African American religious history: liberation theology - Essay Example

?Running head: African American Religious History: Liberation Theology African American Religious History: Liberation Theology Insert Insert Course Title Insert Instructor’s Name 24 October 2011 African American Religious History: Liberation Theology Civil war broke out in Liberia during the year 1989, which indicated the fight for control of resources, wealth, and power, with little care for the suffering of the poor and helpless. The Liberian women who fought relentlessly for restoration of peace are a clear indicator of liberation theology where the poor sacrifice for their fellow human beings. Three rival armies were struggling for power in Liberia although there were claims that the war was about the gap between the poor and the rich, ethnic differences, and the struggle for natural resources. During the war, children went hungry and they became traumatized of the killings and humiliations that were going on. Liberian women therefore started a peace initiative as Christian church members through collective prayers and unity. The initiative was extended to include their Muslim sisters, though this was opposed by a few church members. Meanwhile the warlords funded the young men and gave them guns and orders to take anything they wanted for survival. They killed their fellow human beings, and raped girls and women in front of their husbands, and totally degraded humanity. Through the initiatives, women pressurized pastors and bishops, who then pressurized the leaders and warlords for peace. They moved on to hold demonstrations with big burners written ‘We Want Peace’ in front of the warlords and Charles Taylor, the then president. These peace initiatives can be regarded as liberation theology, where the poor and oppressed women sacrificed lives to participate relentlessly towards the struggle for peace and restoration of humanity in Liberia. Liberation theology seeks to bring up awareness of individuals’ own suffering and their root cause. Liberation theology is also a reflection of the use of biblical themes and ideas of capitalist development used to cover up benefits of the powerful at the expense of the poor (Armentrout & Slocum 303). Religious Elements Present The religious elements present in Liberia are estimated to comprise eighty-five percent of the whole population Christians in combination with indigenous and traditional religions. A good percentage of the population practice indigenous and traditional Christian beliefs exclusively. Muslims also comprise a good percentage of the population though not as Christians do. There are a variety of Christian denominations such as Baptist, Episcopal, Lutheran, Roman Catholic and many more alongside Pentecostal movements that are affiliated with other churches across the border. The Christian population is evenly widespread all over the country, while the Muslim population resides among the Vai and Mandingo groups. A huge percentage of foreign missionary population is evenly distributed all over the Liberian nation. The religious free distributions are supported by the Constitution of Liberia, which advocates for freedom of religion (Fahlbusch & Bromiley 266). Liberian women went ahead to get their husbands to start praying with them and to influence them to do whatever they could for peace restoration. They sent statements of appeal and even statements of demand to the administrations to reach an agreement and restore peace and humanity. Although Charles Taylor ignored them for a long time, their power and influence was so strong that he later gave in and agreed to meet with the women demonstrators. They prayed for the meeting and went to present their pleas to the Charles Taylor, who then saw that many supporters were behind the women. He agreed to go for the peace talks arraigned by the African delegates and the international community. After the peace talks, Charles Taylor was declared to have caused the war and suffering in Liberia and was to be arrested and accused of charges against human rights. The situation got worse, with more killings, but the women continued praying with their religious unity towards the peace initiative. The women went further to block exit of the venue of the peace meeting until the peace agreement was signed. The international community threatened to cut off funding until peace agreement was reached. Charles Taylor agreed to sign the agreements, where some of the warlords were given big position in the government, since the fight was all about power and resources. The women’s religious peace initiative in Liberia was their new source of strength and power for restoration of peace despite being physically, spiritually, and psychologically exhausted. Their religion was their new source of power and strength, since people had been pushed beyond their limits, resorting to either giving in or fighting back. However, these two options were not good for humanity, since their attainment of peace was the only hope for their survival. According to Mayama (169), Levinas’ philosophy that complements liberation theology calls for recognition of humanity and ethical responsibility to other human beings. It places its emphasis on the love of a neighbor, to bear other peoples burdens and to supply their needs for the protection of humanity. It points out the lives of people like the women in Liberia who rose above their suffering situation to sacrifice their own good for the sincere concern of other human beings with respect to their religious reasons The power of liberation theology did it for them; their religious efforts assisted the nation end the civil war, since religious women united together to organize the society, to pray together, and act for liberation. Prayers, songs, and psalms widely contributed to the new source of strength for the women who had felt powerless. Religions have opted for the way of the poor with respect to their social organizations and religious imaginations, since religious professional have failed to liberate the world from oppression and dehumanization. Liberation theology has become effective through the poor, unlike liberation forces that dismiss religiosity over the social perspectives in an effort to uphold humanity among the suffering (Claffey & Egan 253). Liberian black feminist indeed became powerful and won the fight for liberation with regards to liberation theology, which seemed so powerless in the eyes of the so-called mighty and powerful. Many women all over the world have been empowered and they continue to be educated to fight for their fellow human beings. Palestinian women who survive each day in their occupations despite their oppression are a form of resistance and sacrifice for humanity. In addition, the womanists in Palestine feel they are physically, spiritually and psychologically oppressed and have become tired and exhausted of the vice. However, the source of power and strength is tied to their religious unity. Liberation theology seeks to bring such groups of people who have been oppressed to sacrifice for the good of their fellow human women who have suffered a lot. Social views may drive such groups of people apart unlike liberation theology. The Palestine women’s situation can be directly related to the civil war in Liberia, which was brought to halt by liberation theology through the women. Works Cited Armentrout, Donald S. and Slocum, Robert B. An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church: A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians. NY: Church Publishing, Inc. 2005. Claffey, Patrick and Egan, Joe. Movement or moment?: Asessing Liberation Theology Forty Years after Medellin. Bern: Peter Lang Academic Publishers. 2009. Fahlbusch, Erwin and Bromiley, Geoffrey William. The Encyclopedia of Christianity: Volume 3. Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. 2003. Mayama, Alain. Emmanuel Levinas Conceptual Affinities with Liberation Theology. Bern: Peter Lang Academic Publishers. 2010. Read More