The recent news of Bishop Eddie Long’s alleged trysts with, now, 4 young men in Atlanta has caused quite the social ki-ki in both the African American and gay communities. At first, when hearing about a high-profile, vemehemtly homophobic preacher– a Bishop, mind you– being accused of sleeping with young men, I simply shrugged. I mean, what else is new? [Songwriter says, "...been doin' this shit for years!"]  But then details of the allegations started surfacing- like, the plaintiffs being minors when they (allegedly) had sex with Long; the exotic locations to which they were whised away by Long; and their supposed indoctrination into a group called  the  ”Spiritual Sons-” which included wedding-resembling ceremonies and a spiritual journey to righteousness detouring, occasionally and briefly, through Homoville. The side-eye my face released upon hearing that fuckery was EPIC!

I’ve been trying really hard to not judge Bishop Long based on these accusations. I wasn’t there; I’m not, myself, a “Spiritual Son;” and I’d never heard of Eddie Long until this story surfaced. But damn if this madness don’t seem like the slightest bit of justice to all the Hipocricy and Hate I’m told he’s been serving as a side dish to chicken and waffles all these years of Sundays at the 25,000-member strong New Birth Missionary (pun intended, I’m sure)  Baptist Church! There is a part of me (forgive me, Lord)– because of my disdain for how the (Black) church treats the gay community, while most of it’s members are, indeed, homosexual– that wants all this to be true…just cuz!

I read a great article written by Jelani Cobb, which I encourage you all to read, about his experience yesterday, watching Bishop Long deliver his first sermon since being accused. He talked about the energy and buzz hovering over the church that morning, and how despite Long giving a “non-denial denial” about what’s been going on, it didn’t matter at all due to the hold he seems to have (by his own creation) on that community. All the evidence in the world could be stacked up against this man and it wouldn’t matter to the people who have lived by his word and message all these years. To his congregation, an attack on Long is equivalent to an attack on religion itself…and every one of them is ready and willing to stand by him- no matter how guilty he may be. Cobb’s own ejection from the church after an usher saw him taking notes, deeming him a journalist – which garnered an uproar of cheers from the audience– is an interesting example of this. They ride or die for thier bishop! It’s unified statements like these that make it really hard for anyone to want to adopt organized religion as a primary tool for expanding their spirituality. The mob mentality that exists within religion– most vocally in Christianity– is very disheartening and, quite frankly, sad.  A church and/or it’s Pastor should not be larger than the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. He may be “yo Pastah,” but he’s still a human being…one who is just a man and makes mistakes. These allegations against Long may be just the wake up call his congregation needs… that hipocricy is very prevalent in their organization, and that the “Spiritual Sons” group is nothing but a ruse (the Boondocks Tyler Perry episode comes to mind).

[SIDEBAR]

I really wanna go in on the fact that these “Spiritual Sons” were only 16 and 17 when Bishop Long (allegedly) wined, dined and caressed his way into their nether regions; but a friend of mine informed me that the age of sexual consent in the state of Georgia is 16, thus making this a civil suit and not a sexual abuse case. So I must keep my peace. [insert Riley Freeman "booooo" here]

still…ewww!

[/SIDEBAR]

Like I said…I don’t know if he did abuse his power to have sex with these men. I wasn’t there. Furthermore, it’s really none of my business. But I am interested to see what happens. What will all his followers– those who stood by him throughout the fight against homosexuality– do if it turns out this man is guilty? That’s my question. He’s spent much of his career denouncing homosexuality and he may, very soon, have to admit that he’s a gay man. Given the vastness of his congregation, this could be the beginnings of the abolishment of  the (black) church’s view of homosexuality. Or maybe just make their hatred stronger. I hope it’s (if this is all true) the former. Only time will tell.

The topic that arose that week revolved around who, in the end, will gain entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. One of the members of the group was explaining a book she was reading in which the author references the Torah, the Koran, and the Bible in an effort to accurately trace, back to Abraham, the lineage of the Muslim, Jewish, and Christian religions. As I sat and listened to her description of the book, a question began to surface in my mind: “What happens to those who don’t believe in the teachings of the Bible when they pass on?” I posed this question to the group and was met with a variety of different answers- which then sparked a rather interesting discussion.

At first, when I offered the example of someone living outside of a modern civilization who has never heard of Jesus before, I was told that in their case, Jesus would simply look at what’s in their heart when deciding whether they should be let into the Kingdom. Fair enough. I pushed a little further and asked about those who made up other religions- Jews, Muslims, etc.- as well as those people who have no religion, but are more spiritual- Buddhists and Yogi’s. This is where things got heated. We talked about what these other religions believe that is in opposition to the Christian belief that Jesus died on the cross and is the risen Messiah. Everyone at the table was very adamant about Christianity- or the belief that Jesus is the risen Messiah- being the only way to gain eternal life. The Bible was quoted as saying (and I’m paraphrasing for I am not well versed in scripture), that the word of God will reach the 4 corners of the earth; every man will make a choice, and those who do not accept that belief will not be allowed passage. One girl went as far as saying, “I know with complete certainty that if you don’t believe then you will not be allowed into the Kindgom.” This is where I just shut down!

Excuse me? You know with complete certainty? I don’t think so. Yes, you may believe with complete certainty, but there’s no way you could possibly know for a fact who will and will not gain entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. I was so floored by that statement, and over the conversation as a whole, that I just sat there in silence. I didn’t reply- especially as I was the only one at the table who seemed to disagree. But that comment, and the subsequent backing from the rest of the group, took me back to why I stopped going to church and became spiritual over religious in the first place. There is nothing wrong with believing the teachings of the Bible and leading your life accordingly; but I take serious issue with a number of Christians who shut out and condemn any person or thinking that differs from what they “know” as truth. This girl, and what felt like everyone else at that table, was ready to send countless people straight to hell for not believing what she believes- just because of what the book that sat in front of her said. Suppose she wasn’t a Christian. Suppose she grew up as a Jew reading the Torah. She would have no idea about the teachings of Christ, and would have a completely different set of values and beliefs. Would she then believe that she was going to hell? Not at all.

I brought up my recent foray into Orpah’s Spiritual podcast channel, which drew more of the same type of commentary. Most threw out the whole idea of general Spirituality saying, “no…you can’t just wrap everything together and call it the Universe- someone’s in control. He has a name, and you should respect that and call him by his name… it’s God.” Eckhart Tolle’s book, “A New Earth”- a book from which I’ve gained a great deal of insight- was brought up in the discussion, and someone mentioned that she advised a friend who was reading it to throw the book out- calling it “the devil’s book”- and asking how can you be a Christian and go by something that doesn’t claim God or follow the Bible? By this time I had had enough. We had to break the discussion because the diner we were in was closing, and as we scooted out to find another location, I took the opportunity to excuse myself and go home. I haven’t been back to the group since.

I am a believer- let me make that clear. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins, was buried, and that he is the risen Messiah. But what I don’t believe is that acknowledging and believing that is the only way to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven and gain eternal life. If God is omnipresent and can commune with us in many different ways, then why can’t we do the same? I’m not saying that all religions and methods of spirituality are acceptable- I don’t know for sure what is and isn’t valid- but I do think that the road to knowing, believing in, and following God, and eventually getting into the Kingdom, has many lanes and many passages.