Support of Slavery by the Christian Church Essay -- Slavery Essays

Support of Slavery by the Christian Church The belief in some higher presence, other than our own, has existed since man can recollect. Religion was established from this belief, and it can survive and flourish because of this belief. Christianity, one of several forms of religion that exist today, began sometime during the middle of the first century. Christians believe in a higher presence that they call "God." This belief in God is based on faith, not fact; faith is "unquestioning belief that does not require proof or evidence." (Webster's New World College Dictionary, 1996, p. 487). The belief in God exists primarily for two reasons: It answers the question of why we exist, and it is used to exert moral control over society (religion). The reasons for believing in God hold no true validity. Answering the question of man's existence is irrelevant; it simply cannot be answered. No one knows when life first began on Earth, nor in what form this life took. We simply exist; as far as we know, we always have existed, and we always will exist. (Wallace, 1994). The church claims God is the reason we exist, and this gives the church cause for exerting unnecessary moral control over society. All societies must have a set of rules, or laws, by which they are governed, to prevent anarchy. We must have some form of government, but our laws must come from the people up, not from God down. The government provides necessary control over society; morals should be left to the individual. The church has always failed to realize this. To suppress individuality is to suppress freedom, and never in our nation's short history was the power of the church and the suppression of freedom more evident than during the era of slavery. Had the chur... ... published in 1857) Lewis, P. (1973). Slavery and anarchy. Radical abolitionism: Anarchy and the government of god in anti-slavery thought (pp.18-54). Ithica: Cornell University Press. Mathews, D. (1980). Religion and slavery: The case of the American south. In C. Bolt & S. Drescher (eds.), Anti-slavery, religion, & reform (pp. 207-230). Hamden, CT: Archon Books. Ritchie, B. (1968). The mind and heart of frederick douglass: Excerpts from speeches of the great negro orator. (pp. 37-63). New York: Thomas Y. Crowell. Ross, F. (1969). Slavery ordained by god. New York: Negro Universities Press. (Original work published in 1859) The holy bible: King james version. (1965). Chicago: Good Counsel. Wallace, F. (1994). The neo-tech dicovery. (p. 32). Neo-Tech Worldwide. Webster's new world college dictionary. (1996). (p. 487). New York: MacMillan USA.