Throughout Christian communities around the globe, the widely accepted image for God is a white and all powerful being. While widely accepted, this concept of the most powerful being and creator of the world being a white male has led to a feeling of racial dominance and white supremacy throughout Christian communities. Yet while it is important for racial groups to use religion within their specific cultures to encourage further understanding of God’s role in specific cultures, giving God a specific race classifies him as more important to one race than another, therefore fueling inequality within Christianity. Along with trying to classify God as a specific race, another factor that has the potential to be equally as harmful to religious …show more content…
Christianity has been fueled primarily by white individuals therefore making God’s image take the form of a white male and this misconstrued image of God has made racial equality a continual struggle throughout generations. In “The Cross and the Lynching Tree,” James Cone talks about how theology is a dominated by white theology and how “whites needed theologians to interpret the gospel in a way that would not require them to acknowledge white supremacy as America’s greatest sin” (Cone 159). While religion certainly has a past plagued by white supremacy, I disagree with Cone’s interpretation of white theologians creating a translation of God’s messages in order to appease white Christians. Cone makes it seem like slavery and black oppression were fueled by white theology but in my opinion the cruelty committed against blacks in America were actually fueled by white individuals who had turned their backs on Gods messages of love and equality. For the same reasons that I disagree with giving God a specific race, I also disagree with creating race specific branches of religion because religion is supposed to be a higher power that views us all as equals and by making it race specific it contradicts the message of equality. Race specific theologies can be helpful for helping specific …show more content…
Trying to pinpoint God’s race fuels a sense of racial and religious inequality which goes against what God intended Christianity to do. God can’t have a specific religion because it fuels racial superiority within the confines of religion because it makes the racial group that God identifies as superior to other races. Religion shouldn’t be divided into race specific factions, instead religion and Christians should be working towards trying to fuel religious equality. Without religious equality, Christians will never be able to truly live out God’s message because both God and Jesus preach a message of loving everyone equally. I don’t believe God would want to be classified as a specific race because God created people of all colors therefore God loves all races equally. Ultimately giving God a specific race to identify himself as doesn’t fuel racial equality instead if we continue trying to classify God as one race or another it will only fuel racial superiority and religious inequality within
In certainty, the model of racial equality has not always been performed, nor has it been fully accomplished in the world. This is because the acceptance in racial equality has been said to “counter” deeply rooted beliefs in racial inequality and political, legal, and customary practices of racial discrimination and oppression. Therefore, racial equality is stated in antiracist philosophy and in antiracist political mobilization.
Since the arrival of African Americans in this country blacks have always had differing experiences. Consequently, African-Americans have had to forge a self-identity out of what has been passed on to them as fact about their true selves. History has wrought oppression and subjugation to this particular race of people and as a result, certain institutions were formed in order aid African-Americans, culturally, spiritually and economically. The African-American Church has served of one such institution. From the time of slavery, though outlawed, many slaves found ways to congregate and form their own "churches", away from the one-sided and bias lessons about the bible that they were being taught in the white church. The white ministers and
The author, Curtis J. Evans, argues that African Americans and images of black religion in American culture have been key to the development of American ideals and culture, as well as a reflection of the nation’s failures as a country. Throughout the text, Evans never truly offers any added narrative to the events in history he speaks on, but simply historicizes the burden that has been placed on black religion, and by natural extension, black people. He documents the changes in how black religion was viewed in America and how black America responded to these views.
theology, the only true theology as Cone sees it, is not possible by white people as they are
The development of Black Theology in the United was one that shocked the nation as a whole. While in slavery, Blacks had to sneak and hold church services. This was partly because Whites felt that Blacks were not able to be accepted into heaven, and they believed that once one as a Christian they could no longer be enslaved. So to appease their conscience they would not allow Blacks to take part in theology. Due to these issues Black Theology soon originated within the United States.
