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Slavery And Life Of Frederick Douglass Impact On Religion

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Slavery has vastly impacted the lives of humanity since the time of the fall. Civilization will forever be marked by the implications and impacts of slavery, as the stings of it still exist even today. The personal stories of slaves have the power to reshape thinking and to influence the mind of modern civilization. No one is exempt from the horrors of slavery- not even the Church. In the Narrative and Life of Fredrick Douglass, Frederick Douglass brings attention to the effects of slavery even within Christianity and the Church of America. Douglass challenges believers to repent of a false version of Christianity by abandoning the ways of slavery which had been viewed as permissible. The implications of his thought and writing have a great impact, specifically challenging the formation of the Southern Baptist Convention and many other …show more content…

Written in 1845, the same year as the formation of the Southern Baptist Convention, the text has much to say about the role of slavery in Christianity. Dilbeck describes Douglass as, “a kind of prophet crying in the wilderness of Christian slaveholding America” (Dilbeck, 48). He goes on, saying, “Douglass spent a lifetime pleading with white Christians… to acknowledge how thoroughly slavery had distorted their view of reality and kept them from loving as Christ loves” (Dilbeck 48). Douglass attempted to portray his disgust with modern Christianity around him. He believed that what he saw in the church of America could not truly be how the church ought to look. It is said that, “…even when Douglass explicitly acknowledges the Bible’s unity in Christian justifications of slavery, he does not seem to criticize the Bible itself, only its interpreters” (Hutchins, 297). One of the core arguments throughout his work is the necessity for Christians to throw off preconceived notions, and truly respond to Scripture as it

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Frederick Douglass An American Slave Rhetorical Analysis Essay

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Douglass tells us this by saying that he believes anyone who is a slave owner cannot be a Christian. In his view, he believes being a slave owner violates the very principles of being a Christian. Auld quote he believes that the Christianity practiced by the Slave owners and the Christianity practiced by non-slave owners are two

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1458 Words | 6 Pages

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1049 Words | 5 Pages

It is a common argument for Christian slaveholders to make “…that God cursed Ham, and therefore American slavery is right…” (5). this argument exposes their hypocrisy as it conveys how they attempt to stretch small pieces of scripture to justify the violence of the American slavery. Douglass thus asks if it is humane to use a small piece of writing to damn an entire race to hardship and subhuman treatment. This case of blasphemy is amplified by the observation that Douglass makes of one of his slave masters, Mr. Covey, in that “he seemed to think himself equal to deceiving the almighty” (61).

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Frederick Douglass’s narrative provides a first hand experience into the imbalance of power between a slave and a slaveholder and the negative effects it has on them both. Douglass proves that slavery destroys not only the slave, but the slaveholder as well by saying that this “poison of irresponsible power” has a dehumanizing effect on the slaveholder’s morals and beliefs (Douglass 40). This intense amount of power breaks the  kindest heart and changes the slaveholder into a heartless demon (Douglass 40). Yet these are not the only ways that Douglass proves what ill effect slavery has on the slaveholder. Douglass also uses deep characterization, emotional appeal, and religion to present the negative effects of slavery.

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1574 Words | 7 Pages

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1838 Words | 8 Pages

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692 Words | 3 Pages

Douglass has shown how religious slaveholders are the worst especially when entertainment comes into play. The first being from one of his slaveholders Master Thomas, he whipped a young woman while reading a quote from the scripture to explain his reason for whipping her. The next example was with his other Master Mr.Covey, he would go to church and preach the word but come back beating slaves and going against the almighty God. The last example that is shown is again shown with Mr.Covey, he was guilty of compelling his woman slave to commit the sin of adultery. All of the examples illustrate that religious slaveholders are worst than non-religious slaveholders.

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