Religion and Racism
... of racism. Bad interpersonal relationships is the only racism problem that white evangelicals tend to see, thus they tend to “minimize the race problem and racial inequality, and thus produce limited solutions” to these problems. Emerson and Smith use the idea of a cultural tool kit (ideas and practices that shape ones perception of what is really going on) to explain the problem of racism to white evangelicals. This tool kit helps explain how individualism and anti-structuralism are racially important tools for white evangelicals and how most white evangelicals do not think America is racialized because of this tool kit. This supports the claim that evangelicals and American religious organizations perpetuate a racialized society without any intention to do so. In dealing with individualism, white evangelicals see racism as a problem of the individual. This is best stated when Emerson and Smith interview a Wesleyan woman on the subject of economic inequality. The woman responds by saying, “the reason there is economic inequality is because blacks are lazy and that they need to get off their duffer and get some kind of job.” She believes that the only reason our society is racialized is because individuals of color need stop being lazy and do something. This is where white evangelicals fail to realize the problem of racism in the American society. They do not understand that the problem of racism is rather a systematic problem rather than a problem of the individual. When looking at white and black responses to the question of racism, it is clear that there are two “sides” of the story. When Emerson and Smith interviewed white evangelicals, the white evangelists cited that the roots of racism come from individual reasons rather than structural ones. Most white evangelists felt that a racialized society was due to the lack of motivation or will power on the part of the blacks. In contrast, when black evangelicals were interviewed, they strongly believed that the problem of racism was more structural and less individualistic. Most felt that racism was due to discrimination rather than that of motivational reasons. This again shows that the evangelical religion, and religion in general, “intensifies the different values and experiences of each racial group, sharpening and increasing the divide between black and white Americans. ” Emerson and Smith also give evidence that by not seeing how public structures impact individual initiative, the racializatoin problem will continue long into the future. Emerson and Smith also give an in-depth examination of how the structure of American religious organizations perpetuates racialization. They explain that congregations are all internally similar in the fact that an internally homogeneous congregation more often provides what draws people to religious groups for a lower cost than do internally diverse congregations. They are basically stating that individuals are going to be with people they feel comfortable being with and associating themselves with, thus segregating themselves from each other. By creating a homogeneous congregation, one is essentially creating a segregated community that ultimately contributes to the preservation of racialization in America. Cone addresses the issue of religion and racism by stating that white churches keep racism alive by having all white congregations and remaining neutral when dealing with race and racism. Cone states that, ‘the white church has not merely failed to render services to the poor, but has failed miserably in being a visible manifestation to the world of God’s intention for humanity” to show that the white church is not creating an atmosphere of compliance, but creating an atmosphere of defiance. Cone also states that having “all-white congregations, makes racism a respectable attitude.” By stating this Cone is showing that congregations mostly lead to segregation rather than to integration. To eliminate se...