Kwanzaa

[Mike]

There is another thread where Kwanzaa was mentioned and discussed among other things, but what I wanted to say would have been too much off topic.

I don't mean this to be divisive among different ethnic groups within the body of Christ, but I think this needs to be said. Kwanzaa has nothing to do with Christmas. In fact the founder of Kwanzaa believed Jesus was a psychopath, and Kwanzaa was created to replace the Christian holiday with a black alternative.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwanzaa

"During the early years of Kwanzaa, Karenga said that it was meant to be an alternative to Christmas, that Jesus was psychotic, and that Christianity was a white religion that black people should shun.<sup id="cite_ref-karenga1967_4-0" class="reference">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwanzaa#cite_note-karenga1967-4</sup> However, as Kwanzaa gained mainstream adherents, Karenga altered his position so that practicing Christians would not be alienated, then stating in the 1997 Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community, and Culture, "Kwanzaa was not created to give people an alternative to their own religion or religious holiday."

I certainly don't mean this to be an attack on black Christians. But for anyone to link the Christian holiday with the one created by Maulana Karenga is to dismiss the underlying foundation of Kwanzaa. I believe there is one race of human beings under God, and groups such as the one Karenga established do nothing but divide. From what I've read, he only lightened his stance in order to attract more supporters for Kwanzaa.

Knowing why Kwanzaa was established and promoted, I wonder if it is something a Christian aught to celebrate. Some might say celebrating Christmas should present the same dilemma. I disagree because Christ-mas (for Christians) is directly celebrating the birth of Christ, where Kwanzaa had anti-Christian beginnings and has no Christian significance at all that I know of.

With deep respect to Christians of any ethnicity, I have to ask: Should Kwanzaa be celebrated by Christians at all?

 

[Danus]

No it should not and I don't know any black Christians that would agree with Kwanzaa as an alternative to Christmas.

It's part of a larger identity crisis among some, but I contend not most, of the American black/African decedents.

However, Christmas has become somewhat perverted as well among the general society anyway, so I personally see no need in squashing Kwanzaa, but I will not stand for Kwanzaa being forced on my kids.

 

[Hitch]

About 12-13 years ago the local paper made it PC intentions well known by trying to make Kwannza seem as though it were on par with Christmas and Hanukkah. I actually measured the space allotted to each as all three were highlighted on a single page. Very close.
Somethings die hard and try as they might the local PC police just couldnt indoctrinate, er inform, the populace well enough. The next year Kwannza coverage was strong but obviously diminished. By the third or fourth year it had all but vanished.

So personally Id like to see it taught for what it was and is. An attempt to lower the value of the Christmas celebrations to mere humanism, an attempt that failed. Doesnt seem likely.

 

[for_his_glory]

The seven principles of Kwanzaa, or Nguzo Saba (originally Nguzu Saba—the seven principles of African Heritage),

1. Umoja (Unity): To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
2. Kujichagulia (Self-Determination): To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves stand up.
3, Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility): To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers' and sisters' problems our problems, and to solve them together.
4. Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.
5. Nia (Purpose): To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
6. Kuumba (Creativity): To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
7. Imani (Faith): To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

Now whether Maulana Karenga believed in God or not is not the actual issue here with Kwanzaa as it's principle is honoring universal African-American heritage. Karenga said his goal was to "give Blacks an alternative to the existing holiday and give Blacks an opportunity to celebrate themselves and history, rather than simply imitate the practice of the dominant society."

During the early years of Kwanzaa, Karenga said that it was meant to be an alternative to Christmas, that Jesus was psychotic, and that Christianity was a white religion that black people should shun. However, as Kwanzaa gained mainstream adherents, Karenga altered his position so that practicing Christians would not be alienated, then stating in the 1997 Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community, and Culture, "Kwanzaa was not created to give people an alternative to their own religion or religious holiday."

Many Christian African Americans who celebrate Kwanzaa do so in addition to observing Christmas.

Kwanzaa was developed at a time of the civil rights
movement back in 1966 so the African - Americans would never forget their heritage. It's no different than any white person wanting to know their ancestry roots. I'm third generation Romanian and Portuguese on my mothers side and I love exploring the culture of where my Great Grandparents came from as it is also part of my heritage even though I am an American.

 

[Mike]

Kwanzaa was developed at a time of the civil rights
movement back in 1966 so the African - Americans would never forget their heritage. It's no different than any white person wanting to know their ancestry roots. I'm third generation Romanian and Portuguese on my mothers side and I love exploring the culture of where my Great Grandparents came from as it is also part of my heritage even though I am an American.

I'm concerned when I read that the man who conceived of Kwanzaa thought Jesus was psychotic and that this would be an alternative (not a compliment to, not along with, but an alternative to) to Christmas. I think it's much more than a desire to know one's ancestry.

 

[for_his_glory]

I'm concerned when I read that the man who conceived of Kwanzaa thought Jesus was psychotic and that this would be an alternative (not a compliment to, not along with, but an alternative to) to Christmas. I think it's much more than a desire to know one's ancestry.

Yes I was concerned with that statement also and I'm not sure if he changed his point of view so he would not alienate white Christians and cause more conflict or if he had a change of heart why he created Kwanzaa in the first place.