(Originally posted June 28, 2011)
There is hardly a family (especially in the Black community) that has not experienced a breakup due to religious differences. Once religion enters the picture, it brings with it all sorts of potential problems.  For instance, the family member who suddenly “finds the lord” may become “holier than thou” and separate themselves from the rest of the family they now consider “lost in the world." They begin to preach and praise at every opportunity and soon other family members and friends start to eschew them whenever they approach.

The sad part is that this newly found Jesus freak has no clue to the historical origins or motivations behind their belief. They are simply pretenders of knowledge and are only parroting what they’ve heard from others.  Denomination without investigation is rampant amongst believers. We can pretend to have found great joy in our lives now that we’ve turned it over to Jesus but there is no empirical evidence to support our delusions. Believers pay the same price at the gas pumps as everyone else, experience the same health issues, pay bills every month and basically live mundane existences.

There is no way to measure the damage religion has caused in marriages. Many men have complained about their spouses or significant others bringing the “pastor into the bedroom.” No man wants to keep hearing what pastor said about this or that. Game recognizes game and men can see the game male pastors play in order to keep women emotionally aroused. It is not uncommon to hear women say, “Jesus is my man.” Good men have continuously stated how women have rejected them because they don’t attend church or are not “saved.” Perhaps this same man rejected by this sanctified woman can save her son from the streets or save her house from being foreclosed.

Religion is inherently divisive. The bible clearly illustrates a god who chooses a particular group (Jews) over another. “Jesus” promotes separatism in the family in Luke 14:26. Religious differences are responsible for 65 to 70 percent of the wars, conflicts and skirmishes in the world today. It is the cause of thousands of lives being lost on a daily basis. If religion (a manmade drug) has the power to divide countries, imagine what it can do to personal relationships. (Please see Slave Sermons episode 29 “Single, Sanctified Sista.”)