Homosexuality, The Church and America

In Goldberg’s Kingdom Coming she speaks of the dynamics of how society interacts with one another when it comes to same sex marriages and the evangelical church. This text is very much against homosexuality and is very stern about this belief and conception. In Chapter two of Goldberg’s well-written book she talks about how the conservatives are threatened from homosexuals getting married, and this being detrimental to conservative families and their way of living. “In 2004 millions of Americans decided that, in a time of war and economic uncertainty, there was no issue more urgent than keeping gay people from getting married”(Goldberg Pg 56). It is shocking that individual’s act in this way toward Homosexuals. Why would people be so close-minded and unfair? This was because of the fact that conservatives had their mindset on cleaning their towns and making sure that homosexuality would not spread. The way that these conservative evangelicals went about trying to ban homosexual marriages and homosexuals in general is through the church. Another way of exploiting this inequality was thru through commercializing this idea through television, word of mouth, leaflet’s, and even posters. “The Republican National Committee mailed a voter registration form attached to a four color flyer about “protecting marriage”, the front pictured a brined and a groom and the words, “one man one woman.” Inside it said one vote could make a difference in making sure it stays that way.”(Goldberg Pg 64) This quote thoroughly explains how manipulative this party was. It is horrible for people to try to sway people to become discriminatory against a certain type of belief or people. Knowledge is power and knowing that discrimination is wrong and spreading the word will help people understand that everyone should be free to do what they want to do.

Works cited

Goldberg, Michelle. "Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism". W.W. Norton and Company, Inc. New York, NY. 2007

Homophobia

In chapter two of Goldberg's Kingdom Coming, Goldberg explains the homophobia that exists withing the mega churches and how this homophobia was used in politics, especially in the 2004 same sex marriage proposition. The message that homosexuality was becoming a threat to families was being stated by conservatives, "Needing to see their foe as equal to their threat , they exaggerate its strength", and therefore charge against homosexuality with all their strength (Goldberg 69). As a result of trying to cure homosexuality, Goldberg states that many Christian conservatives believe that people can come out of homosexuality , but the people that are born into evangelical communities where homosexuality is seen as a sin long for belonging and therefore go through preparative therapy hoping to become what their families want them to become (Goldberg76). Unfortunately there has been no evidence that these therapies actually help homosexuals leave their sexuality behind and become hetero sexual.
Mega churches, as stated by Goldberg, have situated themselves in exurbs and because of this, they "fill the spiritual and social void, providing atomized residents instant community" (Goldberg 58). Because a community is built it becomes easier for these mega churches to spread their message, in this case that homosexuality is a sin and as stated by Goldberg this is a pattern that repeats itself in the culture of wars, "When religious conservatives are proven wrong, their faith in their righteousness only grows along with their hatred of conspiracy they see arrayed against them"(Goldberg 78). In the article Consequences of Same-Sex Marriage Will be Far Reaching , by Don Wildmon, the founder for the American Family Association, interviewed Mary Ann Glendon, a Learned Hand Professor of Law at Harvard about same-sex marriage and she stated, “The economic and social costs of this radical social experiment. Astonishingly, in the media coverage of this issue, next to nothing has been said about what this new special preference would cost the rest of society in terms of taxes and insurances premiums.” She states a strong bias against homosexuality and believes that homosexuality goes against the law of God.
Hopefully in the near future, Christians will no longer see homosexuality as a sin and accept it. It is in Goldberg's chapter two that we find that those that are heavily against homosexuality are the religious people, mostly of Christian denominations and sects.

Works cited
Goldberg, Michelle. "Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism". W.W. Norton and Company, Inc. New York, NY. 2007

Wildmon, Don. "Consequences of same-sex 'marriage' will be far reaching." American Family Association Journal: American Family Association. 2006. Web: 20 October 2009

Two Sides To Every Story…

Right-winged American politics are plagued and ruled by paranoia, with an ever-changing enemy of attack with a target on their back as described in Goldburg’s “Kingdom Coming”(Ch.2). The hypocrisy and paranoia fuel the Christian–Rights fire to the extreme of brainwashing their worshiper's into believing and thinking the worst. Whether phrased as views on homophobia, anti-gay sentiment or same sex marriage. Paranoia beliefs range from “the abomination of a civilization" to conservative lawmakers in Tennessee attempting to ban homosexuals from living in Rhea County. Churches, new super Mega-churches are set up in rural areas to unite the worshipers by instilling fears, exclaiming that they must fight back and reclaim their Christian nation which is under attack! The conservative-right fuel the fire of intolerance and discrimination. “Homosexuality has become the mobilizing passion for much of the religious right. A populist movement needs an enemy, but one reason the Christian nationalist are so strong is that they’ve made peace with old foes, especially Catholics and African Americans. Gay people have taken the place of obsolete demons.” (Goldburg 52)

