Page 155 - Berkshire Encyclopedia Of World History Vol I - Abraham to Coal

40 berkshire encyclopedia of world history

Discrimination and African-American Churches

Many African-American churches began because force you away.” Mr. Jones said,“Wait until prayer is
African-Americans sought a place of worship that was over, and I will get up and trouble you no more.”
free of discrimination and where they could be full par- With that he beckoned to one of the other trustees,
ticipants. In the following passage, Richard Allen Mr. L–S–, to come to his assistance. He came, and
recounts the events that led him to found the African went to William White to pull him up. By this time
Methodist Episcopal Church. prayer was over, and we went out of the church in a
body, and they were no more plagued with us in the
A number of us usually attended St. George’s church
church. This raised a great excitement and inquiry
in Fourth street; and when the colored people began
among the citizens, in so much that I believe they
to get numerous in attending the church, they moved
were ashamed of their conduct.
us from the seats we usually sat on, and placed us
But my dear Lord was with us, and we were filled
around the wall, and on Sabbath morning we went to
with fresh vigor to get a house erected to worship
church and the sexton stood at the door, and told us
God in. . . .We got subscription papers out to raise
to go in the gallery. He told us to go, and we would
money to build the house of the Lord.... But the
see where to sit.We expected to take the seats over the
elder of the Methodist Church still pursued us. Mr.
ones we formerly occupied below, not knowing any
John McClaskey called upon us and told us if we did
better....Just as we got to the seats, the elder said,
not erase our names from the subscription paper,
“Let us pray.” We had not been long upon our knees
and give up the paper, we would be publicly turned
before I heard considerable scuffling and low talk-
out of meeting. . . .We told him we had no place of
ing. I raised my head up and saw one of the trustees,
worship; and we did not mean to go to St. George’s
H–M–, having hold of the Rev. Absalom Jones,
church any more, as we were so scandalously treated
pulling him up off of his knees, and saying, “You
in the presence of all the congregation present; “and
must get up—you must not kneel here.” Mr. Jones
if you deny us your name, you cannot seal up the
replied, “Wait until prayer is over.” Mr. H–M– said,
scriptures from us, and deny us a name in heaven.
“No, you must get up now, or I will call for aid and
We believe heaven is free for all who worship in

stress different elements of the original creed; for exam- ters, notably New York, Miami, Los Angeles, and Toronto.
ple, the alleged death of Haile Selassie (a large number It is estimated that there are currently more than 100,000
of Rastafarians believe that Haile Selassie is still alive) Santeria devotees in New York City alone.
has raised significant questions regarding Selassie’s The Spiritual Baptists are an international religious
place in the movement. movement with congregations in Saint Vincent (where
Cuban Santeria combines European and African some Baptists claim the faith originated), Trinidad and
beliefs and practices. But unlike Vodun, the religion is Tobago, Grenada, Guyana,Venezuela,Toronto, Los Ange-
inspired mainly by one African tradition—that of the les, and New York City. Membership is predominantly
Yoruba. In Santeria, the Yoruba influence is marked in black, but in recent years congregations in Trinidad have
music, chants, and foodstuffs, and by sacrifice. During attracted membership among wealthy East Indians and
major ceremonies, blood—the food of the deities—flows Chinese. A central ritual in the Spiritual Baptist faith is
onto sacred stones belonging to the cult leader. These known as the mourning rite. This is an elaborate cere-
stones are believed to be the objects through which the mony involving fasting, lying on a dirt floor, and other
gods are fed and in which their power resides. A signifi- deprivations.A major component of the mourning rite is
cant religious development in North America has been discovering one’s true rank within the church hierarchy.
the large-scale transfer of Cuban Santeria to urban cen- A critical issue in the study of Caribbean religions is the