Introduction
The book for this analysis is ‘The Hiding Place” by Corrie Boom. It is an autobiography about Corrie’s life before, during, and after the Holocaust. She grew up in a Christian family who strongly believed in fellowship, prayer, and reading the scriptures. This was the foundation of her life principles, such as living to please God by practicing love for others. During the Jewish persecution, she risked her life by saving the Jews and offering them her place to hide.
Despite understanding the consequences, she boldly took the risk because of her convictions. The law enforcers eventually found out about her actions, and she was arrested with a few of her family members. They went through so much pain in the prisons due to sickness, torture, and an unhealthy environment. Even after being released from prison, she continued her faith and became a full-time missionary. Her life and experiences show the role of religion in resisting oppression and injustice, which is an ongoing discussion on human experiences.
Annotated Bibliography
Carlson-Thies, Stanley. “Love God Totally, and Your Neighbor as Yourself: How Religious Freedom Enables Us to Obey Both Great Commandments in Our Time.” Social Work and Christianity, vol. 48, no. 2, 2021, pp. 200-216. Web.
This paper examines how religious freedom can help Christians obey God and respect life. According to the author, Christians acknowledge God’s mercies and grace to save them. Therefore, their main focus is to live in a way that pleases Jesus. They can only do this by abiding by his teachings and bringing light into this morally dark world now that their sins are taken away.
Christ summarized all the ten commandments into one that is love. According to his teachings, the first commandment is to love God with everything. The second is to love one’s neighbor as one loves oneself. He also commanded them to love their enemies and always pray for them. These teachings and philosophies emphasize the value of human life and humanity’s role in making the world a conducive place for each other.
Corrie ten Boom exemplified this love by opening her home and her heart to provide shelter and assistance for Jews desperately seeking refuge. Additionally, she actively participated in an underground network dedicated to aiding Jewish individuals in escaping from Nazi persecution. In pursuit of these noble acts, Corrie sacrificed personal comfort, safety, and freedom – enduring unimaginable hardships such as losing loved ones, possessions, and health. They braved hunger, cold, disease, fear, and despair within the confines of the concentration camps.
Therefore, another significant aspect contributing to religion’s role in protecting human rights and preserving human dignity is its inherent obligation to practice love for others. The greatest commandment to Christians is love for God, self, and others. Therefore, religion motivates those who want to defend human rights and human dignity because it gives people a purpose, hope, and bravery to stand up against evil and injustice.
Knoetze, Johannes J. “Transforming Theological Education is not the Accumulation of Knowledge, But the Development of Consciousness.” Verbum et Ecclesia, vol. 41, no. 1, 2020, pp. 1-8. Web.
According to Knoetze, religion not only molds an individual’s sense of self but also provides a framework for comprehending the world around them. It offers solace to existential questions such as life’s purpose and ultimate destiny. Moreover, religion empowers individuals to express their values, beliefs, and commitments through meaningful rituals, symbols, and narratives. Additionally, it enables individuals to transcend self-interest by forging connections with a higher power or becoming part of a larger community united by shared convictions.
In the case of Corrie ten Boom and her family, they identified themselves as devoted followers of Jesus Christ. Their deep faith was evident in their regular prayer gatherings, heartfelt hymns sung in worshipful reverence, and diligent study of scripture passages within the Bible itself while actively spreading their faith to others around them. They surpassed personal desires by establishing an intimate connection with God while fostering profound relationships with fellow Christians and extending compassionately towards their Jewish neighbors during times of great peril. Therefore, when humans are aware of their environment and fellow beings, they will focus on treating them with dignity. They know they will be accountable to God for treating their neighbors. Additionally, they focus on service to others since it is a life purpose given to them by their God
Lalani, Nasreen, et al. “Nurturing Spiritual Resilience to Promote Post-Disaster Community Recovery: The 2016 Alberta Wildfire in Canada.” Frontiers in Public Health, vol. 9, 2021. Web.
