Religion in the Civil Rights Movement - Research Paper Example

?Religion in the Civil Rights Movement (Biography of US Congressman John Lewis) Racism in the United s has been the prime reason for the divisions among the natives. It is also the most significant challenge towards the United States’ goal to achieve democratic stability. Long time ago the Africans were brought and traded in this country as slaves; the Native American Indians were subjected to enormous crime by the United States government, which was engrossed with the idea of white supremacy over the American Indians. All these ill treatment and actions attributed to severe racism. The same time frame also witnessed the invasion of Northwestern Mexico and its eventual annexation. Even the Asians were brought in the United States as laborers, and afterwards subjected to exclusionary laws. These severe criminal conspiracies by the United States authorities on the basis of racism led to the formation and execution of civil rights movement1. The emergence of the person, John Lewis, United States congressman, on a political scene played a vital role in the civil rights movement. His religious beliefs and practices had a significant effect on the execution of the civil rights movement in the United States. A Brief Biographical Sketch of the Person John Lewis was born in the outskirts of Troy on 21st February, 1940, Alabama, to a family of sharecroppers (the land owner permits the tenant to use his land in exchange of a share of the farmers’ net output). Lewis was born at a time when African Americans in the South were subjected to a humiliating segregation in education and all public facilities, and were effectively prevented from voting by systematic discrimination and intimidation. John Lewis was one of the most significantly influential people in the civil rights movement in the United States. He dedicated his life to the people of his society, and engaged himself in protecting their rights and ensuring their well being. Lewis’s contribution in protecting the security of the human rights of the people and upholding the civil liberties turned him as one of the most influential and early proponents of the same2. Since the early age, Lewis was engaged in educating himself, and procuring ways to ensure justice for his people. He was effectively influenced and inspired by the likes of Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. During the famous Montgomery Bus Boycott, he effectively participated and collaborated with Dr. King to join the struggle for civil rights. Lewis had to pursue his education in segregated public schools in Pike country, Alabama. He completed his graduation at the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville, Tennessee. At Fisk University Lewis also pursued a Bachelor's in Religion and Philosophy. During his tenure as a student, Lewis systematically analyzed the philosophy and techniques of non-violence, along with his fellow classmates who also efficiently participated in the process. They used the segregated lunch corners to carry on their work. Due to their participation in the protest, Lewis and his classmates were targeted, harassed, even beaten, and, lastly, were put behind the bars. However, they still continued their progress in spite of all the hardships and genocide they had to undergo. During the year 1961, Lewis along with his classmates participated in the freedom rides, in which they challenged the isolation of interstate buses. In the process, Lewis and his fellow mates were brutally attacked and beaten by a flash mob in the Montgomery bus terminal. In spite of the brutality they faced, Lewis encouraged and practiced non-violence thoroughly. He was one of the esteemed founders of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and was also the president of the committee from 1963 to 1966. During his tenure as president of the committee, SNCC emerged as the face of the student movements for civil rights. Lewis was recognized among the prominent leaders of the civil rights movement, along with Dr. King Jr., Whitney Young, A.P. Randolph, James Farmer and Roy Wilkins. Lewis was one of the important members in the planning and organization of the event held in Washington during August 1963. During 1964, Lewis effectively coordinated SNCC’s participation in “Mississippi Freedom Summer,” which was an effort to allow the registration of black voters across the south of the United States. The uncalled for and violent demise of his close associates and friends, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Senator Robert Kennedy during the period of 1968 came as a severe blow to Lewis, yet he made his progress towards civil rights movement, and also maintained his philosophy of non violence3. An Overview of the Person’s Religious Identity and Faith At the age of four, John Lewis and his family shifted to a farm about half a mile away from the place where they used to work as a tenant farmer. Lewis was entrusted with the responsibility to raise chicken. During that time, Lewis had a growing interest towards religion and visiting the church. Because of his tender age, he used to play church with the chickens, and once while baptizing a chicken, he unintentionally drowned the chicken. Due to this incident, he felt very bad, but he was not disheartened. Lewis and his family, all went to the Baptist church once a month, as was practiced in rural Alabama. His grandfather was a deacon. His innocent belief in Santa clause, earned him a bible during one Christmas. This had a significant effect on the life of Lewis. He was popularly called a preacher in his family because of his religious knowledge. Lewis’s knowledge about religion was more intense due to the fact that religion itself played a significant role in his family. He had to learn a verse of bible at a young age. Before having a meal, he used to pray and recite a verse. During New Year or Christmas, either of his parents or he himself would lead the prayer. His involvement in religious phenomenon grew so rapidly in his tender age; the he began preaching the chicken that he raised. He considered that preaching was a way of communicating with the chicken. When a chicken would die, a funeral would be held and he even maintained a chicken cemetery, where the chickens would be buried after completing the last rites. Roughly at the age of sixteen, Lewis preached his first sermon. He believed that he had been “called” to the Baptist church by the almighty to preach a sermon. From then onwards he pursued on and kept preaching in various churches. Even Methodist and Baptist churches located in the rural area of the pike country invited him to preach in their churches. Being a devoted Christian and a follower of Christ, he preached non violence when he became a leader himself, in spite of all the violent behavior he had to encounter during the civil rights movement. This devotedness of John