March 12th Reflection

The question of which direction the religion of Americans is going is one that the class has been questioned with throughout the semester. So far in class we have studied what is it about religion that is so attractive, and from there what is it about certain types of denominations that brings people to wanting to be religious. Using trends like those in both McGuire’s book and Chaves we can predict from the past a possible future. The affects of modern religion are both good and bad. In a place like America the differences in race and ethnicity and the consequences of being a part of the minority group are being highlighted especially with the new presidency. Movements like those against American immigration, and black lives matter are issues that are being thought about and critiqued. In the film watched in class the church was a way to express the anger and feelings boiling inside those who were being directly influenced by racial profiling. The church of predominantly African American members had sermons on rising above and being good to other’s in need. The church gave its’ youth the opportunity to see the success of members with professions like lawyers and doctors that they other wise would not have met. What was powerful about watching this film is how the church reacted to the racism they experienced in their lives. Yes, they were very strongly against how they were being treated but they used that to fuel their passion to rising above.