Salvation by Langston Hughes

After reading the excerpt from Langston Hughes's autobiography, "Redemption", I contemplated the many elements of religious beliefs and what makes a person think in god or not think in god. I believe that religious beliefs is a kind of specific expression, and that each individual needs to have the liberty to adhere his/her identity to whatever religious beliefs feels ideal to that individual, or even to comply with no faith at all. I believe that if I had actually been in Langston's position resting on a mourner's bench in his Auntie's church awaiting Jesus to conserve me, I most likely would have lied and stated that Jesus had actually conserved me.

I would have done this mainly to forgo any further complications or opinions, just as Langston did after all of the other kids had claimed that Jesus had actually saved them. Because I am not a believer in God, I might easily relate with Langston's doubts about the existence of a Jesus in the closing sentences of this excerpt.

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In the opening paragraph, Langston exhibits a calm and logical opinion towards being saved by Jesus. He does not display any fierce objections; nor does he exhibit any outbursts of excitement or anxious doubts. He seems to believe that Jesus will save him with the same cordial innovation as is later displayed when the other children are being saved. As the story progresses and Langston's anxiety prevails he wonders when or if Jesus will ever in fact save him at all.

While Jesus is saving all of the other children, I felt rather curious as to whether or not Langston would ever be saved. I wondered, while Jesus saved all of the children except for Langston, if these other children were in fact seeing Jesus or if they were lying so that the process of saving them from sin would proceed in a smooth and cordial manner. But as I read the closing paragraphs, my curiosity was met by an answer when Langston lied and assured them that yes, he had been saved by Jesus at last.

In the closing sentences I found it to be a little bit saddening how Langston could not relate the cause for his crying with anyone but himself and his ponderings. Langston explained how this was the beginning of his disbelief in the existence of a Jesus, because he had not seen Jesus in any material form and therefore could not believe in his existence. I thought that this was a very good, concise and complete story.