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Wow it only took you 11 minutes of thought Writergirl :-) I feel everything you are saying but I still have a problem with the analogy. Again, a gun's sole purpose is to 'cause harm -- even when hunting. Religion, unlike the gun is used for both good and evil. I think the world would be a much better place without guns. I think the world would be a better place if religious practice were more spiritual.

FOX NEO NAZI NEWS, ZIMMERMAN SAYS GOD WANTED TRAYVON MARTIN DEAD..I HOPE THIS IDIOT MURDERER KEEPS TALKING..HE WANTED TO KILL A BLACK MALE AND HE DID...THOSE NEO NAZI'S AT FOX NEWS WOULD NOT BE SUPPORTING ZIMMERMAN IF HE HAD SHOT SOMEONE WHITE.////.

Here's my take. Before you assess religion you have to consider its origins. Scientist theorize that our brains are wired to be in awe of the unknown and that there are indications that a “god gene” exists. Anthropologists declare that, indeed, belief in a higher power has always been present in the human condition and this is what gave rise to myth and idolatry. From this It can be deduced that religion is something that comes natural to humans. It is organic. It was not originally a tool, but became one when man decided to manipulate it. Guns and the bullets that are their components are manufactured items specifically created for the sole purpose of inflicting damage, not only to people but to objects. A loaded gun is a latent danger. It doesn’t have to be wielded by a person. It can fall from where it has been placed and can accidently discharge a bullet that does harm to some person or thing. Circumstances do not transform a gun. Even when it inflicts damage on a threat, it is doing something bad to this target because it will either kill or maime or destroy it. The NRA likes to exonerate guns with its double talk about people killing people, not guns.but this is just a smokescreen to cloud its ulterior motives. Even an unloaded gun is a killing waiting to happen. Religion per se is not harmful because it is generic. The harm came in when it splintered into name brands, - denominations that are inherently harmful because intrinsic in each one is the idea that my belief is more valid than yours. And implicit in this belief is the idea that in the eyes of the god who is the supreme honcho, I am more worthy than you. And to enforce this idea I have and will become bellergerent. All of which is why religion too often does more harm than good.

I don't see myself as an African living in America. (but I'll still check the box for African American on the form, if there's nothing else that fits.) I barely understand African culture. Truth be told, many Africans don't even see me (us) as Africans living in America. They see us as white. Once in a while I get bummed when I get reminded of that fact, but I get over it quickly because I understand that that's the way things are...that's just more fall-out from the slave trade. IMO. So, it's hard for me to get riled up over a name, be it African American, Negro, Colored, Black, the slaves, enslaved. I mean, for me, I just pick what I like best for me & go with that. So out of all of those names, I choose to refer to myself as black. And as far as a choice between the slaves & enslaved. I choose to say the slaves. When it comes to word choice, I think the connotation is going to be different for different people, based on individual preferences and experiences. To say that you hope that in the future all children will start to change the language from the slaves to the enslaved Africans seems - futile. The only reason I say this is because after we get them used to "enslaved Africans" someone will eventually come along and find fault with that. There will never be a perfect word to describe us or to describe what our ancestors endured. And let's not even get into the topic of black folk whose ancestors were never slaves because they themselves were the slave owners.

Does being called a "negro" diminish a person's humanity or just cause them to roll their eyes in amusement because it's outdated? Slaves would've probably been pleasantly surprised to be called "negro" by their masters as opposed to niggah or darky. Is being called an "African American" supposed to assuage being called a negro? I think white people calling Blacks "African Americans" is a tad patronizing; like they're trying to humor us. I prefer the term "black", too, Writergirl, as seemingly do most slave descendants today because, thanks to Malcolm X, embracing this word took the stigma out of the color "black"; And, of course, the word negro is derived from the Spanish word for black. African-American is almost a tongue twister and is like an artificial construct. The United Negro College fund is secure enough in its identity to have never changed its name. Ditto the National Association For the Advancement of Colored People. And nobody could the trill the word "negro" like Martin Luther King. I could see if this prolonged discussion was about calling grown black males "boys: instead of "men", because these 2 words have separate definitions. But objectively interpreting synonyms is a gray area.