The conspiracy theories play out as pastors around the country send their top representative to meet with representatives from D.C. to align issues and set up a strategic plan to back their votes. Worshipers respect and fear the holy and untainted words of their minister without doubt or question. It's the word of God, right? ”So gay people become a threat to the most important thing conservatives have-their families. In standing up to that threat, they see themselves as heroes. Loathing is transformed into virtue.”(Goldburg 69) Therefore, uniting them to take a stand and vote! An anti-gay marriage vote! The hot button issue is no longer segregation or abortion, the country must take back Christian America and protect the tradition of family values. Where does the first amendment come in? Who gets to choose how you live and the choices you get to make in a free and civil society. The hypocrisy in the church has been going on for centuries and so has homosexuality. It is just a matter of time before it will be an issue of the past, yet people are just not ready to go there yet! Close-minded conservatives rule the White House and it is the liberal lefts fault for not being as organized as the conservative right. Due to popular or unpopular belief, trying to find a non bias scholarly article was near impossible. Each article makes references or questions the relevance for today's society; Pro or Anti Homosexual writers take examples from the Bible's Old Testament, Plato's Symposium, Genesis or the story of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Goldberg, Michelle. "Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism". W.W. Norton and Company, Inc. New York, NY. 2007

Coalition of the Willing?

Tax cuts for the large corporations and the wealthy, dismantling social security and other government programs, anti-public education, anti-welfare, a hawkish foreign policy, upholding a ban on all forms of abortion, lax gun laws, overturn environmental and consumer protection laws, and standing for the "sanctity of marriage" by preventing homosexuals from marrying.

The above demands have been on the Republican Party platform for decades; the far-right has held an anti-government regulation and morality-upholding through government intervention coalition since the 1970s. The "Red State" religious voters obviously have a staunch opposition to abortion rights and gay rights, but why would these voters, who are in the lower-to-middle income bracket, vote against their economic interests? It is because conservatives have been able to forge an alliance between free-market neo-conservatives, and Christian fundamentalists, and have done it successfully.

Goldberg sites the 2004 Presidential election as an example of how homosexuality was politicized in a negative way. Gay marriage bans were on the ballot in a dozen states, and churches were galvanized to vote to protect the sanctity of marriage (Goldberg 54). False claims, such as churches who do not recognize gay marriages would have their tax exemptions stripped, were rampant throughout the campaign. Images of gay couples in San Francisco were also used to mobilize church-going voters.

She also mentions Anita Bryant's campaign in the late 1970s to repeal Florida laws that were seen as "gay-friendly". Bryant famously said that homosexuals "want to recruit your children and teach them the virtues of becoming homosexual" (Fetner 411).

One can point out that the economic recession would turn many voters around into making the economy, not "moral values", a priority. However, Obama's big win in 2008 alongside Prop. 8 in California, as well as the victory of Anita Bryant's anti-gay legislation in Florida at a time of economic recession, were evidence that this may not be the case (Fenter 414).

The Religious Right's movement has been a reactionary one; with more people attaining rights and liberties, Conservatives became outraged in the decline of moral standards in society. As Goldberg puts it, gays and lesbians were targeted as the epitome of moral decay. That gays would ultimately bring down civilization. This is why religious conservatives will unlikely defect from the GOP; the Democrats have long been associated with liberal social changes. As long as the Republican Party continues its opposition to gay marriage by adopting the rhetoric of Christian Fundamentalism, they will lose the argument that the GOP is a "big tent" party. However, as what we have seen, homophobia can bring out the religious vote, which can be a factor in winning an election.

Homosexuality has become the mobilizing issue for the Religious Right; they have "tolerated" gays and lesbians up until a point. To the Christian, marriage is sacred and is one of the binding institutions, alongside the family, that hold society together. When they see gays engaging in marriage and the adoption of children, the line is crossed and immorality is assaulting what is sacred. Therefore, the "homosexual agenda" is an attack on God.

Works Cited:
Fenter, Tina."Working With Anita Bryant: The Impact of Christian Gay Activism on Lesbian and Gay Movement Claims. from Social Problems, Vol 48, No. 33. University of California Press. 2001

Goldberg, Michelle. "Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism". W.W. Norton and Company, Inc. New York, NY. 2007

Christianity and Science

In the third chapter of Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism, Goldberg discusses the on-going argument of teaching creationism, which is often disguised as Intelligent Design. She considers the different techniques that Intelligent Design supporters use to coerce the subject into schools. First, creationism is disguised as Intelligent Design. In Intelligent Design, religion is played down and scientific speech is employed to make it seem more like an actual science, not the pseudoscience it really is. Intelligent Design supporters also obtain degrees in areas that qualify their opinions, and become publicly active through groups like the CSC. These supporters plan strategic approaches, such as "The Wedge Strategy" to manipulate their ideas into the mainstream.

The article I read, Most Beautiful and Most Wonderful: Why Darwin is Still Right, discusses the importance of educating ourselves about Intelligent Design and evolution. The supporters of Intelligent Design know their stuff; and consequently could win an argument with an evolutionist. To combat the infiltration of Intelligent Design in schools today, we need to know more about Charles Darwin's theory and the theory of Intelligent Design. In most debates, it doesn't matter so much the material that is being debated upon, but on the debaters themselves. Putting an end to the teaching on Intelligent Design rests in the knowledge of evolutionists.

I attended a private Christian high school. For our freshman year, we were required to take 'Earth Science.' It was basically a class taught to cement the ideas of creationism. The class did touch upon Evolution, but in such a way that you were considered an idiot if you agreed with the text book. The teacher and students actually laughed about how lost evolutionists were. I can't speak for other private religious schools--but it is a shame that they have the power to choose to educate their students or to shroud them in ignorance. It should not be a choice for the individual school to make. Goldberg explains that a school doesn't need permission to teach Intelligent Design--that all they need is a mandate to teach "the scientific strengths and weaknesses of evolutionary theory." This allows Intelligent Design to end up in the classroom just the same.


