The Isis Papers: The Keys to the Colors

13
The Concept and the Color of God
and Black Mental Health
(November 1979)
Agnostics doubt and question the existence of God. Atheists deny the
existence of God. These two groups combined constitute a tiny minority
of the world's people. The vast and overwhelming majority of the peoples
on Earth have a conceptualizati'on of, and a belief in, the existence of God
(no matter how named or defmed) as the supreme force or supreme being
responsible for the creation of the universe. Therefore, this supreme being
constitutes the highest and ultimate focus of their worship, devotion and
obedience.
In all but the agnostic and atheistic groups, the training and teaching
of children about the concept of God, in a given culture, begin at the
earliest possible age of comprehension and understanding. Customarily,
long before children are capable of understanding any philosophical and
abstract consideration of God, they are exposed to the system of rituals
that the given people have evolved over thousands of years. The rituals
form a part of their recognition of, worship of and obedience to their
concepts of God. Thus, long before there is true cognitive understanding,
• there is participation in the practice of recognizing God. This participation
and practice becomes a part of children's (and ultimately adults')
concept and image of self in relationship to the total environment, but also
in relationship to the highest and ultimate focus of their worship, devotion
and obedience to the God of the people.
For it is the totality of experience in the environment from the moment
ofbirth that forms the self-image and self-concept in the brain-computer
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