George Cobin: The Egalitarian Potential Of Religion

At a Black American Forum Conference, George Cobin presented the claim; the exigencies of North American slavery obscured the egalitarian potential of religion. In the colonial and antebellum periods, religion fostered the development of slave societies by mollifying Black people with spiritual freedom and the promise of divine justice. Both “slave religion” and religious practices among free people reinforced Black subjugation. Cobin’s claim does have some validity, because the demand for slaves suppressed the opportunities of equality that came along with religion. Although society did try to mollify black people with spiritual freedom it did not work. Enslaved blacks rebelled, and free black people sought after leadership roles in the church, and or made their own dominations and made their own rules.

Religion was not spread to Africans in good faith, but out of guilt. White Christians saw the impacts of the travel to North America, and choose to convert them so the African people would not die as pagans, instead their souls would be claimed by God. A former slave Aunt Adeline, mentions how if the white folks had never brought them from Africa as slaves, they “would never have been here and would have been much better off” (Raboteau). Africans did not need any saving, due to the high demands of slavery Christianity was forced on them. Christian beliefs are based on honest and honorable treatment, which did not reach black people. Christianity teaches men to do as they would be done by, but white Christian continued to enslaved black people. Africans knew the way they were treated was wrong, which always stayed with