4th place (tie) — 2024 BIPOC essay contest: William S. Torres
FFRF awarded William $2,000.
By William S. Torres
Religion has undoubtedly played a major role in advancing civil rights. Individuals like Martin Luther King Jr., a Baptist minister, and Malcolm X, a prominent figure in the Nation of Islam, were leading the civil rights movement and still continue to inspire millions. At the same time however, religion was used to justify white superiority and racial segregation. The bible and other religious texts and doctrines have been used to fit the ideals of supremacists who believe that they are the perfect race. While, to some, religion is a sanctuary and they find a place through God, in others, their religion is their method to power, to prejudice, and a way to place themselves upon a pedestal and look down on others.
When considering the civil rights movement, religion was used on both sides. To those who were fighting for their rights and their lives, religion was used to argue that God made everyone equal. To those who were fighting against civil rights, they argued that God had made one perfect race, and they used quotes and scripts to justify their hate crimes. This idea begs the question then, if God were real, why would he make his words so ambiguous and able to be twisted into specific ideals? If God were real, then why, time after time, does it seem that his word is often the justification for both sides of war?
History has repeated itself time after time, where the root of conflict seems to always lead to religion. Even during World War II, Nazi Germany followed Christian ideals, and used them for the genocide of over 6 million members of another religion. If God were real, why would he continuously let his subjects be murdered and conflict with each other? Many argue that this is because God chose to give humans free will. To this I respond: If he could make something as beautiful as life, could he also not have created a world where conflict is absent, even with free will?
It is easy to feel that secular individuals or groups are often overlooked, despite their incredible advancements to social equality. People such as Bayard Rustin, a secular and gay African American civil rights activist, who was a key organizer of the March on Washington, one of the largest marches on civil rights of its time.
As I grew up in a relatively conservative and religious small Southern town, I always felt as though the people around me were undoubtedly rude to others who were different from them, whether it was because of their sexuality or even race. It would be immature to blame this idea completely on religion, but given the past of the South, I do believe that religion has played a heavy role in shaping the ideals of their families and cultures. Although religion can offer a place for those with nothing else, I believe that, in many circumstances, it may also be the cause of their having nothing.
William, 20, is from New Braunfels, Texas, and attends Texas A&M University, where he is in the honors animal science program while working toward a minor in pre-medicine and a minor in ecology and conservation biology, with the ultimate goal of attending vet school.
He writes: “I have always prided myself upon my ability to accept all others, and I believe it is heavily due to my family. My mother is a lesbian, I have a Chinese brother, a white brother, two other Hispanic brothers, and Black step-brothers. I believe that growing up through this environment has led me to be who I am today. I was a service officer for a freshmen leadership organization, a member of Pre-Vet Society, Century Men’s Society, a Fish Camp counselor, a special events coordinator and ambassador at the College of Veterinary Medicine, and I even competed on the school’s animal welfare judging team, where I placed in an international competition.”
