An Ivy League professor from the University of Pennsylvania is taking the verdict of the George Zimmerman trial in a whole new religious direction. Anthea Butler, an associate professor of Religious Studies and Africana Studies, recently wrote a blog post stating the George Zimmerman verdict helps support the notion that the "American god" is a "white racist god."
Zimmerman was found not guilty on all charges relating to the 2012 shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida. The next day, Butler, who received her Ph.D. in religion from Vanderbilt and a Masters in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary, took to online magazine Religion Dispatches to discuss Zimmerman's acquittal.
The blog post entitled, "The Zimmerman Acquittal: America's Racist God" opens with a reference to the book "Is God a White Racist?" written by Rev. Dr. William R. Jones. Revealing that she first encountered the book when she was a seminary student, Butler states that by contrasting Jones' beliefs with her experience during the Zimmerman trial, she now understands Jones's message.
Her post on Religions Dispatches reads, "God ain't good all of the time. In fact, sometimes, God is not for us. As a black woman in a nation that has taken too many pains to remind me that I am not a white man, and am not capable of taking care of my reproductive rights, or my voting rights, I know that this American god ain't my god. As a matter of fact, I think he's a white racist god with a problem. More importantly, he is carrying a gun and stalking young black men."
Butler received a major amount of backlash due to her controversial piece. However, Butler argues her piece about the "American God" being a "white racist" has simply been misinterpreted. Butler told the Huffington Post that her message regarding God was not a comprehensive one. According to the professor, while writing her piece she was referencing two very distinct ideas, one being "god," while the other being "God."
"First of all they don't understand it's between small 'g' god and big 'G' God," Butler said of her critics to The Huffington Post. "Big 'G' God is the deity. Little 'g' is different kinds of gods. Anyone who reads Religion Dispatches knows this. ... But this was especially touchy for [conservative Christians] because I hit on some things that are kind of true."
And while we are still attempting to figure out exactly what that response to critics means, one thing for sure is that this is not the first time Butler has faced vicious criticism. She even has a Tumblr called "The Things People Say," which catalogues a handful of hateful comments hurled her way.
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