Sha’keela McClendon wrote:
Hypocrisy is big in a lot of religions today. Each religion assumes their practice is the only true religion. Sadly, they don’t realize that there is no perfection; surely not in a religion. There is nothing religious about degrading and making people feel bad about the decisions they have made in their lifetime. Sometimes those decisions are made for a reason and their just looking for someone to guide them. Some religions frown on newcomers that join the church because of the clothes they’re wearing or how many kids they have out of wedlock; but who are they to judge? They teach the acceptance of “sinners” but don’t live out their lesson in reality. Religion is supposed to be about the love of Jesus and teachings of the bible but most people have forgotten about that.
Church has become more a social place than a place of worship. A lot of people only go to church to gossip, see the fashion and sometimes steal. Preachers steal from the church’s bank account. Deacons write checks in the church’s name. How are these examples god like? Some preachers go as far as selling the religion on television like it’s a brand of clothing.
Proverbs 13:11 states, “wealth obtained by fraud dwindles, but the one who gathers by labor increases it.”
The worst form of hypocrisy is expressed in extremist religion. Some go as far as shunning a family member because their belief is different. In my opinion, hypocrisy starts when church members call people sinners. Are you that perfect that you haven’t sinned one time? Does this make you God, that you’re judging me? Sometimes preachers say we are all sinners, so why am I the one shunned? In many religions like my own, Christianity, you have certain classifications with the church. For example, in the Baptist church, there are the “saints”; older members who think they sit on a high pedestal in the church and have the right to correct you even when they’re wrong. Next is the middle generation, who’s stuck between the old tradition and the new generation. Some are frowned upon just because they like the idea of something new. Last, there are the young people, ready to do new things and have new styles about things in the church.
Sadly as people grow up, they tend to move on to other religions. A child raised in a strict religious household where they’ve witnessed hypocrisy tends to experience lasting effects and develops strong opinions about that religion. In some cases, they don’t get back into the church until they feel that they’ve found one that isn’t as harsh as the one they were brought up in. Somewhere along the way most religions forgot that Jesus came to teach us to love one another, despite our imperfection and down falls.
In the movie O Brother, Where Are Thou? religion helps make the characters’ journey for answers easier. It adds significance and structure. Biblical references appear multiple times throughout the movie, one being the congregation of Baptists singing as the main characters proceed to escape. Everett (George Clooney) then remarks, “They must be looking for answers.” The congregation continues to sing as they are being dunked in the river. Delmar runs down to the river and cuts to the front of the line. He is baptized, and afterwards he says:
“Well that’s it, boys. I’ve been redeemed.
and transgressions. It’s the straight and narrow
This scene is acting out the biblical story of Jesus Christ and John the Baptist. In many Christian churches, this practice enacts the belief that “god washes away your sins”; in reality this action doesn’t necessarily take away your sins from the world. After this scene ends, the characters continue to seek meaning through greed and redemption.
The Ku Klux Klan in the movie shows the elements of the Old Testament in a more modern society. Homer Stokes, leader of the KKK, explains more to us as he preaches to his followers about preserving their culture and heritage from intrusions (blacks) and by pulling the evil up by the root before it spreads. In the film the audience is reminded of the religious connection by the burning cross and the cross symbols on the costumes. In reality, the KKK members are acting more like the executioners and Tommy is portrayed as the keepers of God’s work. He says, “I ain’t never harmed any you gentlemen! I ain’t never harmed nobody!” Tommy is more Christ-like than the Klansmen, who murder and torture in God’s name.
In 2000 the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? was released as a remake of Homer’s The Odyssey. If you have read The Odyssey and watched the movie you can clearly see the similarities between the two in the plot, theme and even the characters. It is known by many that the name Ulysses, which is Everett’s first name, is the Roman version of Odysseus. Religion has a big effect on both. In The Odyssey it takes the kind heart of Athena (Goddess of War) to push the other gods to release Odysseus. Without his belief in her, he never would have seen his family again. In O Brother, Where Art Thou? Everett and his two partners never would have seen the big flood if they hadn’t called on the Lord.
With religion being in both works, hypocrisy is there also. In the epic poem, the suitors are the hypocritical ones. They professed to be upstanding citizens and obedient to the Gods but they behaved completely opposite, violating the laws of respect and hospitality. When Odysseus returned and took back his land with violence, this was to remind the audience that those who stray will be punished.
Throughout the epic poem and film both Odysseus and Everett take similar adventures to get to their destination. In the film, Everett mocks religion, laughing at the thought of a god and telling Pete and Delmar that God cannot help them with their sins with the state of Mississippi. But Odysseus is very religious; he even visits with his crew the Oracle of Delphi before his big trip back home. This big difference is shown in the beginning of both works. Odysseus doesn’t like the way the Gods have helped him but he does accept the fact that they exist in his world. Everett, however doesn’t believe that being baptized takes your sins away, but it does help you get through the mental process of feeling better.
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