Church Involvement
From Seminar 2: The Peopling of New York City
Effects of Religion on Community Development
Contents |
Intro
Religion is an integral asset in every community. Offering a sanctuary and a place of personal growth and worship. Religious institutions can act as an anchor for social development in the community as is sen in the Flatbush community of Brooklyn. Religion may not have always been looking for the well being of the entire community but rather for the wealthy and the elite. Religion has evolved since its days during the colonizing era in the West Indies. Within the colonies of West Indies, European Christian was imposed on Indian and African slaves. New Caribbean religions formed. As migration out of the West Indies grew, these religions were transferred to the new ethnic communities. Religion served as a way to unite the community and also helped create a form of transnationalism.
Community On Christianity
Religion has gone through many transformations. One of the major transformations in the West Indies was during the early colonial period. Indians and Africans took to the European Colonies in the Caribbean their own culture and along with their culture they took their own strongly established religious beliefs. The European nations that had colonized the Caribbean were also sending many religious missionaries to establish the religion that existed in their country. Neither group was willing to give up their religious beliefs. With no one wanting to subside to the others religion then a new form of religion emerged. Indians and Africans were the ones most likely to loose their religious heritage leaving small aspects added onto a dominant Christian religion. Although "In the Caribbean, however, African religious ideas were to undergo significant changes but they remained recognizably ‘African’ in structure."(Sankeralli, 51) By keeping some of the religious heritage from the slaves in the West Indies, Christianity was able to form a base and institutionalize itself in that new society. Leniency with its teachings and beliefs was what led Christianity to eventually partake in important social decisions in West Indian countries.
Impact Of Religion During Colonial Times
Before the Christian religion was able to exert any influence on the European colonized Carib nations it first had to appeal to different already established “powers.” Subjecting themselves to their demands would accomplish this. These “power” bearers subjected most institutions in the West Indies to many types of scrutiny. The institutions had to constrain themselves to their demands if they expected to remain in the region. Christianity and a state government were no exception. These “powers” that the Christian religion and most other institutions were subjected to were the slave owners.
Teaching submissiveness
The slave owners determined which institutions became established in the region that they were located in. Christian officials understood this therefore decided to educate their congregants, newly integrated Indian and African slaves, on being submissive to their slave owners. The slave owners were glad that they had the help of religion when it came to slaves because now the slaves were doing what the slave owners said. It is likely that because of religion that slavery in the West Indies stayed around with no one opposing it for a long time. Even though this was the case, we were still able to observe how religion was helping Indians and Africans integrate themselves into the community.
Encouraging Freedom
Even though some churches or rather religions were hesitant to voice their opinions against slavery others like the Quaker branch of Christianity were teaching their congregants and demanding slave owners about freedom for the slaves. Christian missionaries from well-established religious institutions in the countries that they were being sent from still preached and taught about freedom for the slaves. These were the individuals that promoted emancipation for African slaves. Once Christianity became well established in the West Indies then it decided to become one of the opposing forces for slavery.
Religions has most definitely impacted social decisions during the colonial era and helped developed a community then, and is currently an integral part of creating community development. People from the West Indies are very much influenced by the religious practices that have been established upon them.
Religion’s Influence in Brooklyn
One of the countries that have experienced major migration from the West Indies was and still is the United States. As the people from the West Indies started to migrate out into the United States so did their religious ideologies. Religion was carried along in the hearts and spirits of West Indians to a neighborhood in a Brooklyn neighborhood, Flatbush.
Rugby Deliverance Tabernacle
When I began to focus on the role of religion in community development I began by investigating the Flatbush community in Brooklyn, New York. My initial idea was to investigate how the many different West Indian countries influenced the way a Church of a certain community would formulate its service to be better able to appeal to its attendees. One church that did that was Rugby Deliverance Tabernacle in the Flatbush community in Brooklyn, New York even if it was "incidental".
When a pastor was asked: What would you say is the most specific characteristic for a church that is catering to the West Indian community? Compared to other churches. His response was: “We actually don’t actually gear to a particular ethnic background or anything like that. Because basically the community we focus on, we happen to be in a mostly Caribbean community and for me it is actually incidental.”
Rugby Deliverance Tabernacle a non-denominational church is one of the churches that has had the full impact of change in their service because of their West Indian members. Rugby has been able to appeal the West Indian community in Flatbush not only by providing spiritual guidance with its sermons but also by providing social help. This is done via the Rugby Family Services which provides:
- Counseling for domestic violence victims
- G.E.D classes
- Computer Classes
- Immigration information
- Student Scholarships
- Medicare/Medicaid
- Feeding Program
The family services also provides referrals and guidance with receiving government help. The church also holds seminars for example business development, teenage abuse. They also get in touch and help organizations that create community events. They also allow for government officials to go and promote jobs at their church.
Conclusion -Impact Of Religion Now
Religion has gone through many transformations since its Colonial era in the West Indies. It has developed and emerged to become one of the most helpful and unifying aspects in a community. Religion has now changed to appeal to the poor and helpless. Apart from that, religion has become a way of maintaining and strengthening family ties not only in the same country but also in their country of origin. Religion is an important unifying power for the people of the West Indies. Rugby Deliverance Tabernacle has shown us how the development of churches in a West Indian community has helped to create a unified and strong sense of belonging between people in the community and their country of origin.
Works Cited
- Sankeralli, Burton, ed. At the Crossroads African Caribbean religion and Christianity. St. James: Caribbean Conference of Churches, 1995.
- Rawlins, Petals . "Parish Notices." Church of St. Georges. Online at <http://www.stkittsanglicanchurch.org/notices/stgeorges-stbarnabas.php>. Retrieved on May 3,2008.