Religion: The Importance Of Religion During The Civil War

During the Civil War there were many differences besides slavery. This war had the most American deaths than all of the wars the U.S. has been in combined! The south seceded from the north for slavery and other less important reasons. The North had more of nearly everything like navy, soldiers,horses, and food, while the south had slaves, cotton, and donkeys/mules. Throughout the war many great leaders rose and fell, battles fought, and great and terrible outcomes.

Either way, the people from the North and South had reasons why they joined the army. The main purpose was to fight for patriotism, state pride, adventure, and a steady pay. Having that said, the Union soldiers also fought to preserve the Union. The Confederate soldiers fought to defend their homes and sometimes they attacked because if the Union wins, it could lead the black people be placed with the whites. The Union and Confederate soldiers had supplies that they could get easily or very difficult.

They couldn’t grasp the ideology of slavery, if those slave owners were real Christians. Being a real Christian meant that he or she respected the Bible and followed God’s moral guidance. By having this moral guidance, it gave blacks empowerment to have their voices heard without criticism, for they “may be refin’d and join th’ angelic train” (On Being | Wheatley). Wheatley appeared to be docile towards her audience, while Stewart was

Meanwhile, just before a week after the Civil War ended, Abraham

Kaitlyn Triplett BLS 365-01 Dr, Matthew McKinnon 9 April 2023 The Civil War as a Theological Crisis Historians often argue that the political and social tensions that existed between Northerners and Southerners and the connection to the legalization of slavery are commonly referred to as the fundamental conflicts that provoked the American Civil War. However, in Mark Noll’s book The Civil War as a Theological Crisis, he examines how the differing religious thought surrounding God’s approval or rejection of slavery created more tensions, division, and was a major landmark shift in American religious thought. In the text, Noll examines differing perspectives of what the Bible has to say about slavery.

Works Cited Civil War Times. Curiosities. June 2003. 42,67. Web.

Religion played an important role in each of the British colonies. Many Christian groups tried to enforce religious observance through the colony's government and the local town's rules. Some laws stated that everyone must attend a house of worship and pay taxes that helped fund the pay of ministers. Out of the thirteen colonies, only eight had official churches. In the colony, those who practice a different version of Christianity or a non- Christian faith were sometimes killed (www.facinghistory.org 1).

Emerson even refers to the story of a dying Southern pastor who, when asked about his thought on the Civil War on his death bed proclaimed that “the cause in which we are engaged is a holy cause”. Southern Christianity placed a heavy value on patriotism. Refusal to serve in the war was taken as a direct affront to the church as well as to the nation. “Loyalty to the church and to the nation became so interchangeable that in most parts of the South to hesitate in one’s support of the Confederacy was to court the reproach of the church.” (Wesley)

Evangelical preachers, in keeping with their social doctrine that targeted the disadvantaged in society, attempted to convert slaves and Native Americans. Prior to the Awakening no one had made a serious effort at their conversion for fear that Christianity was “a step towards freedom” (357). Slaves attended evangelical sermons en masse, wary of the Anglican ministers who supported their masters. Evangelical Christianity offered moments of release and equality from the perpetual suffering of a slave’s life. This did not mean, however, that the evangelists actively opposed slavery.

Religion and its relationship to slavery is a contradictive subject, whether it was forced upon slaves or was a form of hope and freedom is still commonly debated about to this day. However, these individuals were devoted Christians in the abolitionist movement who all

“ I love the pure, peaceable, and impartial Christianity of Christ: I therefore hate the corrupt, slaveholding, woman-whipping, cradle-plundering, partial and hypocritical Christianity of this land.” (Douglass 100) Douglass does this to show how hypocritical people in the South were being. Churches were teaching the Christian practice of being kind and compassionate while not actually practicing it themselves. Douglass argues that the actions of some people are against religion.

If thou doesn’t love thy neighbor as thyself, thou was unchristian like. Fervent sermons transferred meaningful ideas of equality to everyday citizens. Reverend Miller presented this sermon at the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The Methodist denomination was one of the most outspoken anti-slavery sects. The Methodist gained the most membership during the Second Great Awakening, in fact one in five Americans belonged to the Methodist Church (Keillor 1).

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.

With the beginning of his second term and the Civil War coming to a close, President Lincoln was burdened by a country torn apart by war. Speaking to a nation of divided loyalties, Lincoln hoped his humble approach of divine strength would convince both the North and the South to put aside their prejudices against each other and restore the shattered Union. Lincoln’s allusion, parallel structure, and syntax helped restore the nation with dignity and grace. The newly elected president began his speech by suggesting that he would not repeat what others have said in the past; little progress had been made, and the public was very aware of the negative progress the troops were making.

Over the past few years, anyone can tell you that religious importance in our country has become less, and less vital. Recent events like the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, New York, and the attacks on Paris, France, have made the freedom of religion harder and harder to come by. Having the free practice of religion has proved difficult. Christianity has suffered from these issues as the general acceptance of the religion has declined substantially in the few decades. A recent poll there was a sense of discrimination for the Islamic religion, as they have been responsible for the attacks, 8/10 Americans believe Christianity should be practiced freely, while only a mere 6/10 Americans think the Muslims should practice freely (Source #3).