Roman Catholic Church In The Fire Next Time By James Baldwin

857 Words4 Pages

Throughout the development of the Roman Catholic Church, it thrives and continues to change by society’s social standards. One example of a change in the Roman Catholic Church is that all types of people, no matter what race, are freely able to express their faith without the worry of religious persecution. Today, the world sees all sorts of human beings living a lifestyle that may have not been acceptable in the 1960s. In the book The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin, it describes many issues during the 1960s dealing with religion and society. Catholics during this time are very different compared to those today, this was due to the fact that the Bible in the 1960s was comprehended in a different way. Even though Catholic schools follow the …show more content…

In this case, many of these minority groups have grown to fear those who are a power above them and have not been able to change society. The following verse from the Bibles tells us that one should, “do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12). This tells us that everyone should be treated the same, however not every human being was treated the same in the 1960s. Many Catholics during that time had also discriminated those who do not follow their teachings. Even though these actions may be against the teachings of the Catholic Church, they need to be taught in Catholic schools so that the students can learn what is right and what is wrong. These students should not be denied of this information, rather they should be learning from this …show more content…

However, James Baldwin had also showed love is the answer to most of the worlds injustice. In The Fire Next Time Baldwin tells his nephew, Big James, that, “we have not stopped trembling yet, but if we had not loved each other none of us would have survived” (Baldwin 7). This shows that love has been the only thing that has been keeping the world from falling into ruin. Baldwin also tells his nephew that he should accept his white brother and love him for who he is. This is a very big struggle as well in today's society. Most individuals, usually who have been hurt by another, have vices and start to take matter into their own hands. However, in the Bible it says that a person should not, “repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:17-18). This verse shows us that one should not take revenge, rather they should forgive. This example shows that The Fire Next Time is an appropriate book for Catholic Schools because Baldwin gives his nephew advice on how to better himself and the