Religion: The Kerosene that Enlarges the Fire

It is evident that the drive to colonize this new nation had chiefly been for economic purposes and the fact that the European continent was becoming overpopulated. The New World had been discovered by explorers who wanted to locate a new route to India so that trade could be better established. However, once what is now known as the United States was founded, there were more opportunities for a variety of things, including slave labor, colonization, entrepreneurship, and even an escape from religious persecution and the social and political system of Europe. As a result of this drive for change, the European people aggressively came to America so that they could make changes, and this would be on behalf of the Native American people who already claimed the land.

Furthermore, the chapter discussed the religion of Christianity, which is not the correct religion of a black man in America. History have shown that Christianity was used as an inferior strategy toward African Americans. In chapter 2, there is a connection between Christianity and the Jim Crow segregation. The author would go on to elaborate on the qualities of fear, as fear is produced by a dominant group who justified obedience and order. The society that a person lives in also determines their social status, as in a hierarchy. The book suggested that society is a place that enforces the oppression of colored people. Jesus was the disinherited and the oppressed, whereas he had to find a means of survival.

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.

In Chapter 2, “Religion Matters”, Prothero briefly discusses how religion has impacted America even if it seems subsided, and why we tend to neglect it. When it comes to some of the major events of American history, Prothero argues that “none of the classic events in American history…can be understood without some knowledge of the religious motivations” of its major players. (Prothero) Perhaps part of the reason we generally ignore this statement is because of confusion and controversies it presents in government rulings and school teachings.

Have you ever wondered where why the many different countries in Europe came to America to explore and colonize? There were two main concepts that drew the Europeans to America: the excitement and profit of the "New World", and the past histories of their countries. The English, French, and Spanish each came to the Americas in search of a new beginning; a fresh start in which they could escape past torment and capture new wealth. However, each motive defined the character of each settlement.

Europeans came to the Americas for many different reasons. Religious freedom, adventure, gold, new opportunity, and land are a few of them. Perhaps the most serious was the different way that Europeans and Native Americans thought about land. Land was extremely important to European settlers because land meant wealth, in which they established many communities where they lived and worked. Many of the settlers in the new country could have never owned land in Europe because they were too poor. The Native Americans believed that no one could own land. They

There are many reasons why the English settlers journeyed to the New World. Religious freedoms and reformation was the first reason. The next was the potential for settlers to start a new, prosperous life. The main reason people came over to the New World was for a quick and easy way to gain more wealth.Many crops were grown but

This statement further reveals the factions that had surfaced as a result of racial tensions as both races feared one another to an extent. The blacks feared the whites because of their power, and the whites feared the blacks gaining any power. These racial tensions through the verbal propaganda of whites versus blacks intensified to a point where it eventually got in the way with some people’s faith and belief, “‘Is Jesus white?’ said [the student in Sunday School]. Rev. Owens said no. ‘Then how come they make him white here in this picture?’... ‘If they put Jesus in this picture here, and He ain’t white, and He ain’t black, they should make Him gray. Jesus should be gray.’ Richie stopped going to Sunday school after that.” (McBride 53). Had tensions not been so high during the time period, Richie may not have cared that Jesus was depicted as white. However as anti-color propaganda was being tossed at the opposing race, it struck towards individuals such as Richie to be a large deal and as a result he let the tension destroy his sense of faith, indicating the power of propaganda during this period. Social ladders become intensified through the creation of racially separated schools, stores, churches, water fountains, buses and more.People’s treatment of the opposing race began to worsen when these factions were created. Propaganda shows the spreading of information controls society’s thoughts and emotions as the art behind the language and the author’s expression of the

Adventure, promises of wealth, and an opportunity to a new life were some of the many reasons which attracted settlers to the Americas. However, what the new settlers did not know were the many challenges and tragedies this new life entailed. Despite all, the colonists of Jamestown would encounter the difficulties of starting a new colony in a foreign new land. The life these settlers found was nothing like they expected. Their hopes for wealth and a new beginning were soon replaced with death and misery. The colonies of the Americas can be seen as a failure because European settlers would come to experience the horrors that the “New World” would give them including famine and diseases.

Throughout the 1800’s there were more and more Americans that had moved onto the frontier of the West coast. The people of the United States believed they were destined to have their land stretched from the Pacific Ocean (the west) to the Atlantic Ocean (the east); from sea to shining sea. This settlement came from the fact that the west not only had an abundance of fertile land for farming, but it had such a great abundance of gold and mineral mining available. The Americans also believed that this was a way (and chance) to spread their beliefs! Many people saw the West as a new beginning, so they decided to head West and begin this journey. This is what the Americans believed they were destined to do… The rapid settlement of the West was caused by the great desire of the American

Furthermore, the chapter discussed the religion of Christianity, which is not the correct religion of a black man in America. History has shown that Christianity was used as an inferior strategy toward African Americans. In chapter 2, there is a connection between Christianity and the Jim Crow segregation. The author would go on to elaborate on the qualities of fear, as fear is produced by a dominant group who justified obedience and order. The society that a person lives in also determines their social status, as in a hierarchy. The book suggested that society is a place that enforces the oppression of colored people. Jesus was the disinherited and the oppressed, whereas he had to find a means of survival.

Through out the entire time period of slavery, religion remained a high priority and a way in which to label different social groups. The lack or complete non-existence of religion among Africans led to them being viewed as somewhat inferior. Later in the second chapter Jordan talks about how during the slave era religion distinguished whites from blacks. Also how classification changed once Africans began to enter the Christian church. He himself viewed this type of labeling somewhat ridiculous, in that many of the Africans were baptized before the came to the New World. Thus they in many circles would be identified as Christians. This important information helps show the reader how the justifications for slavery evolved. Jordan captures the utter and blatant hypocrisy that the colonies exuded with regards to the slave situation. Jordan also sees religious injustice within the treatment of Indians and Africans. The English made attempts to convert the Indians and had little desire or intention to do the same for Africans. This again shows to what lengths early Americans went in creating a subculture for the purpose of slavery.

In James Baldwin’s collection of essays in The Fire Next Time he expresses a call to action for Americans to abandon the belief that skin color separates people from one another and to unite together as a whole country. In the essays, he identifies religion as the source for this disillusioned belief that the whites’ skin makes them inherently better than African Americans merely because of their skin color. In participating in the Christian religion, he learns that the teachings to love one another go unpracticed towards those with a different skin color or of another religion. While religion benefits its members by preventing people from falling into the life of crime that prevails in the ghetto, its influence causes the members to develop

The Purposes behind coming to America was as diverse as the people living in it. America turned into the Promised Land of mankind, offering individuals a grand belief of a dream of extended opportunities and new hopes which was denied to them in the Old World. Europeans writers wrote an enormous

The western Ideology came to America when the Europeans crossed over to the new world. Believing they had be instructed with a political and spiritual destiny they came to America thinking that they were spiritually and mentally above others. They rationalized the killings and destruction of the indigenous people. This framing left a ladder of those who were more superior to others based on their position. This frame work led to the development of the Anglo-Saxon myth in America. The separation caused our culture into separate and unequal segregation amongst the population. I believe the denial of racism’s magnitude and impact creates disunity in the body of Christ. We as whites can sometime operate with the assumption that the experience