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Yeah, religion has had a huge negative inpact on the world. It was used to justify American slavery. Consider all the wars, inquistions, and then there is that bit about my damnation But those days are largely over. most Europeans do not practice a religion. No one there is gonna go to battle over christianity It is only those nuts in the middle east who run around killing each other over religious differences. But even there the religious differences are used to minimalize the humanity of the people whose land they want to control. Many here are more interested in the positive aspects that come from practicing a religion the fellowship and community it offers. The rituals and dogma are falling to the wayside. Fundamentalists who take the bible literary are largely viewed as nutty. Sure politicians play to these people, but most politicans are not righteous people. @Delano and many atheists are great cooks.

@NubianFellow I feel you man. The very first lesson I learned when I started this business over 21 years ago is that Black people will NOT support you just because you are Black. Sure, there are some people who will but it is not very many -- certainly not enough to guarantee the success of a business. One Brother I'm working with actively supports Black businesses. he does not go around proclaiming it, but I observe how he operates and it is what he does. I even used him as an example in a a#readingblack video: I agree in that it seems like Black people often define success by the level of white validation. You have to be covered in their media, win their awards, have credentials from their companies and schools. If you are not validated by white folks Black folks will not recognize you as a success. This mentality feeds on itself because it increases our dependence on white folks for financial success. I'd argue in most cases you can not be successful without the white cosign. You mention social networks, I remember how excited I was to learn about the popularity of "Black Twitter." I read hearing about it all over the media and remember thinking, finally Black folks have gotten together and have built a social platform -- even earning the elusive white cosign. When I discovered it was just Black folks on Twitter -- I just shook my head. But there is hope. Think segregation, when we were forced to patronize our own business because we had no choice. Today as corporations screw us over, people are seeking alternatives. This will benefit all indie businesses including Black owned ones.

And then he proceeds to eviscerate all religions LOL! While I don't follow a religion, I'm not so quick to condemn the practitioners. Life can be hard, indeed very hard, and if going to church gives some people comfort then good for them. It if gets them to be more charitable to their fellow woman even better. Some people who get high every day. I know folks like this, and it is not something I would ever do, but hey, if it gets them through another day, without killing someone else, then great. Some people obsess over grown men playing kids games on a court or field. Others gossip about celebrities on social media. We all waste time, have vices, and do things that are not always our best for us, because it gets us through what might otherwise be a mundane or hard existence. As long as you are not hurting anyone else why should any of us care. I drink, eat rich foods, gamble, and fornicate. According to some I'm going to "hell." I believe were are in hell now, and heaven awaits us all when we transition.

I just saw a news segment about Jay Z and Meek Mill launching the new alliance and it already has star power. Money has been pledged and rich donors, such as the Kraft family who own the Patriots are on board. As a veteran/victim of the criminal justice system, I am elated. However, I have not been absent from this struggle to reform prison. Even now, I am in talks with individuals who are interested in my program, PROJECT UPLIFT, and pushing to secure a grant for the program. It deals with Drug-Dealer Addiction which has never been studied before in great depth so the tenets of the program are innovative and new. I had to start from scratch and that is what I wanted. The program was developed while I was still confined and a 12 week pilot program was successful. To some, I know it may be a hard sell to believe that drug dealers are addicted, but they are. They are addicted to the lifestyle and are as powerless to quit as the user is to quit the use of drugs. Just ask any drug dealer who has money why he didn't quit. What it comes down to is that they couldn't quit. There are professionals around who feel that no progress can be made in the war on drugs until drug dealing is viewed as a social disease. Again, there are countless people who believe prisoners don't deserve any help at all. I disagree, because I know there are innocent men in prison as I spent ten years inside for a crime I did not know anything about. I simply stepped out of my front door and it was a whole decade before I got back. At any rate, the struggle for prison reform continues so there is still hope.

Is that your way of calling my words "food" for thought?

Some Bible Humpers can cook You should try and do them all at the same time. Your name is mythopoetic.

@NubianFellow i add a hearty "Amen" to my fellow iconoclast's sermon. Your views are a like breath of fresh air and they blow me away. Of course what Troy says is credible. We all have our indulgences that help us get through this obstacle course called "Life", but religious folks, in particular, always want to impose their views on others, while ignoring how small a role organized religion has played in making the world a better place. And your deconstruction of the patented black litany parroted by the diaspora is really on point, as is your debunking all the concocted interpretations about blacks being destined for a better fate in a better place. Reality is a bitch. Others will challenge you and label your assertions as simply being "your" truth as opposed the credo they have adopted as "their" truth. But nobody can deny that you are a bold free thinker, and your truth is what has set your mind free, leaving bible-thumpers in a state of denial as to why they are hurting.