Cry The Beloved Country

Words: 836
Pages: 4

Religion is Hope Religion, to most people of the world, is the saving grace in their lives, because religion is the equalizer among peoples. In the eyes of God, it does not matter if his followers are black, white, poor, rich, Christian, or other they are just people to God; now to receive salvation or not is another matter. In Cry, the Beloved Country, Paton makes it clear that religion is hope. Religion gives the people a sense of salvation, redemption, or purpose, and salvation being the leading factor in Christianity, this is very important. Salvation is the deliverance from sin and consequence, and in the novel, salvation is everything to a people who have nothing. Religion is important to the story, because of Christian values …show more content…
For in the Christian faith, God makes it clear that he would not forsake his people so, in believing this fact, it dulls the African’s suffering. When Kumalo says“...the purpose of our lives, the end of all our struggle, is beyond all human wisdom… I shall fear no evil, if Thou art with me” (94), he is talking about enduring pain. First, when Kumalo says “struggle” he is talking about the trials that are in their lifetime; whether it be, for them, low housing or segregation. Kumalo has faith that what his people go through is only in this life and when they make it to a “bliss filled” afterlife it will be worth it. Now, when Kumalo talks about the “end” he is talking about the fact that the people, by themselves, can not change anything. It is God whom has the power to rewrite the tragedies they face and, in his glory, that the people can prevail under persecution. For the power to change these hardships lie beyond all “human wisdom”. In lack of a better term, “human wisdom” is our humanity, or mortality, and by Kumalo acknowledging this he is trying to comprehend the divine being, who they call God. This God, who knows everything, can guide and help the Africans. That is why their faith gets the Africans through their pain and suffering, because with God everything is possible. This sliver of light is what gets them through, it is their faith and it is their