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African American Religion Essay

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Throughout the readings and class discussions thus far, I have noticed that religion has played a key role in the enslavement and the liberation of African Americans. In fact, the story of African-American religion is a long and complex tale that spans over centuries. Before colonization and slavery, Africans had their own beliefs and religious practices. These enslaved Africans that were transported to the New World at the start of the fifteenth century, brought with them a bevy of local religious beliefs and practices. The diversity of customs and practices they brought with them elucidated the many cultures and languages from which they had come. During this time period the majority of the mass slave transports were from the West Coast of …show more content…

To this day, Christianity is the biggest religion in the world. It has served as a tool of enslavement and liberation of blacks in America. Like most things, Christianity has its beauty while also having a darker side. However, I find it hard to condemn a whole religion based on how some individuals make use of it. I agree with King’s view on using Christianity to obtain liberation. I believe that overall Christianity has done more good than harm. Instances where Christianity was being used as a tool by the slave drivers and masters to break the slave’s traditions and communities gives Christianity a bad name. I think it’s seminal to look at the religion separately from the people who practice it. If Christianity is implemented in the purest form, it teaches to love all. The slave drivers and masters clearly did not follow Christianity as it was meant to be. When this doctrine is practiced in such a way like King did, it has the power to liberate people from the grandest of struggles. However, it is an arduous task to decide whether blacks should practice Christianity or not because it is not always implemented in the best form. At the end of it all it is not a question of whether Christianity is good or bad but rather it is a look into the way people practice the religion. Nevertheless, it is an interesting

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Therefore, churches should have no say in it. However, Dr. King questions the morality of following a law that is unjust. Churches are supposed to preach the law of God and since only a just law would be in harmony with this, the churches should argue for desegregation. In addition, he reminds the churches of America that there was a time when Christianity was not viewed pleasantly by society and devoted Christians fought on to preserve what they viewed was morally correct. He points out that through their commitment, the early Christians were able to get rid of evils and warns that if the church of today does not argue for social issues it will become irrelevant and lose the respect

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Its ugly record of brutality is widely known” (176). This was used to show how bad the situation of racial injustice was in certain areas and why change needed to occur. King builds credibility multiple times throughout the paper for example he says “I am compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town.” He states this after comparing himself to the Apostle Paul who spread the gospel of Jesus to the far corners of the world” (176). This shows that he is on a mission similar to Paul who is

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1022 Words | 5 Pages

It also creates a sense that King himself is a strong believer of the Christian faith, which puts him on the same level as the clergymen and gives them a sense that the only way they differ is in complexion. King also acknowledges that not all of the clergymen are of the Christian faith and references the words of Martin Buber, a Jewish philosopher, “segregation substitutes an “I – it” relationship for the “I – thou” relationship and ends up relegating persons to the status of things.” King does a great job at making them realize that segregation demotes the African Americans status to almost that of a slave, and doing so creates an unequal

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724 Words | 3 Pages

King persuades the clergymen to accept the black American’s strive for independence by pulling on America’s heartstrings and its love for freedom. Using this idea of independence, he tells the clergymen that it is time for black Americans to attain freedom, similar to America’s path of sovereignty from Britain’s cruel control many years ago. Essentially, King expresses meaningful, yet tragic events and injustices along with common desires between black and white people to explain the circumstances as to why he advocates for

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539 Words | 3 Pages

In the, ¨Letter from Birmingham Jail '' King notes, "We have some eighty five affiliated organizations across the south and one of them is the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights¨(King 581). King uses things he has seen or others have seen as facts to show logos. He has seen many terrible things that have been done to the blacks. King tries to show many rhetorical appeals to the clergymen to convince them more and

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504 Words | 3 Pages

King uses strong, powerful language in his letter to analyze how protesting is right in the eyes of him and his fellow men because of the way they are being treated. King says, “All Christians know that the colored people will receive equal rights eventually” (paragraph 25). By using the word “Christians” it points out and focuses on the priests because they are Christians. Therefore, they will feel a personal connection between what King is writing and their lives. King explains what is happening to African Americans during this time and the struggles they are going through in their day-to-day life, unlike these fellow clergymen.

