Religion As A Weapon

RELIGION AS A WEAPON

Religion and myth are two powerful subjects that Caribbean writers have used to their advantage in many of the works we have read this semester. Many religious qualities that are expressed today in the Caribbean were at one time influenced by early African beliefs. The Christian faith, for example, has been an influence on various Caribbean religions, while at the same it has been the target of rejection. The rejection of European culture is a pervasive theme for many post-colonial Caribbean writers, and with this, there has been a rejection of European values. For most cultures, religion is something that is valued highly. Sometimes one thinks of religion as being merely an agent of social control, when if fact it is an extremely revolutionary force. Below, my goal is to illustrate how Caribbean writers have used religion, whatever that particular one or more than one may be, and used it as a weapon, to promote their own culture, or attack another's.

The presence of numerous religious expressions in the Caribbean has added to the overall perception of the culture. God is perceived as interested in both men and women being themselves, as products of their own individual culture. There is a general theme that is prevalent in many of the Caribbean religions that the universe is one that contains both visible and indivisible worlds. The cosmos is the part that is spirit filled, with a high spiritual power, along with lower spiritual powers, and human beings in nature. There is a belief that the spirit world is associated with success, or that the follower of the religion can ascertain high positions of power through the spiritual world. He or she can make advancements through the use of worship rituals, which include drawing, drumming, dancing, myths, legends, movements, and many more. Some critics believe that these religions are too "fantastical", but in fact this is what makes them unique. Religion is something that is a special characteristic of the individual, it sets them apart from the majority, and it is a basis of representation. The writers I will catalogue below have their own beliefs and traditions, which are usually the starting point for the arguments or situations they are attempting to create.

For Leon Damas, there is no physical distinction between the evils of spiritual and physical brutalization. Not only was physical mistreatment detrimental, but Leon Damas felt that the wrong religion had the ability to destroy slaves too. As the chain was harmful to the body, the Bible was harmful to the mind; both effected change, both destroyed. Christianity not only weakened the will but castrated the body. (22 Wilfred Cartey).

In his poetry, Damas made an effort to attack the religion of Christianity. Like other aspects of colonialism, he felt that religion was something negative for the rise of his race. He saw it as another drawback for his culture, and people, who were trying to establish their own individual identity in the Caribbean, apart from Europe or Africa. The black consciousness movement, or negritude, was of great importance for Damas. His poetry mirrors his intense personality, and with regards to religion, he often makes a mockery of the Christian church. He believes that the emasculation of various early Caribbean religions is a result of the Christian church attempting to glorify itself. Like many others, slavery was not just physical pain for Damas; it was the brainwash and mental decay of his race. The poem "S.O.S" is a prime example of the author's intentional disrespect of establishing Christian values in the Caribbean. The overall attitude of the poem reflects the condemnation of the white race. The poet uses repetition and alliteration within the poem to reiterate the point he is trying to make. The tone is of anger, aggression, and hatred. He incorporates graphic violent images to illustrate the suffering of his people. The religious connotation in the poem arises at the end, "and/ cutting off the sex of the blacks/ to make them into candles for their churches." The quote demonstrates the poet's idea that the church is benefiting on the destruction of the African Americans. Earlier on in the poem he uses the simile, "to go and stuff themselves on nigger/ like Hitler/stuffing himself on Jew." The language here is extremely descriptive, and the connection he makes, between the black and Jewish race, is used to express his opinion of the severity of the problem.

In the "Drum-Maker", author Kendel Hippolyte, has created a society where money and material possessions are important for the majority of the indigenous people. This is a capitalist society which contains many businesses, which ultimately, have control over most of the lower class. The corporate world is connected with the Christian church within the play. The symbol of a "serpent" is representative within the play, as something that dominates the lives of the lower class. In this situation, for instance, the "serpent" is an analogy for the capital-intensive factories that are requiring slum-landlords to sell their land. Also, the "serpent" is a symbol for evil, and this can be interpreted as a negative reference to Christianity. The drum here represents Jack the main character, or his voice, and many other of his people. During the second movement,