According to the article, spirituality, an essential aspect of religion, facilitates recovery and resilience during a disaster. It examines how it can strengthen and empower community capacity and growth during hard times. The authors researched the meanings and concerns together with strategies and tools that people use to build and nurture their wellness.
According to the research, spiritual values and beliefs can be essential for fostering resilience and aiding individual and group healing and recovery after a tragedy. It shows that religion fosters spirituality, which plays a significant role in resilience by promoting human development and change in a stressful situation. Through coping, inner calm, self-esteem, persistence, and helping others, spirituality fosters healing and resilience and builds familial bonds. It also provides one with an optimistic mind, as well as providing meaning and purpose. In addition, it gives one a sense of control, personal empowerment, and answers to big questions or meanings. During this time, the person suffering the loss finds a way to adjust, transition, and settle after the disaster.
On the other hand, Corrie’s family clung to hope through their reliance on God’s presence, power, and promises. They eagerly anticipated resurrection and reunion with those they had lost. Hence, religion fosters hope by instilling positive expectations for the future. It inspires individuals to overcome challenges and pursue goals with the belief in divine assistance, guidance, and reward. Amid their trials, it is an invaluable resource for individuals facing hardships. It provides meaning, instills hope, and offers comfort, enabling individuals to navigate through suffering and loss with resilience and faith. It also offers relief from distress or pain through emotional expression, support from fellow believers, and a sense of inner peace.
Additionally, experiencing God’s love, grace, and forgiveness brought solace amidst their loss. Resilience during and after a disaster is a very important element for an individual’s general wellness. When one is able to find meaning and purpose during harsh times, they are less likely to fall into depression, anxiety, and other complications caused by stress.
Lewis Hall, M. Elizabeth, and Peter Hill. “Meaning-Making, Suffering, And Religion: A Worldview Conception.” Mental Health, Religion & Culture, vol. 22, no. 5, 2019, pp. 467-479. Web.
The article examines the different worldviews of three religious traditions: Buddhism, Christianity, and atheism. It concentrates on these views’ axiological, praxiological, ontological, and anthropological premises. The findings show that religious beliefs are essential in providing meaning to life and during suffering circumstances. It suggests that it is a handy tool in this endeavor.
According to the paper, other studies have indicated that religions frequently significantly impact the process of deriving meaning. Park’s meaning-making model, stressful situations like losing a loved one can make individuals feel distressed since their interpretation of the event differs from their global orienting systems. By lessening this disparity, meaning-making eases discomfort.
Similarly, in Corrie et al., religion was essential in helping Boom and her family cope with suffering and loss. Faith played a very critical role in pushing Corrie and her family to risk their lives to save Jews during World War II. Despite facing imprisonment and death, their unwavering belief in God’s plan and their calling to do His will fueled their resistance against oppression.
For Corrie and her family, their suffering held significance as an opportunity to serve God and humanity. They also found solace in trusting God would care for their loved ones in heaven. Therefore, religion plays a significant role in helping individuals navigate suffering and loss, offering them a sense of purpose, hope, and solace. Finding meaning in adversity is crucial for coping with suffering and loss. Religion provides a framework for this meaning-making process by offering a coherent worldview, purpose, and connection to something greater than oneself.
Müller, Sigrid. “Concepts and Dimensions of Human Dignity in the Christian Tradition.” Interdisciplinary Journal for Religion and Transformation in Contemporary Society, vol. 6, no. 1, 2020, pp. 22-55. Web.
This paper examines the role of Christian traditions in upholding human rights and dignity in the current society. The author categorizes human dignity into four primary facets: anthropology, morality, legality, and practicality. It looks at how these aspects connect to the dignity of the human soul or person and the imago Dei paradigm, which are the two primary Christian definitions of human dignity.
The conclusions show that the related Christian concepts provide a reasonable basis for crafting a compelling Christian story and active participation in defending human rights and dignity. According to the journal, human beings were created in the image and likeness of God. This means that they are a representation of Jesus Christ on earth. No creatures stand in between them and God; instead, the link between the original and the image represents an instant one. Instead, people themselves have a connection to both heaven and earth. They are a living statue that makes God’s presence possible.
