The Role of Christianity in White Superiority

Madison K. 

In his piece "The Culture of White Folk" Web Du Bouis comments on a lot of different aspects of superiority that white people feel they have. He talks about colonialism, division of class through race, gender and socioeconomic status, and how many European countries were built on the backs of people of color. But what gives one race, gender, or class the feeling that they are above others? The culture of white christianity is a large factor in creating this type of superiority. 

    Religion is very powerful and very dangerous. There is a reason that a lot of people support the separation of church and state. Religion also varies from service based to commitment to a church or temple and even every day traditions. And while some can argue that religion can do a lot of good for people there is a large spectrum. In this case we will be focusing on the influence of christianity on how Europe and America was developed and how it shaped the values people hold true today.  Starting off with the hypocrisies of the white mans version of the catholic church.  First the Bible states "treat other how you wish to be treated." Yet if these Europeans kept this value there would be no putting others down for persona gain, no inequality and no division between classes, genders, and races. The entire concept of imperialism would be eradicated because no one wants foreigners invading their home and forcing them into labor. Second the catholic church has always been a be supporter in giving back. If they truly were about giving back why, as Web Du Bouis cited would they give 5 million to charity and 10 million to produce rum.  The vagueness and opportunity for wide interoperation gave people the power to completely misuse religion in order to benefit themselves. The white man is boastful and righteous Du Bouis argues that no other culture is that boastful and it can be tired to christianity and its failure to do its job.  

    The whole point of religion being created was to explain the unexplainable. How did we get here, why are there stars and more. It was all written down in a big book with a bunch of stories that explain this and teach readers valuable lessons about life. It also includes rules. What to do what not to do and how to act, a sort of social contract. The danger with this is that it was written so long ago even for Du Bouis time and it can be interpreted many ways. In the world of religion we see christians who only go to church on Christmas and Christians who devote their entire life to Jesus. The danger is that it's very easy to spin "tho shall not hold false profits holy" as "any other god is evil". This is why white christianity has failed. It's the combination if the superiority and boastful nature of white people combined with the churches teaching that white people are better that sparked and nourish the idea that in fact white people are better. Service no longer becomes about helping but about profit and image, and the word of Jesus is used as a means to justify a genocide. Look at the mission project. The attempt to spread christianity to "save" native people from their "less civilized" life. These missionaries brought new diseases and whipped out a culture in the name of saving theirs. The church was is for political gain, a way of doing what ever they wanted without the repercussion because a bunch of people thousands of years ago made a statement that was twisted out of context. It's used to justify racism and imperialism and hate all because of a few sentences. These white Europeans used the words of someone else seen in a position of power as an attempt to get theirs, except they have don't have to take responsibility.