Works Cited:

Goldberg, Michelle. Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism. New York, New York. W. W. Norton & Company. 2006.

Most Beautiful and Most Wonderful: Why Darwin is Still Right. Virginia Quarterly Review, Vol. 82 Issue 2, p1-3. 2006.

Fundamentalisms Hurtful Rise

The rise of Fundamentalism caused issues for Americans. With the 1920’s controversy over Fundamentalism Vs. Modernism, two direct paths were created for religious exploration. Liberalism led toward open interpretations of the bible and open change to traditional views and customs, while Conservatism caused issues due to its literal interpretations of the bible and lack of flexibility.

In Robert Mathisen’s, “Critical Issues in American Religious History,” article 105, “The Bible and Modern Critisicism,” David Heagle, a German Professor, provides us with his view, criticizing Modernism. In another article, “Fundamentalism as A Challenge for Religious Education,” written by Heinz Streib, a Professor at Bielefield University, the opposing view is expressed as finding negative effects of Fundamentalism.

In Heagle’s document from the early 1900’s, he attempts to persuade people to believe that the Bible is a “proven, divinely inspired, heaven-given book, a communication from a Father to his children.” (pg550). Heagle states that the Bible condemns man; therefore, saying God is superior to all. Heagle also states that the Bible is superior to all other religious documents because no other god gave his son for the good of man. Heagle is arguing against Modernism because he believes that God has authority over all men, and that no Christian should change the word of God in order to modernize his life. The fight between the up rise of Modernism and Fundamentalism created a wide gap between the two over the next century.

In Streib’s article we can see what Fundamentalism has done to the youth that were raised under such circumstance. Although this article does acknowledge a positive influence of Fundamentalism, the sense of community among the church, it appears that the negative influence of Fundamentalism is superior. This article gives case studies to show how the rearing of children under the Fundamentalist views are raised by authoritarian parents who have narrow points of view. The families live their lives by the word of the bible, without modern interpretation; therefore little room is left for issues such as children’s needs. Children raised in this setting often have psychological oppression due to the lack of affection from parents, as well as complications with resolving conflict.

The rise of fundamentalism brought with it a feeling of certainty, one could lean on the Bible for confidence in all aspects of life, however, many contradictions made by the Bible were overlooked. Fundamentalists used persuasion to overcome their fear of the rise of Modernism by using this authoritarian style against their children. The fear Fundamentalists held against scientism made them fight even harder for the rise of Fundamentalism. They let fear overpower clarity, creating a support system for a contradictory bible.

“Fundamentalism as A Challenge for Religious Education.” Religious Education 2001, Volume 96 Issue 2, Pg 227-244

Streib, Heinz.

http://search.ebscohost.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rlh&AN=5337725&loginpage=Login.asp&site=ehost-live

Mathisen, Robert R. “Critical Issues in American Religious History: A Reader (2^nd Revised Edition).” Waco: Baylor University Press, 2006. Print.

Evolution and Intelligent Design

In chapter three of her book Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism, Michelle Goldberg explores the past and present role of intelligent design in American society and its tumultuous relationship with science. In their article “Sociobiology and Creationism: Two Ethnosociologies of American Culture” authors J. Patrick Gray and Linda D. Wolfe steer clear of the usual debate regarding which is correct: evolution or intelligent design. Rather, they take an absurd sidestep, reconciling the two concepts to promote traditional American values and demote alternative lifestyles which they claim, “threaten to destroy this [American] way of life” (Gray et al).

Though they recognize the differences between the two ideologies, Gray and Wolfe primarily focus on what they perceive to be their similarities. They claim that human rationality fails to dominate nature in the way that it must and that the secular world view is responsible for problems in today’s society. They also focus on the idea that anything that damages the family damages society, which they judge by using America’s “moral code” which is supported by both creationists (because it is what God wants) and evolutionists (because natural selection deems it so). It is important to note that Gray and Wolfe do not define “moral code” in their article, but judging from their thesis, one can assume that morals refer to traditional values that are the social-norm.

I do not agree with Gray and Wolfe, whose ideas are strained, obscure, and offer little insight into any real analysis between the relationship of evolution and creationism. That being said, I did think that their attempt to reconcile the two concepts was interesting. In Kingdom Coming, Goldberg stresses that one can believe in both evolution and intelligent design. We learned in class that some people, when faced with the dichotomy between science and God, often make the two compatible, reject one or the other, make the other sacred, or form a new kind of Christianity. Conservatives Gray and Wolfe have forged a new system, one that essentially rejects evolution while living in harmony with it--though one could argue that they manipulate and even bastardize evolution for their own Evangelical purposes.


Works Cited:

Goldberg, Michelle. Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism. New York,
New York. W.W. Norton & Company. 2006.

Sociobiology and Creationism: Two Ethnosociologies of American Culture
J. Patrick Gray and Linda D. Wolfe. American Anthropologist, New Series, Vol. 84, No. 3 (Sep., 1982), pp. 580-594. JSTOR.

Opposites?

