The Worst Acting Award: The Cast of Church Bullies
The video Church Bullies is a stark example of a misguided and poorly directed production that caused more harm than good. Intended to provide a meaningful message, it instead delivered a spectacle that harmed a young individual under the guise of spiritual intervention. This performance did not reflect the ideals of faith but instead turned the church into a stage for emotional and spiritual manipulation, where love and guidance were replaced with condemnation.
The Reason for Disillusionment with Religion
This dramatized event illustrates why many struggle to believe in organized religion. Entrusting spiritual authority to another person rather than fostering a personal relationship with a higher power can lead to a loss of control over one’s life. The focus should always remain on what one’s God communicates directly to them, rather than on a human assuming divine authority. Unfortunately, this video demonstrated the exact opposite—a church leader, Bishop Porter, taking on the role of God during a church convention called COGIC.
The Harmful Spectacle at COGIC
In front of 19,000 spectators, a man’s dignity and spiritual identity were figuratively stolen in a moment that the crowd celebrated as a triumph of faith. Bishop Porter rationalized his actions as expressions of love and divine instruction, but they instead represented spiritual exploitation. The cheers of the audience underscored the collective complicity in what was, at its core, a public condemnation masked as spiritual intervention.
Misplaced Priorities in Black Churches
This incident highlights a deeper issue within some black churches: the prioritization of financial and institutional gain over addressing critical community needs. Issues like gang violence, addiction, chronic illnesses, and support for single mothers remain on the periphery, while church leaders focus on exploiting vulnerable groups. The result is an erosion of trust and an increasing disconnection between religious institutions and the communities they claim to serve.
The Call for Accountability and Change
The path to change requires accountability. Black same-gender-loving individuals and straight black women, in particular, could play a transformative role by challenging these harmful practices and redirecting funding toward initiatives that genuinely uplift communities. By reclaiming the focus of faith as a source of healing and empowerment, the cycle of harm perpetuated by such performances can finally be broken. Faith should serve to unite and uplift, not to divide and exploit.
