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 | In the mid 19th century, Christianity was divided over the morality of
human slavery. Most Southerners supported slavery; most in the North were
abolitionists. Two quotations by Southerners at the time were:
Among abolitionists, we find the following quotes:
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| "We must acknowledge the complicity of many of our churches in slavery, a system in which most African Americans were prohibited from practicing Islam or African traditional religions." Interfaith Relations and the Churches Policy Statement of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. 2 | ||||||||||
| "Traditionalists must do more. I've got to do more. We've all got to speak up in this respect, or else we'll be taught that these people were giving their lives, subscribing their sacred fortunes and their honor to some perverted agenda." John Ashcroft, in a defense of "southern patriots" like Jefferson Davis and Robert E Lee who fought to preserve slavery. 3 | ||||||||||
| "A man came to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and said: 'Guide me to a deed that makes me close to Heaven and far from Hell.' The Prophet replied: 'Free a person and redeem a slave.' " 4 | ||||||||||
| "And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished. Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money [property]." Hebrew Scriptures, Exodus 21:20-21. | ||||||||||
| "No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms." Article 4, Universal Declaration of Human Rights. | ||||||||||
| "Two hundred years after the British Empire abolished slavery – and 144 years after the Emancipation Proclamation – an estimated 27 million people around the world are living in slavery." National Council of Churches, 2007-JAN-26 |
Topics covered in this section:
| Overview | ||||||
| A brief history of slavery:
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| Religious links to slavery:
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| Recent slavery:
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| Contemporary slavery:
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| A proposed "Day of Remembrance" of slavery | ||||||
| A list of Internet references and books for further study |
Sponsored links:
References:
- William Lee Miller, "Arguing About Slavery: The Great Battle in the United States Congress." Alfred A. Knopf, (1996), Page 139.
- "Interfaith Relations and the Churches," a Policy Statement of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. See: http://bruno.ncccusa.org/interfaith/ifr.html
- Quotation from an interview of John Ashcroft by the Southern Partisan magazine, 1999. (Ashcroft was confirmed as U.S. Attorney General in 2001-FEB.) Quoted in "Echoes of slavery as Bush nominees back confederacy," The Guardian, at: http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/bush/story/
- Fiqh us-Sunnah, Volume 3, Number 67. This is a group of sayings attributed to Muhammad. They were collected by his followers shortly after his death.
- Gary DeMar, "Does the Bible Support Slavery?"," American Vision™, at: http://www.americanvision.org/
- "A brief history of the American Civil War," at: http://www.factasy.com/
- "A new film 'Amazing Grace' inspires a new abolitionist movement," National Council of Churches, 2007-JAN-26, at: http://www.ncccusa.org/
- "Garrison’s Defense of His Positions," Teaching American History, at: http://www.teachingamericanhistory.org/
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Home page > Religious violence > here |
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or Home page > Christianity > History, practices... > here |
Latest update: 2007-DEC-12
Author: B.A. Robinson
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