of brainwashing that Christianity has done to our people’s minds. I say this because instead of Christians answering questions logically, most people just provided trained-responses in order to defend their faith. According to them, Jesus seemed to be the solution for everything; especially in matters of morality and personal growth. However, when we look around at our poor morality and economic status of our communities, I was unable to see where Jesus had solved any of our problems. Instead, I saw how Jesus seemed to be the cause of our problems.
Contradiction provides great examples of how the low productivity of the black community was mainly due to our high praise and dependence of a white man named Jesus to solve all of our problems. Throughout the film, Mr. Camara showcases our people buck dancing and shouting all over the church in the name of Jesus, believing that He will magically make our lives better or come back and take us to Heaven with Him. Therefore, by believing that someone is coming to save us from our situation, it has programed many believers to just sit back and do nothing and wait on Jesus. And as the film highlights, faith in Jesus has produced a mindset of laziness and complacency, which is why we remain stagnant and oppressed.
Although I did not agree with everything mentioned in this film, it did an excellent job of exposing the correlation between us being the most faith-having people in America and us being the most oppressed people in America. It also challenges us, those who believe in The Most High, to honestly ask ourselves whether believing in Jesus is helping us or hurting us? So I encourage all black people, regardless of your beliefs, to watch this film. Contradiction is available to watch online at Amazon.com.
Peace & Love! I am Mo’Reese Madu, blogger, screenwriter, and author of 
Very interesting and insightful critique of this documentary. I have distanced myself from the Christian church for over a year now. I was a non denominational Christian but I always had questions that went unanswered. I now consider myself spiritual rather than religious.
One can believe in Jesus and still be productive and educated. For example, years ago at the Baptist Church I attended, the pastor’s wife was a counselor at a nearby college. Further, congregation members included several businessmen, a school secretary, and a chief of police. At one point, the latter traveled to China for a conference and shared his experience with us. Also, the church ran a daycare center that included a state-approoved kindergarten. Further, there are various church-based schools and colleges all over the world.
I must admit that I am surprised at the lack of Biblical knowledge and/or spiritual insights presented by the church attendees questioned. Was there a sermon? Did they go to Sunday School or Bible study? Do they seek better educational and/or job opportunities while asking God to help them in their quest? (If there are community leaders, what are they doing?)