Everything you need to know about the sectarian/secular divide in a title: “Lord of the Laboratory: Intelligent Design and the War on Enlightenment-” which is the third chapter in Michelle Goldberg’s book, “Kingdom Coming.” The chapter itself chronicles the history and present day intention of the Theory of Intelligent Design, the people behind it, as well as secular resistance to it. After reading the chapter, it occurred to me, that the opportunity here is not in a traditional, rational approach at deconstruction, but rather, a rational approach that attempts to transcend the confines of our typical definitions of both “the enlightenment” and the “conservative religious movement,” in the effort to understand the schism that is at the root of the greater secular/sectarian divide. After all, it seems only fair, that in going after “fundamentalists” in the name of rationality, then in the name of rationality/reason, one must also go after “enlightenment.”

Jason Boulet, in an essay titled in part, “I believe in enmindment,” quotes Peter Dale Scott, while illustrating distinctions between “human rationality itself and the imperfect crystallization of it we call Enlightenment” (p.925). Boulet, then paraphrases Scott while equating "rationalist reformers with religious fundamentalists," pointing out that what both groups are attempting to accomplish is the “establishment of unalterable and absolute Truth upon which to base the reconstruction and regulation of society.” These similarities result in both secular and religious camps achieving, Boulet quoting Scott again, something called “outer enlightenment;” which are “faces of the same mundane necessity, created in the effort to “change the world” (928).

This language game is interesting and it relates to our class discussions about the consequences of certain forms of the sacred. One possible consequence of a person, or a group of people laying claim to the “sacred,” is that in doing so they create the profane. Does the same hold true when terms like, “enlightenment,” or conversely, “conservative” are employed for institutional use? That is, in labeling a cause “enlightened,” do we create ignorance and darkness? When proclaiming ourselves “Conservative,” are we being radical?

References:

Goldberg, Michelle. (2006). Kingdom Coming: the rise of Christian nationalism. W. W. Norton
& Company, Inc. New York, N.Y. 2006.

Boulet, Jason. (2006). I believe in enmindment’: Enlightenments, Taoism, and Language
in Peter Dale Scott’s Minding the Darkness. University Of Toronto Quarterly, Vol.
75 Number 4, Fall. Pp. 925-944. Retrieved October 20th, 2009, from Academic
Search Premier data base.

Christian missionaries and Alaskan Indians

The Christian missionaries went above and beyond to convert as many American Indians as they could in any way possible. These people believed that because they were Christian everyone else around them should be also. They should educate the American Indians, even if the Indians did not want the help. When missionaries went to Alaska in the late 1800s they found a tribe of Alaskan Indians and built a church and a school to educate them about Christianity. These missionaries did not even think that these people may have had their own religion and ceremonies that they performed and did not need Christianity. “This promise will surely be fulfilled to these people, for they are hungering and thirsting for more light. It would be a great wrong for the Church to neglect these people longer.” (Mathisen) This kind of ignorance was the thought of many Christian missionaries.
In an article written in Natural History, it explains how religion has changed for Alaskan Indians because of the Christian missionaries. The ceremonies, such as masked dancing, had all but disappeared after the 1900s. The ceremonial masked dancing has started up again for some Alaskan tribes, but there is still much damage left by the Christian missionaries. Although the missionaries changed many things about Alaskan Indian religion, instead of the Indians completely forgetting their own religion, they adapted the Christian religion to their own. “When Christian missionaries began arriving in the 1840s, the term agayu was applied to the newly introduced religious ceremonies and came to mean prayer, worship, and participation in the new religion.” (Natural History) The Alaskan Indians adapted prayer to their own ceremonies.



Mathesin, Robert, R. Critical Issues in American Religious History: A Reader (2nd Revised Edition). Waco: Baylor University Press, 2006. Print.

“The Yup'ik way of making prayer." Natural History 105.8 (1996): 12. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO.

Religion and Extremism

The series of documents provided in Mathesin’s reader concerning the role of religion in the civil rights movement includes a wide variety of different religious groups and their philosophical beliefs. These beliefs provoke thoughts that in many cases, promotes extreme ideologies and behaviors of its adherents. One example of extremism is illustrated in the document of the interview with a Klu Klux Klan member in regards to the murder of three civil rights workers in 1964 The Klan definitely did not support the civil rights movement, and they equated governmental policies that supported civil rights as a form of communism. The Klu Klux Klan also wanted to maintain racial purity. Somehow they believed that this relates to Christianity.
Another document provided in these readings detailed The Black Muslim Movement, also prevalent during this time period. Black Muslims in this country wanted to demand equality for blacks with the support of their religious affiliation. These demands came in the form of propositions. Black Muslims wanted to form a separate state within this country and they wanted to be exempt from taxation as long as they were being discriminated against. The part that interested me the most was the subject of intermarriage. One of the propositions prohibits intermarriage, or “race mixing”.
Black Muslims seem to agree with the Klu Klux Klan that it would be bad to lose their racial purity. Today, Malcolm X is one of the most notable figures to be remembered from the Black Muslim Movement. This organization believed that racial separateness was better than what they felt were the vague promises of racial equality that the United States had to offer them and they strongly believed that you cannot have capitalism without racism. At the same time, Malcolm and his followers were adamant about excluding whites from their organization and yet professed not to be racist.