As a fundamental Protestant Evangelical Christian, I have worshiped, taught, and served others from different racial backgrounds, and I loved it and found it to be a beautiful engagement with Christ’s love for all of humanity. However, as indicated in the text, though there were different racial groups, it was still dominantly white, and if it wasn’t, as in the ESL Bible class I got to teach, it was segregated though it wasn’t malicious or intentional. Both at my school and church I have seen examples of racial harmony, but as a whole Evangelical Christianity is very divided. As such, Emerson and Smith’s claim is accurate, and is frustrating because it shouldn’t be this way, and I find it hard t find an answer that isn’t a cliché, but that is no excuse for keeping the
The article “The Great White Way” by Debra J. Dickerson attempts to show her readers that “Race is an arbitrary system for establishing hierarchy and privilege” (68) in America. In her article, Dickerson questions how “whiteness” leads America in our culture and society and how all the other races are defined in America. She also explains how history has divided whites from non-whites in America. The intended audience that Dickerson’s essay gravitated towards are political or liberal Americans. In her article “The Great White Way”. Debra J. Dickerson powerfully argues that race is an overall way to establish social classes and who and what get special privileges because of their certain race or skin color. Dickerson argues that “Race is
William Apess, a Christian of Indian heritage, is known for his compelling argument: “An Indian’s Looking-Glass for the White Man” where he gives solid points on why racial discrimination is a sin and is against God’s will. Throughout the entire text, Apess lists reason after reason on why what the white people have done is a sin, then proceeds to judge them based on their skin color and amount of crimes they’ve committed as stated in the Bible.
Throughout the history of the country, America has been considered a fairly racist union. From the workplaces to the society, as an Asian, I felt there's a strong barrier between white and black people, although I felt a little bit of racial among us. In this essay, I will talk about the major racial issue of this country through out my experiences.
Religion and race is embedded deeply in culture. Christianity and the images of Jesus had played a huge part in shaping early colonial America. The Color of Christ is a book written by Edward J. Blum and Paul Harvey that provides a great insight on how race, religion and power played an important role in the colonial America. Sometimes, Jesus figures were used to defend unequal treatment given to certain racial groups, while other times it helped them to rise up against inequality. This book explains how different ethnic groups used physical form of Jesus to their advantage. The Color of Christ provide details on how English Colonists used Jesus as a symbol to justify racial supremacy and to help unify different
James H. Cone’s God of the Oppressed is his examination of the origin, development, and significance of black theology as it relates to how he and the black Christian community view God. For Cone, in an America seemingly dominated by white theology and the white Christian community’s views of God, it is imperative to acknowledge and attentively listen to the voices of the theologies of other races and what God means to them, especially that of the black community. Cone asserts without hesitation that the God that is referred to in the Bible and black religion is a Deliver of those held captive by the bondage of oppression. Cone not only asserts this viewpoint of God as the Freer of oppressed people, but he validates this assertion through the use of Scripture, the black experience, history, and tradition. Overall, the central theme of this book is that a plethora of factors continually shape and construct a people’s theology and how that theology is significant in regards to how they see God, the world, and themselves.
New Testaments show that God does not hold any significance to race. God sees us as one people; as "man." The physical characteristics of different races have nothing to do with how God evaluates man
Ethics is theology and white theology is blind, therefore it directly affects white ethics, “because white theologians have not interpreted God as the Liberator of the oppressed, it follows that white ethicists would not make liberation the central motif of ethical analysis.” (185) A poem by Joseph Cotter ends the book because it is Black Theology’s thought on reconciliation with the white community. In 1975, Cone’s answer was this reconciliation is not going to happen because blacks were still being oppressed. Today, Cone may feel that enough progress has been made in liberating the blacks to reconcile with whites.
Racism is a persistent issue directly threatening the values and teachings of Catholic theology and humanities advancement towards unity and peace. A destructive ideology such as racism debunks the entire foundation from which Catholicism is built. Catholicism follows the life and teachings of Jesus and the idea of solidarity, one of seven principals of Catholic Social Teaching; preaching for a single human family despite any national, racial, ethnic, economic, or ideological differences. Accepting or remaining silent when presented with an act of racial discrimination is equally as damaging as committing the act itself, as it contributes to an environment tolerant of racial prejudices. The Catholic church and its followers have a duty to acknowledge racism to its fullest extent and provide resolution. Through a collective stance against racism between the Catholic establishment and society while simultaneously providing education on the issue with realistic solutions, a progressed cultural environment can ultimately be developed that is reluctant to condone racism and all associated ideologies, utilizing peace, unity, and Catholic values as its foundational core.
In 1968 and 1865 Lincoln and Kennedy were trying to persuade Americans that the country is better united. Throughout America’s history I believe that a common goal was to build relations among the diverse nation. I think that Lincoln and Kennedy wanted to make a change because they saw the difference and unfair circumstances. However there has not been a lot that has changed. I believe a lot of people want to get rid of racism but a lot of people haven’t made an honest effort to make change. However I also think that many people do not know how to acquire change. Recognizing racial injustice can help create various steps toward racial equality in America’s society. When we as a society speak explicitly about race, we will accept everything that make us different from one another.