I'm starting to think that divestment from whiteness is more terrifying than losing religion but itdoesn't have to be that way.
The absence of spirituality as an option is a clear indication of the inherent shallowness and impotence of white epistemologies and frameworks. These systems are fundamentally flawed because they are rooted in the myth of white supremacy and the distorted image of a white Jesus. Such myths perpetuate a narrow and exclusionary worldview that disregards the profound interconnectedness of spirituality with land, place, story, and heritage.
White epistemologies often prioritize empirical evidence and objective reasoning while neglecting the rich, nuanced dimensions of human experience that cannot be easily quantified. This limited approach fails to recognize the deep wisdom and resilience that come from a holistic understanding of life, one that embraces spirituality as an essential component. In many non-Western cultures, spirituality is inseparable from everyday life, deeply embedded in the land and the stories passed down through generations. This rootedness provides a sense of belonging, continuity, and purpose, fostering resilience and inspiration.
To address these shortcomings, white people must return to ethnography and rootedness. Ethnography, the systematic study of people and cultures, allows for a deeper understanding of the diverse ways in which different communities experience and express spirituality. By immersing themselves in the cultural practices and spiritual traditions of others, white individuals can begin to dismantle the myth of white supremacy and appreciate the rich tapestry of human wisdom that exists beyond their limited frameworks.
Whiteness does not constitute an ethnic identity. Therefore, individuals who do not disassociate themselves from whiteness are unable to guide you toward a sense of grounding without relying on or appropriating land and place-based spirituality. Spiritual Atheists speak of spirituality in terms of interconnectedness and ritual but these very elements can not be excavated from whiteness--because whiteness is predicated on the nonbeing of blacks, the subhumanity of natives, and the commodification of land.
Spirituality should not be divorced from land, place, story, or heritage. These elements are fundamental to our understanding of ourselves and our place in the world. Land provides the physical space where our lives unfold, connecting us to the natural world and the cycles of life. Place gives us a sense of belonging and identity, grounding us in a specific context that shapes our experiences and perspectives. Stories carry the accumulated wisdom of our ancestors, offering guidance and insight into the human condition. Heritage encompasses the traditions and practices that define our cultural identity, linking us to a larger community and history.
Ethnographic tradition gives one access to deeper sources of wisdom, resilience, and inspiration. Spirituality rooted in land, place, story, and heritage fosters a sense of interconnectedness and responsibility, encouraging us to care for ourselves, our communities, and the world around us. It reminds us that we are part of a larger whole, and that our actions have far-reaching consequences.
The impulse to create secular spiritual communities that are not rooted in ethnographic tradition can't provide shared values, shared identities, shared beliefs, or shared moral ideals because they are an extension of whiteness. This approach reflects the tendency of white frameworks to categorize and structure human experience in a way that often divorces spirituality from its deeper cultural and contextual roots. In many non-Western cultures, spirituality is inherently connected to community, heritage, and place, and does not require a secular or structured framework to provide shared values and beliefs.
Moreover, this impulse can be seen as an attempt to fill a perceived void created by the decline of traditional religious institutions in predominantly white societies. Instead of addressing the root causes of this decline, such as epistemologies based on binary-induced shame, and diseased imagination attempts to recreate the structure of religion without acknowledging the depth and toxicity that come from the leaven of whiteness. Ultimately, this approach can perpetuate the same issues it seeks to resolve by imposing a homogenized and institutionalized model of spirituality, rather than fostering genuine cultural and spiritual understanding and integration.
Non-white spaces have long nurtured resilience and thriving communities under the oppressive forces of empire and violence. This lack of humility and acknowledgment ties into the historical framework of the Great Chain of Being, where the sacred was supplanted by the secular, and white men, rather than a white male God, positioned themselves at the top of this hierarchy.
Integrating spirituality into secularism is problematic if it only involves merely removing the concept of God while maintaining the underlying allegiance to structures of whiteness. The real need is to remove whiteness itself as the dominant framework. Whiteness, with its inherent assumptions of superiority and exclusion, must be deconstructed to allow for genuine, inclusive spiritual and communal growth whether in faith communities or without.
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