Simon, JohnJ; Spellman, A B; Gardner, Jigs
Monthly Review
02-01-2005
P. 25

P.S.
I looked on the internet for more information the Klu Klux Klan and found their website. Although I was unable to produce a peer reviewed document to discuss for the purpose of this blog I recommend that anyone interested in religion and extremism in the United States should view this website to gain greater insight into the ideology that continues to exist in our country more than 40 years after the civil rights movement.

The Black Messiah

Many religious groups share an image of Jesus Christ; however the groups have different visions of who Jesus was in order to claim him as their own. People create a Jesus depending on their need, they use the ideas of Jesus then morph the ideas to fit that groups particular desires.

The image of Jesus is distorted to fit the individual group’s needs and desires, according to my scholarly source. Poor people follow Jesus because they think he was poor, Romantics followed Jesus because they thought he, like themselves, was a naturalist, and the black community in America during the Civil Rights Movement followed Jesus because they thought he was black. In regards to the black community, the Black Messiah had nothing to do with slavery. Rather, this group believed that Jesus was a powerful and big black man, who was a leader of black people. Therefore, the white community in America should treat the black community equal because the God the white people worship is actually black. Whether Jesus was white or black, rich or poor, naturalist or technologist, I do not know. But it is clear, that creating a Jesus that shares a commonality with an oppressed group can give that group a sacred understanding as to why they are suffering, helping them live through it.

According to Albert B. Clearge Jr., white Jesus was given to slaves as a way to create bondage over them by the white world (Mathisen, Doc 137). He felt that the Black Church through the Black Messiah was a weekly escape for the black community during this time of extreme racism. At the Black Church, the preacher would help this oppressed group, giving them strength to continue to fight for equality and faith that one day this cruelty will end. The Black Messiah was a means of unifying all blacks. The black community needed this during the Civil Rights Movement.

Religion is social constructed to meet the needs of individuals. During the Civil Rights Movement, a vision of a Black Messiah is passed around the black community as a means of encouragement. By having an icon of Jesus as a black man, priests could preach equality using Jesus as its backbone. The church gave people the strength to endure the suffering; through this congregation people had faith that the end of segregation was possible.

Mathesin, Robert, R. Critical Issues in American Religious History: A Reader (2nd Revised Edition). Waco: Baylor University Press, 2006. Print.

"The Use and Abuse of the Name of Jesus." Studies in World Christianity Oct. 2001: 141.

Segregation in Church and Schools

Segregation in Church and Schools

In America racism and segregation had been going on for awhile in both churches and schools. Still today there is racism and segregation in states located in the United States of America. In this blog I will discuss the article by Mathisen and discuss the scholarly article I have found that goes hand in hand with the article from the book. I will also discuss how still today there is segregation in schools. In the Mathisen article it starts out with a quote by Weldon James saying "In the South itself the 1954-57 period demonstrated that perhaps the greatest threat to the unity sought by organized segregationists came from the churches, themselves entangled in all but continuous debate" (Mathisen, 693).
The quote above has proven to be true being that the business man, the lawyer, the teacher and the newspaper man all had their own opinions but were all scarred to actually say what or how they really felt. The business man feared the economic effects that would happen to the community; he feared that violence would break out. The lawyer may have sometimes doubted the Supreme Court but believed the laws were for the right reasons. The teacher may be in having separate schools but would not speak up if it meant public education would be abolished. The newspaper man may see the problems in his own neighborhood but in the grand picture of it all can see inevitability the desegregation national and international perspectives. In the long run the ministers were the biggest threat to organized segregationists because they were the ones that preached and spread the word to large groups of people.
In the article I found it discussed the Jesuits and where they came from which was New Orleans. The Jesuits had researched the racial practices during World War II and decided after the war it was now time to end the segregation in their order and ministries. "By integrating Jesuit-run educational institutions, retreat houses, and parishes as well as the religious order itself, members of the Society of Jesus, however, ran the risk of alienating benefactors, hampering apostolic effectiveness, and decreasing vocations. Nevertheless, the Jesuits had conclude that racial segregation was incompatible with church teachings regarding Christian justice and charity--"Jim Crow" Catholicism was no longer welcomed at church" (Anderson). Just years before the Jesuits had made their decision the Supreme Court case of Brown vs. Board of education had occurred along with the Montgomery Boycott. The Jesuits had decided that racial segregation was morally wrong and was an unexamined case of the civil right movement in the United States. After World War II the Southern Catholics still keep and practiced segregation while the southern Jesuits had changed and came up with a policy statement regarding interracial affairs in 1952.

Still Today in the United States we have to some point segregation, while I was searching around for articles I came upon the story of Charleston High School in Mississippi where until 2008 they had segregated Proms each year. In Mississippi they had integrated their public schools in 1970 but still in this small Delta town they had segregation. Back in 1997 Morgan Freeman had gave an offer to the school that if they had a integrated prom he would pay for the whole thing but the school did not take him up on his offer until 2008. In 2008 a documentary titled Prom in Mississippi was filmed while the planning off the prom went into the works. Charleston High school planned the prom with some parents happy about it and others highly upset about what was going to occur that year. The parents that disagreed with the integrated prom had still paid and had their children attend a white only prom. This just goes to prove that it does not matter how much our nation has grown and changed there will always be people that are racist and feel we should be segregated.

