Section 2, Part 2 Summary and Analysis

This part of "Down at the Cross" explores similarities and differences between Christianity and The Nation of Islam, the name for the followers of Elijah Muhammad, a prophet who claimed to have a revelation of truth directly from Allah. The author summarizes that truth as: black people are Allah's creations, white people are the creations of the devil and are therefore devils themselves, and that the time will inevitably come when black Americans will be able to claim their destiny and eliminate white people from the earth. The author describes his experience of seeing members of the Nation of Islam preaching on the street, making particular note of how they were watched by police (see "Quotes", p. 62). He compares the Nation of Islam preachers, and Elijah Muhammad in particular, with the preachers he listened to when he was a...