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847 Words | 4 Pages

King, who served as a minister, had a deep understanding of Christianity, which he used in his letter to the white clergy. King sought to highlight the immorality of discrimination, especially against those in powerful or religious positions who could assist him in bringing about change. In their capacities as churchmen, these individuals should be aware of the unchristian nature of allowing such bigotry. Social change was necessary regardless of if one ignored inequities or actively condoned segregation. In the absence of other options, King became more visible and vocal in his protests in a non-violent manner (King, 1963, p.5, para. 3).

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Most people in this world aren’t born into this world alone, King knows this and reminds the clergymen and the white moderate that these people have families too. Even though slavery was abolished in 1865 racism has continued to dehumanize Black people. King has given these people an identity which humanizes them. Lastly King appeals to logos or the logical side of an argument.

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530 Words | 3 Pages

King describes he is disappointed in the church. “All Christianity know that the colored people will receive equal rights eventually, but it is possible that you are in too great a religious hurry” (King 26) This appeal of pathos proves that white preachers were racist even though they are men of God. King let his readers know that even though he does not have the churches approval he will succeed without their

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Dr. King states, “There are just and there are unjust laws. I would agree with Saint Augustine that ‘An unjust law is no law at all. ’”(p.11). An unjust law is unfair to all people regardless of race. He alluded to Christian ideologies, because he wanted to show his central audience, which were the clergymen that, previously Christians agreed with his perspective on unjust laws , and how African Americans shouldn’t be deprived from their rights.

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498 Words | 2 Pages

On April 16, 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter to seven, white clergymen as a response to their criticisms of King’s approach to tackle segregation and other racial issues in Birmingham, Alabama. Coincidentally, King was also a clergyman—a clergyman with tons of influence as the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization that has 85 affiliated groups. Throughout his letter, King’s use of allusions both of historical and religious significance supports King’s position as a highly influential and educated clergyman, provide the inspirations behind King’s strategy of nonviolence, and a strong ethos to criticize his fellow clergymen who act as bystanders. In the beginning of King’s letter, the first thing he does is to address his own credibility the seven clergymen questioned.

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550 Words | 3 Pages

Perhaps I must turn my faith to the inner spiritual church, the church within the church, as the true ekklesia18 and the hope of the world. " This solidifies King's stance towards violence. In addition to remaining determined, King also held onto hope and spread said hope to his community by reassuring them that they weren't alone in the battle of segregation by listing the names of various white people that supported the black community as shown in “Letter From Birmingham Jail” paragraph 32 where he states "I suppose I should have realized that few members of the oppressor race can understand the deep groans and passionate yearnings of the oppressed race, and still fewer have the vision to see that injustice must be rooted out by strong, persistent and determined action. " I am thankful, however, that some of our white brothers in the South have grasped the meaning of this social revolution and committed themselves to it. They are still all too few in quantity, but they are big in quality."

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1546 Words | 7 Pages

King uses biblical allusions to appeal to the eight white clergymen and their religious affiliation when he states his duty to carry the “gospel of freedom beyond his home town... Like Paul.” His final point of this section is the clergymen’s failure to recognize the underlying causes of the demonstrations they so harshly condemn, a failure causing further ignorance and confusion on racial

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563 Words | 3 Pages

MLK’s ultimate claim is that the church is to blame for these happenings and “the judgement of God is upon the Church as never before”(276). King stated how even the people who were in the church trying to fight for justice had been looked down upon and some had been kicked out of their own churches. King’s claims were passionately presented. He relentlessly provided evidence to prove his position on the issue of injustice and also showed ample amounts of examples to solve these problems.

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471 Words | 2 Pages

In his autobiography, Fredrick Douglass makes two very distinct points regarding Christianity in the South that are astonishing. The first point revolves around a comparison he made between his first master who was a “devout” Christian and his second and final master, who was an unbeliever. Douglass writes in his comparison that he believes he gained an advantage with his new master because he “made no pretensions to, or profession of, religion”. This seems contradictory in theory, but in reality it is not.

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