Anderson, B., BLACK, WHITE, AND CATHOLIC: SOUTHERN JESUITS CONFRONT THE RACE QUESTION, 1952, Catholic Historical Review; Jul2005, Vol. 91 Issue 3, p484-505, 22p

Mathisen, R., Critical Issues in American Religious History, 2006, Baylor University p693-696

Gervin, C, MPB News, Feb2009, http://www.mpbonline.org/content/charleston-high-schools-first-integrated-prom-gets-hollywood-treatment

Martin Luther King Jr. and civil disobedience

Non-violent resistance, also know civil disobedience, was an idea that motivated Martin Luther King’s strategy during the Civil Rights Movement that began in the fifties. This was not the first time the tactic had been used in American history. American colonist, according to Linda T. Wynn, “employed [non-violent resistance] during the revolution when they boycotted British imports and offered resistance to taxation without representation”. Wynn states that this theory was first described by Henry David Thoreau, in his 1849 essay, “civil disobedience”. She explains how Thoreau’s essay says that in regards to civil disobedience, it is morally just to resist unjust laws.

During the civil rights movement, leaders like reverend Martin Luther King Jr. adopted the strategy in the fight for equality amongst African Americans. In the primary document, “Martin Luther King explains nonviolent resistance (1967)”, we learn that King was fascinated by Thoreau’s ideas. He also heard a lecture by a Howard University professor, who lectured about his experiences in India. Martin Luther King was quoted in the document as saying that his professor’s “message was so profound and electrifying that [he] left meeting and bought a half-dozen books on Gandhi and his life” (704). The ideas of Thoreau, Gandhi, and even his God, Jesus Christ, kept Marin Luther King focused on a peaceful movement. He believed that the attacks should be made on the forces of evil inflicting the even (the law) rather than the actual people committing the hateful acts. He also believed that the tension was not between whites and blacks but rather between justice and injustice.

In India Gandhi led a movement against unjust laws as well. It was in 1906 that he called upon his fellow Indians to the law that asked for the registration of Indian colonies. Gandhi asked that the people suffer any punishment that came along with defying the law. Wynn explains how “the adopted plan led to a seven-year struggle in which thousands of Indians were jailed, flogged or shot for striking, refusing to register, burning their registration cards, or engaging in other forms of non-violent resistance”. Gandhi movement is also known as the non-cooperative movement.

In America, the Montgomery bus boycott was an example of non-violent resistance which captured the essence of Gandhi’s vision. America took notice when the movement was no longer philosophical non-violence in which King would preach about injustice. The movement had shifted to tactful non-violence. Wynn explains how people were no longer just talking about Thoreau and Gandhi’s philosophies; they were organizing and putting those philosophies into action, which came in the form of boycotts and protest.

The article is a great resource to the understanding of Martin Luther King’s, as well as many other civil rights leaders, motivation and passion behind the way they handled the struggle for equality in America. It gives us more background information on the ideas of Thoreau and Gandhi, which were part of the foundation of the struggle, and the belief in a just world. The civil rights movement grew as more people adopted the philosophy and used it to organize people as well as to promote activism. The Northern Student Movement was a group of predominately white youth who also believed in the movement. More and more groups began to form and continued to put words into action


Works Cited
Wynn, Linda T. "Non-Violent Resistance." Freedom Facts & Firsts: 400 Years of the African American Civil Rights Experience (2009): 59-60. History Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 12 Oct. 2009.

Rebirth of Social Gospel Movement

During Social Gospel movement of the early twentieth century Protestant Christian churches focused their strength on instilling the nation with Christian Ethics. It was a call for socially aware religion that focused on the social problems that were occurring at the time. Sixty years later the country was undergoing changes that would bring the beliefs of the Social Gospel back to prominence. With the help of leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and organizations like the National Council of Churches racial issues were now being dealt with
As early as 1950 the National Council was addressing the issue of race within the church. From 1950 to 1958 the Council issued twenty-four resolutions outlining their stance on racial issues. The most important being their “Statement on the Church and Segregation”. This statement made it clear where the church stood on the matter, “the pattern of segregation is diametrically opposed to what Christians believe about the worth of men, we must take our stand against it.” [1] This was the first major move by the Council to instruct its churches to move for desegregation in their churches and their communities. This resolution by the council fueled the civil rights movement and set the stage for African American church leaders to push for equality throughout the nation.
During the time of these moves by the Council Martin Luther King Jr. was starting to gain a name for him among white and black church members alike. He spent his early days traveling the country speaking to mostly white churches. His fearlessness to enter any venue and speak on the issues affecting his people set him aside from all others. He embodied a new breed of black church leader and by 1963 he was the face of the civil rights movement. Martin Luther King Jr. was leading his people out of the darkness that had been forcefully placed on them for hundreds of years. He demanded that the Christian ideals that had been taught to slaves long ago be fulfilled.
In the early part of the twentieth Century leaders on the Social Gospel movement feared social evils would ruin the great nation their Protestant forefathers had built. The issue of equality was one of their concerns, but never to the large extent. This was due to the fact that the leaders behind this early movement were white. During the late 1950’s and early 1960’s the birth to a new form of Social Gospel began, one that focused on racial equality. While the mainstream church was responsible for some of this much of the success of the movement can be attributed to African American church leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. These leaders involved the church directly in the issues facing African Americans and by doing this a new movement was born.
[1] James F. Findlay Jr. The Origins of Activism. 1950

Similarities Between the Black Muslims and the Klu Klux Klan

The Klu Klux Klan is an American, Anglo-Saxon racist organization, set on making the "white race" superior to all other races, with superiority over the "black race" in particular. The Nation of Islam, an African-American group, though claiming they want nothing more than equal rights, has a goal of "black" supremacy throughout America. Though these two groups might be at opposite spectrums, they have more in common than they would like to admit.

