God’s Connection to Humanity Through Feuerbach and Cone Anonymous College

Ludwig Feuerbach and James Cone present ideologically different interpretations of religion and its purpose in society. Feuerbach originates his vision of God from a philosophical perspective surrounding materialism. Cone, a theologian, radicalizes the traditionally accepted notion of a white God and transforms him into a liberator of the oppressed. However, both Cone and Feuerbach affirm the centrality of God’s suffering to the human experience. Feuerbach reasons that an authoritarian understanding of religion is deeply flawed. From the perspective of Feuerbach, God must be brought down to an innately human level in order to provide meaning to religion. Similarly, humans can only transcend their suffering and find liberation with the involvement of God in their struggles. A separate God is detached from humanity. With the understanding that humanity undergirds all of religion, an effective Christian God must be among the people. Cone’s work begs the question, how is God able to fully grasp the extent of suffering that oppressed people face from an elevated position? He finds that it would be difficult and inauthentic. God is a force of liberation. He is not literally the liberator, but rather the spirit that empowers a...