Laurie Burgess

Professor Sipin
English 211C

The Concept of God

In todays society, if you ask one person on what is their concept of God, you will find a
different viewpoint then your own. Is their God the only God? Or is your God the only true
God? There will always be a difference in opinion about the concept of God.
The concept of God from Baldwins point of view reminds us that regardless of religion we
should all achieve to be good. Religious teachings from all aspect of life teach us to be good and
kind to one another. That we should treat one another in the same way we expect to be treated.
Some individuals do not believe that there is a God. Does this mean that these individuals are
unethical? Or does it mean that they just do not believe in something they cannot see?
Regardless of a persons viewpoint on religion, we should all strive to treat individuals with
respect and kindness.
Society has changed dramatically since Baldwin was a child. Slavery was part of society
during his childhood. He saw the world from a slaves viewpoint. Slavery has always been a
horrific part of United States history. The individuals who chose to enslave the AfricanAmericans were not true Christians. If they were, then there would not have been any slaves.
All human beings are created equal. They were not treating the slaves as their equal. They only
saw money signs in their eyes. Not the families they were tearing apart or the lives that these
slaves left behind when they were bought or kidnapped. United States has evolved since

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Baldwins time. All of mankind in the United States should be treated equally. This should not
be based on ones religion, or on race, but as a fundamental right of all citizens in the United
States.
Religion is not the only aspect of life that teaches us to be kind and gentle people. For
instance, a person who never went to church and does not believe in God, but volunteers at a
homeless shelter is not doing this for money or for God. This individual is doing this for the
satisfaction it gives them in helping others. This shows us that just because an individual was
never exposed to religion does not mean that they are a bad person. They still strive to be good.
They are no different than you or me. If all of us strived to be compassionate and respectful of
mankind, then this world might be a better place.
The writings of Baldwin are just a reminder to us all that we should treat everyone with
kindness and respect. If a person does believe in God, then he should strive to be good to all of
mankind. If he does not believe in God he should still strive to be good and kind. The one thing
that I was taught was to kill a person with kindness and respect, regardless of the situation. That
violence and hate will lead you down a path of destruction.

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