Realizing how unappreciated they were in the society they lived in, which was primarily Caucasian and Christian and was considered by the Liston Pope of Yale Divinity School "...the most segregated major institution in American society" (Mathisen, 702), Islamicism became the religion of choice for extremist African Americans. Though the beliefs entailed in these two religions had their differences, they are both forms of deism, both contain a messiah, and they both arise from the axial age.

The Black Muslim movement in America was created out of what Eric Lincoln calls the "Armageddon complex," which is a "removal of their source of discomfort rather than to going anywhere themselves" (Mathisen, 700). This called for a removal of the Anglo-Saxon, Christian people of America, since their home was originally in Europe. Removing African Americans from the rest of society was what white Christian America had been doing to African Americans on a daily basis.

Among the many extremist black groups of the time, the Black Muslims were the most organized. They had a newspaper called "Mr. Muhammad Speaks." One particular issue contained a list of ten propositions. The ninth and tenth go as follows: "We want equal education-but separate schools...", and, "We believe that intermarriage or race mixing should be prohibited" (700, 701).

"We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children." This is known as the "14 words," a creed most Klu Klux Klan groups abide by (adl.org). It includes, but is not limited to, segregation and intermarriage between races. And although the KKK didn't specifically demand a belief in Christianity, it was a given amongst them that most were Anglo-saxon protestants, which would require devotion to another creed, the bible. The point of this is both groups wanted to keep the "race" pure, both culturally and biologically. Both groups are also known to enforce these beliefs aggressively, even today.

In April of 2009, Michael Conklin and four other young Caucasian men were arrested for beating a Hispanic male. He was wearing a shirt with nazi and KKK symbols. Conklin was reportedly yelling out "White power" during the attack (adl.org). Jamil Al-Amin, on the other hand, once chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, an active sect of the Black Muslims, is now in prison for shooting and killing a white police officer. He has openly stated, "Violence is as Ameican as cherry pie," and, "If America don't come around, we're gonna burn it down" (Pipes).

Both the KKK and the Black Muslims use religion to drive their messages. They both are for segregation and opposed to intermarriage. Both are organized and have a creed to which they abide to, and both have no problem using violence to implemement their goals. The KKK and Black Muslims have deep rooted belief systems and are extremley passionate towards their causes. However their motivation comes from two different experiences; defense on behalf of the Black Muslims, and racial superiority with regard to the KKK. Whatever their motivations may be, their hatred for one another keeps them from acknowledging any form of common ground with each other. But as Martin Luther King wrote, "To strike back in the same [hateful] way as his opponent would do nothing but increase the existence of hate in the universe... All humanity is involved in a single process, and all men are brothers. If you harm me, you harm yourself" (Mathisen, 705).




adl.org. Extremism in America, 2009. Web. 10 October 2009.

immigration.lohudblogs.com. More on Rockland KKK Hate Crime, 2009. Web. 11 September 2009.

Mathisen, Robert R. Critical Issues in American Religious History. Waco: Baylor University Press, 2006.

Pipes, Daniel. [Belway Snipers]: Converts to Violence? New York Post 25 October 2002.

Similarities Between the Black Muslims and the Klu Klux Klan

The Klu Klux Klan is an American, Anglo0Saxon racist organization, set on making the "white race" superior to all other races, with superiority over the "black race" in particular. The Nation of Islam, an African-American group, though claiming they want nothing more than equal rights, has a goal of "black" supremacy throughout America. Though these two groups might be at opposite spectrums, they have more in common than they would like to admit.

Realizing how unappreciated they were in the society they lived in, which was primarily Caucasian and Christian, Islamicism became the religion of choice for extremist African Americans. Though the beliefs entailed in these two religions had their differences, they are both forms of deism, both contain a messiah, and they both arise from the axial age.

The Black Muslim movement in America was created out of what Eric Lincoln calls the "Armageddon complex," which is a "removal of their source of discomfort rather than to going anywhere themselves" (Mathisen, 700). This called for a removal of the Anglo-Saxon, Christian people of America, since their home was originally in Europe. Removing African Americans from the rest of society was what white Christian America had been doing to African Americans on a daily basis.

Among the many extremist black groups of the time, the Black Muslims were the most organized. They had a newspaper called "Mr. Muhammad Speaks." One particular issue contained a list of ten propositions. The ninth and tenth go as follows: "We want equal education-but separate schools...", and, "We believe that intermarriage or race mixing should be prohibited" (700, 701).

"We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children." This is known as the "14 words," a creed most Klu Klux Klan groups abide by (adl.org). It includes, but is not limited to, segregation and intermarriage between races. The point of this is to keep the "white race" pure, both culturally and biologically. They are known to enforce these such things aggressively and violently, even today.

