The Potential Subjectivity of Religion
Cone describes in detail the inconsistencies of Christianity during the lynching period due to the effects of racism. He shows the overall irrationality of white practitioners whose newly found fear of free slaves caused them to act in inhumane ways. Lynching was the main method of disparaging African Americans in hope that they would stay subservient. It was advertised in newspapers and welcomed children, furthering the belief that, “America is a white nation called by God to bear witness to the superiority of ‘white over black’” (7). White America had the grounded belief that God has rightfully chosen them to rule over others. Along with the popularity of “Birth of a Nation,” being described as a “religious …show more content…
Religion offered a way to find hope for their suffering in a world that was unjust. Cone makes the argument that the African Americans at the time should not be seen as cowardly as even presidents: Roosevelt, Wilson, McKinley, and Harding, would not intervene even after many generations of activists. Instead, the religious implications of African Americans involved persevering through suffering, in turn, seeing the paradoxical symbol of the cross as a sign of strength. Although the cross signifies life after death and victory from defeat, it allowed them to feel hope for the future. They did not believe that God allowed others to rule another, but that God’s love and care would allow them freedom in the future. Along with Blues singing, both aspects of African American culture allowed them to realize their humanity and disregard the negative picture that white America is portraying them as. From these differences, Cone concludes simply that, “white Protestant evangelical hymns did not sound or feel the same when blacks and whites sang them because their life experiences were so different” (Cone
Cone describes in detail the inconsistencies of Christianity during the lynching period due to the effects of racism. He shows the overall irrationality of white practitioners whose newly found fear of free slaves caused them to act in inhumane ways. Lynching was the main method of disparaging African Americans in hope that they would stay subservient. It was advertised in newspapers and welcomed children, furthering the belief that, “America is a white nation called by God to bear witness to the superiority of ‘white over black’” (7). White America had the grounded belief that God has rightfully chosen them to rule over others. Along with the popularity of “Birth of a Nation,” being described as a “religious …show more content…
Religion offered a way to find hope for their suffering in a world that was unjust. Cone makes the argument that the African Americans at the time should not be seen as cowardly as even presidents: Roosevelt, Wilson, McKinley, and Harding, would not intervene even after many generations of activists. Instead, the religious implications of African Americans involved persevering through suffering, in turn, seeing the paradoxical symbol of the cross as a sign of strength. Although the cross signifies life after death and victory from defeat, it allowed them to feel hope for the future. They did not believe that God allowed others to rule another, but that God’s love and care would allow them freedom in the future. Along with Blues singing, both aspects of African American culture allowed them to realize their humanity and disregard the negative picture that white America is portraying them as. From these differences, Cone concludes simply that, “white Protestant evangelical hymns did not sound or feel the same when blacks and whites sang them because their life experiences were so different” (Cone