Can Religion Heal Racism - Research Paper Example

Can Religion Heal Racism Religion has been responsible for many things throughout history, both good and bad. It is most likely that religion can help heal racism to some degree, but it can also harm racism in other cases or situations. Therefore, it is difficult to pick a position for this paper. For the sake of argument, and since it is true in some cases, it will be said that religion can help to heal racism, but the other side will also be discussed within the content of this paper so the situation can be fairly analyzed by all readers attempting to take a stand. When discussing issues such as these, it is first important to understand the definitions of some key terms. First up is racism. According to the Anti-Defamation League (2010, pg. 1), "Racism is the belief that a particular race is superior or inferior to another, that a person's social and moral traits are predetermined by his or her inborn biological characteristics. Racial separatism is the belief, most of the time based on racism, that different races should remain segregated and apart from one another. Racism has existed throughout human history. It may be defined as the hatred of one person by another -- or the belief that another person is less than human -- because of skin color, language, customs, and place of birth or any factor that supposedly reveals the basic nature of that person. It has influenced wars, slavery, the formation of nations, and legal codes." Next, it is important to understand the definition of religion. According to Princeton (2010, pg. 1), religion is "a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny; "he lost his faith but not his morality" or an institution to express belief in a divine power; "he was raised in the Baptist religion"; "a member of his own faith contradicted him." One thing all religions have in common is a guiding set of morals or principles that lead their followers to believe in a certain way. It is these beliefs that make some hopeful that religion can heal something as horrible as the concept of racism. There are many things that can cause racism, and religion is even one of them. It all depends upon what the followers of a certain religion consider to be right or wrong. Just looking at the plethora of wars that have broken out in the name of religion can show one that these rights and wrongs vary immensely from religion to religion. Racism of any form is condemned by the Church of England and the Catholic Church. Christians are raised to believe that racism is definitely wrong, but it still happens today. Middle Eastern and similar religions obviously have a problem with other people's religious beliefs, along with their races, or the heavy corruption that is there would not exist today. Many places in the Bible teach that racism is wrong and that God shows unconditional love towards his followers, no matter what race they are a part of. The Bible clearly outlines that God loves all people regardless of color or race. This shows that Christian teaching is not racist by any means. It is important to note, however, that Christians do not hate racists; they merely believe they have been misinformed. Racism can be challenged by Christians in a strong fashion. Even though these guidelines are taught to Christians, we have to think about what teachings are given to non-Christians. Certain religions even believe that if a person is of a different race, they are not worthy to be of their religion. Even though the Bible says that racism is wrong, that fact is going to mean nothing to a non-Christian. Those individuals are going to go with what their books and other teachings convey. Reading these passages, whether they comply with one's religion or not with common sense applied will allow them to be understood by virtually anyone with a conscience and a good heart, however. There is a quagmire that exists within the aforementioned concept, however. Christians may believe that God is not a racist, but to other religions, it does not carry across that we as people should be non-racist. Christians cannot fall into the trap of having double-standards on the issue. They, instead, must focus on equality of all races and colors. Christians can either choose to be violent or non-violent when it comes to racism. A pacifist Christian will believe that all racism and acts of violence are wrong. They believe that physical suffering and pain are wrong, and they believe that there are always other ways to solve issues. Martin Luther King, Jr. is a good example of a person who followed this idea, because he was a Christian and minister and always pushed for equal treatment of blacks and whites. He believed love was the only way to transform a foe into a friend. Desmond Tutu was another famous Christian who pushed for equality. He believed strongly in prayer and worship. He did not believe God was concerned with race or color, and his actions spoke loudly. His comical ways seemed to get people to listen to him better. Sadly, many Christians use violence to get their point across. According to Racism and Religion (2010), "Not all Christians respond to racism non-violently. Many people use violence. Dietrich Bonhoeffer is an example of someone who used violent protest in an attempt to defeat Hitler's racial policies during the Second World War. He believed that 'it is better to do evil than to be evil. Malcom X assassinated 1965 was a large influence on American culture, he used violence to confront racism and this to him was felt as necessary to "free the black people of America from oppression". Violence is not an appropriate response to racism, although in some circumstances, it may appear to be the only option. For example, if someone is hurt or killed over the issue, violence may play an active role in bringing the guilty party to justice. According to Racism and Religion (2010), when referring to the situation in Iraq, "Maybe just they feel that they are being treat better than themselves because they are of an different race for example racism against asylum seekers so I can see the side of both racist and anti-racist and understand why anti-racists sometimes respond to racism in a violent way to resolve the issues at hand but personally I am not dependant on adhering to wither violent or non-violent conscript as am free to chose whichever method I chose to in relation to the situation at hand, it is for this reason that I feel confident to address racism in an appropriate manner at all times." There is a whole world of different religions out there. Most religions are taught a set of rules and guiding principles by which to live by. These are drastically different from religion to religion. Religion comes from the very heart of a person, and it is a difficult feeling to fight. Belief in a higher power is stronger than any 'petty' power that certain religions see on Earth. Some religions simply believe that those who do not follow their particular religion should be done away with. This is widely based on race and origin. According to Unsworth (1997), a young man named Augustus Tolton was denied admission to Catholic school until his mother persisted. He later went to another school under another religion and eventually became a priest. His becoming a priest was not without hardship, though. He was first given a parish of about 30 attendees, mostly which were black, but some of which were white. The white attendees were questioned why they wanted to attend a black priest's church. According to the World Socialist Movement (2010), "The absurd claim of racism is that people's behavioral, physical and cultural traits conform to a certain fixed and immutable pattern; and this determines the superiority or otherwise of a group in relation to others. This is an outlook that has been used to justify some of the most unspeakable and horrendous crimes against humanity, sometimes leading to killings of genocidal proportions." Religion does have the ability to heal racism, particularly in the Christian religion. However, it still occurs there. Other religions, particularly Middle Eastern religions, cannot fulfill the same claim, however. Works Cited Racism. (2010). Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved June 5, 2010, from http://www.adl.org/hate-patrol/racism.asp "Racism and Religion." 123HelpMe.com. 05 Jun 2010 . Religion. (2010). Princeton WordNet. Retrieved June 5, 2010, from http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwns=religion Religion, racism and class. (2010). World Socialist Movement. Retrieved June 6, 2010,from http://www.worldsocialism.org/articles/religion_racism_and_class.php Unsworth, T. (1997). Racism and religion: Partners in crime Claretian Publications. 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