In April of 2009, Michael Conklin and four other young Caucasian men were arrested for beating a Hispanic male. He was wearing a shirt with nazi and KKK symbols. Conklin was reportedly yelling out "White power" during the attack (adl.org). Jamil Al-Amin, on the other hand, once chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, an active sect of the Black Muslims, is now in prison for shooting and killing a white police officer. He has openly stated, "Violence is as Ameican as cherry pie," and, "If America don't come around, we're gonna burn it down" (Pipes).

Both the KKK and the Black Muslims use religion to drive their messages. They both are for segregation and opposed to intermarriage. Both are organized and have a creed to which they abide to, and both have no problem using violence to implemement their goals. The KKK and Black Muslims have deep rooted belief systems and are extremley passionate towards their causes. What is sad is that their beliefs and actions, founded on hate, keep them from acknowledging any form of common ground with each other. If these two groups dropped their guard toward each other and came together, I think they would have the power to do great things.






adl.org. Extremism in America, 2009. Web. 10 October 2009.

immigration.lohudblogs.com. More on Rockland KKK Hate Crime, 2009. Web. 11 September 2009.

Mathisen, Robert R. Critical Issues in American Religious History. Waco: Baylor University Press, 2006.

Pipes, Daniel. [Belway Snipers]: Converts to Violence? New York Post 25 October 2002.

Birmingham and Reinhold Niebuhr

In reading Martin Luther King Jr's Letter from Birmingham Jail it is apparent that he is influenced by many great peace and justice fighters on his views of morality and justice for all. One person from which he quoted in his letter was Reinhold Niebuhr. In his letter to congress he reminds them of what Niebuhr once said, "Groups tend to be more immoral than individuals." When giving this quote more thought and paralleling it to incidents throughout history and present day this simple statement embodies all the unjust and immoral acts people have justified because their were people following and believing their every thought.

Reinhold Niebuhr was a protestant American theologists who studied and contemplated morality in individuals and collectives. He sought out to determine what the difference between morality was during the Liberal Movement from a religious and secular stand point. Many of the injustices Martin Luther King Jr. saw in society Niebuhr also saw as problematic. In his book, Moral Man and Immoral Society : A Study of Ethics and Politics his first chapter opens with his confusion of why humans still cannot live peacefully, "For all the centuries of experience, men have not yet learned how to live together without compounding their vices and covering each other 'with mud and with blood'"(pg. 1). In Martin Luther King Jr's letter he raises the same questions of how it is possible for a civilization so advanced to not be able to look past color and race. Martin Luther King Jr. parallels Niebuhr's thoughts on morality when he states, "Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly...Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds." Both Niebuhr and King Jr. see the United States as a society in which people should feel they belong rather than one that has not been able to look past race, classes, or nations.

While Martin Luther King Jr. is influenced by many different scholars, philosophers, and people Niebuhr was a white protestant who shared many of the same confusions that Martin Luther Kings Jr. found himself fighting his whole life. Both men question the notion of morality, injustice, and equality during unjust and difficult times.

Works Citied:
Niebhur, Reinhold. Moral Man and Immoral Society: A Study of Ethics and Politics. 2nd ed. Rev. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1960.

Religion and church played a highly important role in the civil rights movement of the 1950’s and 1960’s. Many of the people that came together during this time to support the movement for freedom of African Americans had religious affiliations and made part of organizations like the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The Church during this time became a symbol in the civil rights movement.

In “The Civil Rights Movement and the Soul of America” Adam Fairclough states that

the church was the oldest and most respected institution in the black South (Fairclough, 724). The church became a place that brought together the masses fighting for justice, extending into communities and bridging the gaps that existed within individuals. According to Dr. Bernard Lafayette Jr., director of the Center for Non-Violence and Peace Studies at the University of Rhode Island, the church was a facility in the community beyond the control of white power structure; it was a place where people could speak the truth, sing, or even shout (Lafayette, 3). The churches became the place where information was discussed and spread among the people involved; it was one of the most important meeting places at this time. Martin Luther King Jr. mentions in his letter to the Clergymen, that many times he would see churches and question about who worshiped there and who their God was because many times these churches did not fight against segregation or other unjust laws because to them, since these were laws, they could not be broken.

Martin Luther King Jr. states in his letter the difference of a just and unjust law. He defines these as, “A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law” with this he argues that segregation is an unjust law that must not be followed because sin is separation (King). King also mentions that they shall wait no longer for a change because throughout history too much time has been given to such matters and he believed that now is the time to act. King being a religious leader shows that there were many other religious leaders that helped with the struggle for freedom.

In the article by Fairclough, it is mentioned that ministers were trapped in the role of leaders due to unreasonableness of the white officials and the enthusiasm of the black population. Clergy and lay church leaders played an important role because many of them were financially independent and because of this, they were able to represent an independent voice in the community. Overall, faith seems to have fueled the power of the African Americans that fought for their civil rights. Churches and religion were a kind of compass that help direct them in the direction that they headed.

References:
King Jr., Martin Luther. "Letter from Birmingham Jail". April 16, 1963. Web. October 6, 2008.

Mathesin, Robert, R. Critical Issues in American Religious History: A Reader (2nd
Revised Edition). Waco: Baylor University Press, 2006. Print.

Lafayette, Bernard Jr. “The Role of Religion in Civil Rights Movements.” Faith and Progressive Policy: Proud Past, Promising Future. (2004): 1-13. Web. October 6, 2009