Religion+and++War

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=**__Religion and War__**=

Introduction
Religion had a major impact on the civil war. toc  Through both the vehement opposition and defense of slavery, churches would spread their views on slavery to the attenders, using Biblical scripture to back them up. Since religion was a major part of many peoples' lives back then, religion helped shape the ideas of both the Union and the Confederacy. Religion was clearly a major factor in the war, because both sides would often look to the Bible for answers.  ** Northern Churches and Slavery ** Northern churches differed greatly in their positions on slavery. Some churches considered slavery to be a sin, and called for slaves to be freed immediately. Unfortunately these types of churches were few in number, and did not help the anti-slavery movement too much. Many other Northern churches said that the Bible itself considered slavery to be moral, and cited the Old Testament, where laws not only approved of slavery, but regulated it. They would mention how Jesus lived in a time where there was slavery, and never spoke against it. Or that in many of the apostle Paul’s letters, slaves were encouraged to obey their masters and slave owners told to be kind to their slaves. Regardless of both of these extreme positions, many churches fell somewhere in the middle, believing that although slavery was perhaps not the best thing for society, it should die out on its own, instead of being handled in a violent manner.

Southern Churches and Slavery
In contrast to the North, Southern churches mostly shared the same views about slavery. Most sermons in the South related to war. On thanksgiving, William C. Butler gave a sermon at St. John's Episcopal Church that soon became a "staple of the religious press". (1) In it, he said, “//God has given us// //of the South today a fresh and golden opportunity—and so a most solemn command—to realize that form of government in which the just, constitutional rights of each and all are guaranteed to each and all. … He has placed us in the front rank of the most marked epochs of the world’s history. He has placed in our hands a commission which we can faithfully execute only by holy, individual self-consecration to all of God’s plans. //” It is also important to realize that during the Civil War, women and children mostly filled the pews while husbands and sons were in the battlefield. Churches encouraged this sort of family. Women took their role in the war seriously. Often, in the face of adversity, women would be consoled by their idea that they were doing God’s work on earth. The South depended on religion for both its defense for slavery and its motivation for the war.

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Religion's Influence
C.C Goen in his book //Broken Churches, Broken Nation//, that religion was one of the main factors that led to secession. (3) Although there had already been many differences between the North and the South (such as climate, physical geography, and economy), the Presbyterian, Methodist and Baptist divisions in the North and South ultimately led to the civil war. (3) Methodists in particular were strongly opposed to slavery, calling it "contrary to the laws of God, man, and nature, and hurtful to society, contrary to the dictates of conscience and pure religion. " (4) Religion also raised the level of moral difference between the two sides. Both North and South used the Bible to answer the dilemma of slavery, but in completely different ways. Northerners appealed to the spirit of the Bible (liberalism) in opposing slavery, whereas south erners appealed to the letter of the Bible (literalism) in defending slavery. Religion was the moral basis for the opposition and defense of slavery.

Slaves and Religion
Religion was also important for the slaves. When black slaves first arrived in America, many refused to convert to Christianity, and held to the pagan beliefs of their ancestors. But by the mid 1800s, slaves began to convert to Christianity. (4) Few slaves became Episcopalians or Presbyterians, perhaps because those denominations were not as vocal about their opposition to slavery. Far more slaves were attracted to Baptist or Methodist denominations. (4) As Christian slaves became greater in number, their style of worship developed many unique characteristics. In the fields, black slaves would often sing [|Spirituals] to help them work. These spirituals soon developed into Gospel, Blues, and Jazz. Gospel was generally more organized than Spirituals, and featured call and response worship, where the preacher would either recite a verse of scripture or shout a few words of praise, and the attenders would shout it back. (5) This later appeared in many forms of [|jazz]. When burdened by the hardships of slavery, often black slaves would be consoled by their idea that God was with them. Religion was important for the slaves because it helped them in the face of adversity.

Slaveowners and Religion
Slaveowners differed in their reasons for having religion and their attitude towards slaves. Many slaveowners would often use Christianity as an excuse for owning slaves. Frederick Douglass once spoke about one of his masters, and how after attending a certain church, he would come home, and whip Douglass while citing scripture. (6) That scenario could most likely be found all over the North and South during the Civil war. But not //all// slaveowners used Christianity as an excuse to mistreat slaves. Some believed that by owning slaves, they were "Christianizing" them, and that it was their Christian duty to do so. (4), (5) Some also did this because they feared they would lose the favor of God in the war by treating their slaves badly. It is clear that slaveowners had different perspectives about religion and slavery.