Chapter 6: White Man's Heaven Is a Black Man's Hell Summary and Analysis

Malcolm X's faith is complex and hard to understand because his religious views began as those of a minority religion and then evolved in their own direction. He wanted to serve God but was deeply alienated from Christianity. He grew up in a white church that discriminated against him and found most consolation in his father's and Marcus Garvey's "back to Africa" movement. X was drawn to the Nation of Islam because it was practically designed to appeal to the black underclass, to support a people that felt hated. Christianity, some would argue, was created for the needs of whites, and many of its heroes were portrayed as white. For X, his faith was all about justice; Islam therefore was the only religion for the...