Lewis significantly affected the approach of his and his followers towards the civil rights movement4. A Discussion of the Role that Lewis’s Religious Beliefs Played in His Involvement in the Civil Rights Movement Civil rights movements were essentially saturated with religion. The name and existence of the almighty was invoked in every mass meeting, church service, and Klan rally. Members of the black militants and white liberals, White conservatives and civil rights activists, black moderates and Klansmen, all concluded their claims on racial justice and social order based on the fact that the almighty was on their side. Hence, undoubtedly, the role of religion was essentially prominent in permitting these claims authorization. In the year 1962, South Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the student nonviolent coordinating committee (SNCC), of which Lewis became the chairman in the later years, together organized a campaign in the Mississippi delta to spread awareness about registration for voting rights5. During the campaign, one of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s, young colleague, James bevel stood to address the commoners. He emphasized to the black men and women that the time had come to claim what rightfully were their own, i.e. the right to participation in the voting process. Bevel gave importance to the fact that the people must not ignore the signs that are clear in front of their eyes, and that Almighty’s wish should not be ignored. Lewis religious thoughts were thoroughly implemented in this scenario as he himself gave priority to religious facts from a very young age6. Thrasher acknowledges another incident in the spring of 1963, during which constant demonstration relating to the civil rights movement were made by the members of SNCC. Members, mostly students demonstrated in front of a “fancier” restaurant, by singing, enchanting, and holding hands without a sign of fear, although they soon returned injured and covered in blood. Few young white guys even reached the church, with the probable intention of causing commotion in the church as well. Thrasher, in a low voice complained, “How dare those thugs come into the church?”7, but instead of supporting the statement made by thrasher, john Lewis replied by acknowledging the fact that thrasher is not entitled to call the white men “thugs”. Lewis emphasized that they are also human beings, and every human is equal in front of the almighty, and so each one of them is entitled with the right to enter the premises of the church. This reflected the religious belief and the philosophy of nonviolence that john Lewis believed and practiced throughout his life8. Lewis’s fundamentals about Christianity were also significantly inspired by Martin Luther King Jr., who led the Montgomery Improvement Association. Luther King Jr., was essentially reputed as a Christian nonviolence leader and social changer due to the fact that he is being engraved into spiritual practices, and his ability to preach non violence amongst his followers efficiently9. Lewis essentially practiced the ideologies about Christianity and non violence that he learned for Martin Luther King Jr., during his part in the civil rights movement in the United States. Assessment of the role that religion played, in Lewis’s contribution to the Civil Rights Movement From the contribution of significant personalities like john Lewis, Martin Luther King Jr., James Lawson, and others, it is evident that civil rights movement in the United States was very much influenced by the religion. Due to the pure and sacred impact of religion on John Lewis, he grew up as a person who fought for the rights of himself as well as others, but he had also followed the path of god and practiced his philosophy of non violence very efficiently. His belief in the almighty, and the philosophy of non violence made john Lewis a strong personality from inside, and encouraged him to become a prolific preacher of God during the civil rights movement. Being a firm believer of non violence, Lewis was essentially patient in his road towards civil rights movement, which was enthralled with hardships and violent behaviors from the people who opposed the civil rights movement. During the civil rights movement, Lewis had made several demonstrations, due to which he had to face brutal life threatening situations, and was potentially arrested, in over forty different occasions, yet because of his strong religious foundations and belief in the teachings of God, he never sought for any violent action himself. His belief has also inspired his fellow members, who took part in the movement, and aided in making the civil rights movement a nonviolent success. His preaching abilities and intelligent speaking power enabled him to cast a productive effect on the mass of commoners to whom he used to address during his demonstrational procedures of civil rights movement. His impact on his listeners and followers were eminent from the fact that even his fellow men who participated in the movement never sought for the aid of violence. They went through the hardships and made the movement a success by their non violent attitude. Any aspiring leader, who is seeking to take a stand for justice, can effectively take knowledge from John Lewis’s practices. He has eminently shown that one does not need to potentially practice the means of violence to make a movement successful. With proper endurance, faith, and application of religious fundamentals, it is possible to achieve success in terms of justice. Conclusion It is apparent from above; that John Lewis practiced religious beliefs and methods from a very tender age. This behavior of Lewis, significantly affected the role that he played in the civil rights movement. Lewis’s religious approach towards the civil rights movement marked a potential change to the approach that was common in a social movement so far to acclaim justice. Lewis emphasized on practicing the non violent way to achieve success in spite of the violence they encountered during the civil rights movement. His persistence towards religious belief, and faith in the almighty paved his way to success in the Civil Rights Movement. References 1. Academy of Achievement, Congressman John R. Lewis, http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/lew0bio-1 (accessed on April 9, 2012). 2. Corey, Dwyer “Luther and the Just War Tradition”, Political Theology, Vol. 12 No. 2, (Apr2011): 305-328. 3. Hill, Samuel S. On Jordan Stormy Banks, Mercer University Press, 1983. 4. Jordan, Winthrop, The White Man’s Burden, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1974. 5. King, Martin Luther and James M. Washington, A Testament of Hope, Harpercollins, 1991. 6. Lewis, John and Michael D'Orso, Walking with the Wind, San Diego: Harcourt Brace, 1999. 7. Marsh, Charles, God’s Long Summer, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1999. Read More