>I've always found the connection with christianity very
>perplexing just due to its the genesis within the black
>community - i.e. forced via slavery - you would think there
>would have been a visceral backlash to it at SOME point after
>abolition


To be fair, the black church did serve a purpose in the civil rights era in terms of functioning as a way for folks to organize. I'm not a Christian and I'm don't go to church myself, but they do serve a purpose.