what was nelson mandela's religion?
Methodism
entailment
 Mandela 's mother took him to the " Great Place " palace at Mqhekezweni , where he was entrusted under the guardianship of Thembu regent , Chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo . Although he did not see his mother again for many years , Mandela felt that Jongintaba and his wife Noengland treated him as their own child , raising him alongside their son , Justice , and daughter , Nomafu . As Mandela attended church services every Sunday with his guardians , Christianity became a significant part of his life . He attended a Methodist mission school located next to the palace , studying English , Xhosa , history and geography . He developed a love of African history , listening to the tales told by elderly visitors to the palace , and became influenced by the anti @-@ imperialist rhetoric of the visiting Chief Joyi . At the time he nevertheless considered the European colonialists not as oppressors but as benefactors who had brought education and other benefits to southern Africa . Aged 16 , he , Justice and several other boys travelled to Tyhalarha to undergo the circumcision ritual that symbolically marked their transition from boys to men ; the rite over , he was given the name Dalibunga . 

entailment
 From his adoption of the Nation of Islam in 1952 until he broke with it in 1964 , Malcolm X promoted the Nation 's teachings . These included the beliefs : 

contradiction
 Mandela 's international fame had emerged during his incarceration in the 1980s , when he became the world 's most famous prisoner , a symbol of the anti @-@ apartheid cause , and an icon for millions who embraced the ideal of human equality . In 1986 , Mandela biographer Mary Benson characterised him as " the embodiment of the struggle for liberation " in South Africa . Meredith stated that in becoming " a potent symbol of resistance " to apartheid during the 1980s , he had gained " mythical status " internationally . Sampson commented that even during his life , this myth had become " so powerful that it blurs the realities " , converting Mandela into " a secular saint " . Within a decade of the end of his Presidency , Mandela 's era was being widely thought of as " a golden age of hope and harmony " , with much nostalgia being expressed for it . Across the world , Mandela earned international acclaim for his activism in overcoming apartheid and fostering racial reconciliation , coming to be viewed as " a moral authority " with a great " concern for truth " . 

contradiction
 By the late 1960s , Mandela 's fame had been eclipsed by Steve Biko and the Black Consciousness Movement ( BCM ) . Seeing the ANC as ineffectual , the BCM called for militant action , but following the Soweto uprising of 1976 , many BCM activists were imprisoned on Robben Island . Mandela tried to build a relationship with these young radicals , although he was critical of their racialism and contempt for white anti @-@ apartheid activists . Renewed international interest in his plight came in July 1978 , when he celebrated his 60th birthday . He was awarded an honorary doctorate in Lesotho , the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding in India in 1979 , and the Freedom of the City of Glasgow , Scotland in 1981 . In March 1980 , the slogan " Free Mandela ! " was developed by journalist Percy Qoboza , sparking an international campaign that led the UN Security Council to call for his release . Despite increasing foreign pressure , the government refused , relying on its Cold War allies US President Ronald Reagan and UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher ; both considered Mandela 's ANC a terrorist organisation sympathetic to communism and supported its suppression . 

contradiction
 By March 1964 , Malcolm X had grown disillusioned with the Nation of Islam and its leader Elijah Muhammad . Expressing many regrets about his time with them , which he had come to regard as largely wasted , he embraced Sunni Islam . After a period of travel in Africa and the Middle East , which included completing the Hajj , he repudiated the Nation of Islam , disavowed racism and founded Muslim Mosque , Inc. and the Organization of Afro @-@ American Unity . He continued to emphasize Pan @-@ Africanism , black self @-@ determination , and black self @-@ defense . 