This is an interesting conversation. I feel almost guilty for not knowing about these black book fairs and black book stores. I mean, I "know" about them, but I am not deep on that scene. I've never even looked for a black book store near me, no matter where I've lived. Whenever I felt like reading for fun, I've always checked my books out from the library. The only time I ever bought books (before I got my kindle) was when I joined that Black Expressions thing (which, until now, I thought was black owned & was actually glad to be supporting it...SMH). I wonder how many others are just like me. We simply did not realize how much of a problem & sad situation this is. From my observation of the young people in my world, I notice that they all tend to get their books - on the rare occasion that they show an interest in reading instead of reality television - from their school libraries or from online vendors like amazon. Maybe the problem lies with promotion of the book store? I say this because I grew up in an all black neighborhood, attended an all black high school, and never heard of a black owned book store. If it existed, I would think somebody would have promoted at our school. There were lots of kids like me who loved to read just for fun. But at the same time, as a kid I wasn't going to go hunting down a book store just because it was black. My reading needs were already being met at my local library. I wonder if a similar thing is happening today - lack of promotion for the store. And nowadays readers have more than just the local library at their disposal. There's the Internet, Wal-Mart & all the other places already mentioned. Why go to a black book store when your reading needs are being met? There has to be something to pull you in there - something to even make you remember that the black book store even exists...something to introduce you to it if you are clueless like I was. Isn't that good business sense? If you want the people to come, put yourself out there, treat them with open arms when they do come (you want them to return right?), and keep your name out there. If you offer a service that a person feels they can't do without, they will support your business. I think too many times people open businesses & just expect people to show up and support just because.

I guess I'll just dive right in. I think Waterstar's analogy is on point. And...I think that a gun's purpose is to harm people, yes. And that too is religion's purpose - through power & control. And I’m not going for it. Why on earth would I need to join a religion and have somebody - another human being just like I’m a human being - tell me how to get to heaven? How would he know the answer to that question and not me? He is made of the same substance that I am made of. He is just as flawed as I am and yet I’m supposed to believe that he has some special understanding? And I am supposed to believe that it is wise to let him convince me with some words in a book that I should follow him into his religion, as opposed to maybe my neighbor down the road who picked a different type of religion with a different set of rules for heaven? That sounds crazy to me! But this is what people do every Sunday. Coming up I was exposed to tons of different churches and religions because my mom was searching for something. And I noticed that each time we ended up at a new church there was the same dance. We’d get taken into some conference room or back room. The representative would begin with the books - always the books - that were supposed to prove that this way was the right way into heaven. And then after the books came the rules. Telling us how we had to dress, what we could or could not eat and when, how we should talk, what we should or shouldn’t put up with, when to give them our money and how much. It was ridiculous. At the end of the day, I was born with the same tools spiritually as everybody else. No man or woman can get in my face with a book and tell me that I should be doing this or doing that or living this way or that in order to get into heaven. For real? Really? hahahaha And as far as what it's done for Black people in this country? Well, from my observations I would have to say it has kept us in a different type of slavery, where now our minds are stuck. Those of us that are deep in the church allow it to take over everything. I've seen women who want to leave their abusive husbands stay, just because their preacher told them something about what the Bible said. I've heard of an instance where a child was molested but nobody said anything because the teen that did it was the son of the preacher and they wanted to protect the First Family. I've heard of people writing out that 10% check for tithes even though they didn't have money to pay their rent. That's not to say that all churches are bad. I have an uncle who is a preacher and he really wants to save the world. His heart is in the right place and so he will be just fine. But the system of religion itself, all good preachers aside, was set up to control people, in my opinion. And many religious leaders still use it for that, and it works too.

Waterstar, Thank you. Your words have never rang more true. Some days are challenging but you never give up. I hope that I am able to reach down and help someone up. I hope that our life story will encourage another family. I really just want them to know they can do it ni matter how hard it may seem. I don't like that most children with disabilities are pushed aside. But that's mostly because the parents don't know how to advocate and fight for them. We all have a right to learn and we all learn differently that's what makes us unique. Thank you again for sharing. Blessings always!