30/03/2024
From the ravages of slavery and racial oppression, the Spiritual Baptist Faith was born
Today, we as members Spiritual Baptist Faith Diaspora together remember what this Holiday affords us to remember one of the greatest examples of injustice done to us and should bring out the best in ourselves. On November 16, 1917, an unspeakable injustice in the form of the Shouters Prohibition Ordinance was perpetrated against us as a religious community. The discriminatory ban prohibited our membership from congregating, erecting a place of worship, or practicing their religious beliefs. The colonial authorities sought to sugar-coat this injustice as an effort to reduce the disturbance to public order caused by the shouting and bell-ringing characteristic of Spiritual Baptist gatherings. That contrivance did not daunt us as members of the Spiritual Baptist Faith. We recognized the injustice for what it was.
Yet, rather than allowing that injustice to erupt into either debilitating frustration or unbridled anger, we turned our efforts within ourselves with a great commitment to ourselves all the more to our beliefs and our aspirations, and, for the next 34 years, put on one of the most extraordinary displays of courage, resilience, and determination in modern history.
In so doing, we as Spiritual Baptists have set an example that has inspired and encouraged generations of people across the world. By sticking to our religious principles, we as Spiritual Baptists have resisted and endured.
Our faithfulness and resolve were rewarded when the Ordinance was repealed on March 30, 1951. We formally won the right that was always ours to practice our religion with freedom and dignity.
I am a Practitioner and a Very Proud Spiritual Baptist. Happy Spiritual Baptist Liberation Day