Spirituality has always been a rallying point for people who are , or feel they are , being oppressed or persecuted . The Bible is the foundation of Christianity and so it makes sense that people who live in majorityChristian nations turn to the Bible for consolation , courage , perseverance , and answers to their questions . When the Mormons were being driven West , they interpreted the Exodus to refer not only to the Jews fleeing Egypt , but also to themselves . At the same time , and in the same country , enslaved blacks interpreted Exodus as a template for their own inevitable emancipation from the plantation . The Hebrew Israelites follow in this tradition by interpreting passages in the Bible to refer to the shared oppression of blacks , hispanics , and American Indians as a way to offer them hope and direction in responding to their plight . There are many examples of groups using religion for this purpose , and has been studied extensively . In Latin America and in Catholicism , it is called Liberation Theology and other Christians may also use this term to describe this phenomenon . Sociologists consider extreme versions of groups like the Hebrew Israelites crisis cults .