Jeremiah Camara is the author of the books Holy
Lockdown: Does the Church Limit Black Progress?
and The New Doubting Thomas: The Bible, Black Folks,
and Blind Belief. Camara received national
attention as a frequent guest on the Michael
Baisden Show and Lib Radio. Camara continues to
speak nationwide about the perils of blind belief
and religious preoccupation.
Camara, was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. In
1989 Camara created a video documentary titled
Psychological Wars, which examined subliminal
messages in sitcoms, cartoons and commercials that
negatively impacted the psyche of African Americans.
The documentary was endorsed by noted Black
educators Na’im Akbar and Jawanza Kunjufu.
Camara was once a member of one of the largest Black
churches in Cincinnati, Ohio. Baptized at an early
age, he moved to Cleveland, Ohio, shortly after high
school, where he began his quest toward a deeper
understanding of spirituality. While in Cleveland,
he began to diligently study the Bible and gave
serious thought to becoming a minister, or at least
living an active life in the church. During that
time, he attended a Baptist church, at least two or
three times a week. Like many, he felt the church
could provide him with the substance he was missing
in the way of answers, meaning and purpose in his
life.
There came a time, however, when he began to
distance himself from the church; not because of a
particularly bad experience or negative incident,
but because he had begun to expose himself to other
forms of thought, spiritual concepts and ideas. “I
began to see the church as just one source of
knowledge. The diversity of the world and its
kaleidoscopic array of infinite ideas and wisdom
would not permit my spirit to be confined only to
the teachings of the church. It also disturbed me
deeply to witness Blacks praising so much, but
producing so little,” says Camara.
Camara returned to church, but this time as an
investigator. Visits to churches of varying
denominations brought to light a common thread
linking the vast majority. Mostly all, in his
opinion, were preaching a gospel of powerlessness.
Following a long investigative hiatus, he
rediscovered this same theological impotence when he
moved to the Atlanta-metro area, where he quickly
discovered that church was big business. He knew
then the time had come to write a book shedding
light on the many psychologically crippling aspects
within the church. Camara states that “African
Americans have been theologically conditioned to
rely upon supernaturalism and divine intervention to
solve problems. In the long run, this has hampered
the ability to think logically and practically when
it comes to addressing critical issues. The time has
come to sober up and reevaluate our relationship
with religion.”
