by Kenny Anderson
I wrote this post to highlight ‘religious manipulation’ both specifically and in general. From my perspective when Dion ‘Prime Time’ Sanders was hired as Jackson State University (JSU) ‘some’ of his religious rhetoric was not genuine.
Regarding being at JSU Sanders said: “I truly believe with all my heart and soul that God called me collect and I had to accept the charges.” Coach Prime said he was at JSU to “Change lives, change the perspective of HBCU [Historically Black College or University] football. Make everyone step up to the plate and do what’s right by these kids.”
Furthermore, Sander’s said that coaching at JSU was not about the money, it was for a much ‘nobler’ cause; that he was already wealthy; sources estimate that Sander’s has a net worth of 40 million dollars.
Yes, from my perspective Coach Prime used some religious manipulation to play on the religious sentiments of Black folks in Jackson, MS (bible belt) and that he was also somewhat deceptive ‘over exaggerating’ being a Dr. King type advocate for HBCUs football programs – leveling the racial playing field.
Many Black folks in Jackson, MS are not mad that Coach Prime ‘left’ accepted the over 5 million dollars a year head coaching job at the University of Colorado; they are disappointed in his incongruities and integrity; they now feel from when he began coaching at JSU there was some religious manipulation.
Religious Manipulation
Religious manipulation are techniques used by individuals and church leaders to influence, control, and exploit for their own self-serving agendas ‘advantages’. Unfortunately, from racist slave plantations to the present, Black folks have been oppressed, exploited, and manipulated by religion.
All my adult life I’ve witnessed first-hand too many Black folks so-called strong in their Christian faith (preachers, evangelists, politicians, etc.) in my community and many places elsewhere religiously manipulate Black communities, who've used God's name to justify their enriching actions.
Many religious Black folks are unaware that they are being taken advantage of; here are some examples of religious manipulation techniques:
*Demanding obedience, submission, and loyalty
*Playing on guilt, grief, vulnerabilities, and hardships
*Punishing, humiliating, shaming, and isolating the disobedient
*Fear mongering and the threat of hell to keep people in the faith
*Taking Scriptures out of context in order to support narrow beliefs
*Attributing everything they’re doing to God thereby it must be right
*Touting they have a special calling or favor from God that justifies and refutes
*Discouraging critical thinking and blocking out any questioning information
*Negating reasoning by fostering sensationalism through highly emotional sermonizing
*Controlling individuals by giving them the impression that their teachings are based on the Bible
*Isolating “proof texts” and “cherry pick” Bible verses to persuade the uninformed that their interpretation is right
*Using Scripture and scholastic dishonesty to manipulate for their own personal benefit.
*Twisting Scripture to give more authority to the leadership and keep the members under their control.
In closing, from my perspective the greatest tool of religious manipulation used on Black folks is emotional manipulation that’s due to ‘emotional dependency’. People who are emotionally dependent are insecure, can be guilt-ridden, and often ashamed; have fears of being rejected, ignored, not liked, or criticized.
In contrast, emotional independence is about having self-esteem and self-confidence; being autonomous and governing your own emotions through reason and critical thinking.
Unfortunately, emotional independence is little discussed in everyday life in Black communities resulting in a lot of psycho-emotional and social problems along with being susceptible to manipulation due to a lack of emotional management 'caught-up in our feelings'.
Black folks let us get control of our emotions!
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