While reading this week, the following quote from Raboteau’s “The African Diaspora” (1978) stood out to me.

“Adaptability, based upon respect for spiritual power wherever it originated, accounted for openness of African religions to syncretism with other religious traditions and for the continuity of a distinctly African religious consciousness” (Raboteau 4-5).

I believe this quote will hold considerable weight throughout the semester as our class examines and analyzes the various African American religions. What struck me as most important was the description of respect for spiritual power as a common thread among African religions. The presented concept of religious acceptance, and adaptable respect to power, demonstrates a higher level of civilization despite European claims to white racial superiority (and therefore, authority over races deemed inferior).