How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
Malcolm's autobiography was the first book to make me question the faith in which I had been raised. His insights into how Christianity had been used to make African people passive in the face of such horrendous treatment by slave masters made me look at things differently. I started to question why all of the characters in the Bible were depicted as white when we saw them at church. I wanted to know where all the Black people were in the Bible. I knew we hadn't just fallen from the sky, but when I asked other Christians, I was either met with a blank stare or told it didn't matter, that God wasn't a color. It was the politically correct thing for them to say, but they said it nervously, suggesting that they knew differently. The fact is, color does matter— especially when you're looking for evidence that God cares about people like you. (10.41)
This quote underlines the relationship between religious experience and culture in this book. Religious groups have done lots of awesome things (say, cathedrals and soup kitchens), but it's hard to deny that a lot of bad things have also gone down in the name of various religions over the years, and a lot of those bad things are linked to one culture dominating another. Even if you've personally had a great experience of Christians or Christianity, it's not hard to see why Shaka would struggle to believe a faith he's often experienced in the context of institutionalized discrimination.
Quote #5
The more disenchanted I became with Christianity, the more intrigued I became with Islam. From the time I was a child, I had envisioned a worldthat was all-inclusive and a God that was all-loving, regardless of color. Malcolm's experience in Mecca and his description of Islam as a religion that didn't discriminate made me feel good, so I began researching the Islamic organizations in prison, looking for one to join.(10.42)
This quote is another great example of how religious experience and cultural/racial background weave together for Shaka. He's attracted to Islam because of Malcolm X's experience of Islam as a religion that treats him equally and is against racial discrimination.
Quote #6
Instead of trying to dazzle us with an imaginary paradise or the terrifying threat of eternal damnation, the [Melanic Islamic] spiritual advisors set out to help us understand our daily realities. This approach reminded me of Malcolm, and how instead of standing at the podium as though he were on the mountaintop, he came down and walked among the people. He related to their struggle, pain, and frustration because he had lived it himself.(10.44)
Shaka wants spirituality and religion to be more about living well in the here and now than what things will be like in an afterlife. The Melanic brothers are a great match for his interest in that.