On the other hand, according to Corrie et al., she was a staunch Christian committed to practicing love as a command by Jesus Christ. It pushed her to safeguard the Jews from the persecution by the Nazis. Together with her family, they dedicated themselves to helping the victims despite being aware of the repercussions of their acts. They knew they would face dire consequences, such as imprisonment and even death when caught by the authorities. Corrie and her colleagues strongly believed God’s calling was to fulfill his purpose.
Therefore, religion can ignite a passion within individuals, urging them to champion human rights and preserve human dignity. This is achieved by providing a moral compass, spiritual motivation, and communal support. The strength of religion in protecting human rights and preserving human dignity lies in its emphasis on acknowledging the spiritual and eternal nature of humankind as children of God.
Saihu, Made. Unity in Diversity (Humanism-Theocentric Paradigm of Social Education in Indonesia). GlobeEdit, 2020. Web.
According to this article, religion can cultivate a strong community and solidarity among diverse groups. It achieves this by establishing a shared identity, a collective purpose, and united action. In Indonesia, a country known for its many ethnic groups, traditions, and faiths, religion is essential to promoting cohesiveness and harmony.
It says religion is a valuable instrument for ethnocentrism and humanism, contributing to societal enlightenment. These paradigms highlight each person’s inherent value and divine connection. The book also explores how religion might help with common societal problems, including violence, poverty, corruption, and intolerance. It presents a paradigm for religious education that emphasizes communication, collaboration, and respect among religious communities.
Similarly, according to Corrie et al., religion can foster unity and camaraderie by offering a social identity, transcending other differentiating factors such as ethnicity, nationality, or social class. Boom and her family were deeply committed to their Christian faith, faithfully adhering to the principles taught by Jesus Christ. They were not alone in their beliefs, as they were part of a close-knit community of like-minded individuals who generously helped them hide and move Jewish individuals. Their bond, built on love and trust, remained unshakable regardless of their diverse backgrounds or social statuses. Boom recounts how her Christian faith compelled her and her family to risk their lives to protect Jews from the clutches of the Nazis during World War II. Their unwavering belief in God’s divine plan and their calling to fulfill His will propelled them forward.
Zakharov, Nikolay, Aliaksei Lastouski, and Sergei Mudrov. “Religion and the Protest Movement: Christian Churches in 2020 Belarus.” Communist and Post-Communist Studies, vol. 56, no. 3, 2023, pp. 22-46. Web.
Some waves of protests have revealed how the efforts of religious organizations have encouraged people to come together in a system that punishes any form of disagreement. Zakharov et al. explored the complex nature of churches, which serve as both a space for the state to exert control and a potential hub for resistance against an oppressive regime. In authoritarian Belarus, churches enjoy more freedom than other organizations, making them a significant platform for protest. The research further argues that religion can be viewed as a privileged realm for expressing dissent within the established legal frameworks governing the state and church relationship.
In Corrie’s case, she and her family directly challenged Nazi ideology which propagated racism and anti-Semitism while dehumanizing the Jewish population. Additionally, they confronted the Nazi power structure that violated fundamental human rights and dignity. Their commitment extended beyond mere critique; they actively participated in resistance movements at significant personal risk.
Therefore, Religion can either challenge or bolster society’s prevailing ideologies and power structures. It presents alternative or complementary sources of authority, legitimacy, and morality. Spirituality can provide the challenge by offering critical perspectives on the existing order, envisioning a better world, and advocating for social change. It can potentially mobilize individuals to engage in collective action, such as protests or revolutions aimed at dismantling oppressive systems.
Conclusion
Religion has a significant role in giving its adherents the strength to fight for justice and human rights. Firstly, it inspires people to stand up for human rights and dignity. Secondly, it helps people cope with suffering and loss. Thirdly, it fosters a sense of community and solidarity among different groups. Fourth, it does so by challenging or reinforcing the society’s dominant ideologies and power structures. Lastly, it shapes one’s identity and worldview.