Religion in Go Tell it on the Mountain Literature Book Review

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Religion in Go Tell It on the Mountain
Religion is one of the central themes in James Baldwin’s novel “Go Tell It on the Mountain.” However, James portrays religion in both a positive and negative way. It is essential to describe how religion is characterized by the characters in the book.
Baldwin associated religion with violence, the internal anguish, and struggle. John’s father, Gabriel, the preacher of the Harlem church, is the personification of Christianity in the book. He is described as “God’s minister” and “the ambassador of the King of Heaven” (Baldwin 29). John knows that he cannot reach God’s throne without first bowing to his father, Gabriel. However, he hates his father because he treats him badly. The novel reveals that Gabriel hates John because he is not his biological son, but John does not know this and has to contend with his father’s hated. Baldwin describes Gabriel as “awful,” beats his sons, and “fondles” his daughter. Gabriel allegedly is a model of Christian piety, but his character causes violence and anguish to others. He treats his wife and children poorly while his past is marred with deceit, drunkenness, and womanizing (Baldwin 9). His life reflects badly on the religion he claims to represent. While the book calls him “the anointed one,” Gabriel exemplifies the negativity of Christianity as violent, harsh, and even hypocritical.
The violence in religion continues in the wa...