Frederick Douglass Views On Religion

Therefore, he appears quite compelling when he attempts to bring out the connection between religion and slavery. Looking at what Douglass went through as a slave, it is unfortunate that his act of reading the Bible was considered a violation of the law. At one point, Douglass narrated that his master’s wife offered Douglass with help to read and write. However, due to “advice” given by her husband and the connection between the Bible and slavery, Douglass’s master’s wife turned against him and was now cruel and bitter towards him.

Douglass’s narrative is a courageous work, as it confronts the slavery institution, and the misuse of Christianity by the slave owners

The brutality that slaves endured form their masters and from the institution of slavery caused slaves to be denied their god given rights. In the "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass," Douglass has the ability to show the psychological battle between the white slave holders and their black slaves, which is shown by Douglass' own intellectual struggles against his white slave holders. I will focus my attention on how education allowed Douglass to understand how slavery was wrong, and how the Americans saw the blacks as not equal, and only suitable for slave work. I will also contrast how Douglass' view was very similar to that of the women in antebellum America, and the role that Christianity played in his life as a slave and then

In Frederick Douglass’s autobiography, The Narrative of Frederick Douglass, he writes in depth about his life as a slave. His intent for the book is to abolish slavery. He targets the white Northern men by using the three rhetorical appeals: logos, ethos, and pathos, to convince his goal. He also portrays the religious aspect, in Christian values. Narrating his personal experiences with his masters and fellow slaves, he states reasons of the immorality of enslavement. Douglass argues that slavery ultimately dehumanizes slave owners and demonstrates that slavery is immoral.

This leads to a major issue within the slave community. Slaves possess little knowledge of life outside the plantation or house in which they are working at. This means they have no idea how humans are supposed to be treated, and rather that a “god” would never allow for another to be beaten in such severity. This is an advantage that the slave owners held over the actual slaves. If the slaves were to gain an understanding of the world around them, the “religious” quotes recited by slave owners would quickly lose their worth and soon mean nothing as well as hold no influence over the slaves. Frederick Douglas was fortunate enough to understand this, and even addressed the issue in his life story, “What I have said respecting and against religion, I mean strictly to apply to the slaveholding religion of this land, and with no possible reference to Christianity proper; for, between the Christianity of this land, and the Christianity of Christ, I recognize the widest possible difference- so wide, that to receive the one as good, pure, and holy is of necessity to reject the other as bad, corrupt, and wicked(71).” Douglas understands that the Christianity practiced by the slave owners was far different from the Christianity intended by Jesus Christ. As Douglas referred to it, the “Slaveholding religion” was prominent throughout the slavery era, not only was this damaging for the slaves,

Frederick Douglass struggled with the treatment of religious slave owners and how they treated their slaves as animals and property, beating them, selling them and even killing them if they became unmanageable compared to the treatment of non-religious slave owners who treated their slaves as human beings, who had feelings, and wanted freedom. It seemed to him after having been treated as a human being that he understood why religious Christianity of the land was just a title for ignorant hypocrites who were fearful of losing control.

Frederick Douglass was an abolitionist, author, and part of the Underground Railroad. He was a man determined to do as much as possible to help end slavery. As I continued to learn about Frederick Douglass’ hardships and trials as a child, I learned more about how these experiences shaped him as a writer. After he ran away from slavery and became educated by the wife of a plantation owner, Frederick Douglass began to write books aimed at the white population, politicians, and any slaves able to read, whose backing Douglass needed if he were to help end slavery. By aiming his book towards slaves Douglass hoped to inspire courage in them to escape their imprisonment and help the abolitionist movement. Many other notable authors and writers of

To even justify his cruel actions against his slaves, he quoted “He that knoweth his master’s will, and doeth it not, shall be beaten with many stripes.” (Douglass, 48) According to Douglass, the slave masters that made profession of religion were the worst. Douglass discussed the differences he realized between the Christianity of Christ versus the Christianity of this land. The slave owners’ Christianity of this land believed they had “God-given” rights to have and mistreat the slaves. “That religion of the south is a mere covering for the most horrid crimes, - a justifier of the most appalling barbarity, - a sanctifier of the most hateful frauds, - and a dark shelter under, which the darkest, foulest, grossest, and most infernal deeds of slaveholders find the strongest protection,” (Douglas, 67) In the Autobiography of Mark Twain, Mark Twain wasn’t aware of the severity of slavery. He said, “…I had no aversion to slavery. I was not aware that there was anything wrong about it. No one arraigned it in my hearing; the local papers said nothing against it; the local pulpit taught us that God approved it, that it was a holy thing, and that the doubter need only look in the Bible if he wished to settle his mind – and then the texts were read aloud to us to make the matter sure…” (Twain,

Fredrick Douglass took on detestable treatment from his slave masters, both Christian and non-Christian. Through this horrific time in slavery, Douglass told what it’s like to be a black slave, under the rule of white men. The Christian slave masters would use the Bible to back up their abuse to the slaves; they did not use the Scripture in context. The non-Christian slave masters beat their slaves to their heart’s content, no matter what. Douglass believed it to be wrong for someone to beat up a slave. Throughout his life, Douglass took a stand for his own personal life and other’s lives as well, to show equality between the white and the black. As Fredrick Douglass describes his repugnance of slavery through his personal life, he also

A very significant example is that of Thomas Auld. Auld was characterized as a "cruel, but cowardly" being a master who would fluctuate in firmness and control (96). In August of that year, Auld visited a Methodist camp-meeting. This was seen to Douglass as a positive event, hoping for Auld to become a more passionate and peaceful man, even hoping that Auld would “emancipate his slaves and that if he did not do this, at any rate make him more kind and humane” (97). ON the contrary, Auld became harsher and more barbaric towards the slaves while still displaying a sense of religious fervor to fellow white slaveholders. He even came to the point of founding his own camp-meetings to support his actions. It is obvious that Christianity had such very negative impacts on slave holders' actions against their slaves. In another example, Douglass lived with Mr. Wilson at St. Michael’s. After visiting religious meeting, Douglass soon began to see changes in Mr. Wilson, similar to those of Auld, through the way he “tied up a lame young woman, and whipped her with a heavy cowskin upon her naked shoulders, causing the warm red blood to drip”. Mr. Wilson had convinced himself that his actions were just, repeating scriptures which read “He that knoweth his master’s will, and doeth it not, shall be beaten with many stripes” (99). All of these examples showcase the way Christianity was a way for masters to act cruelly

He condemns profits made from the slave trade and compares the treatment of slaves to animals. Slaves were beaten as if they were inhuman. He then went on and condemned the American churches and ministers for not standing up against slavery. For America to be built on Christianity, how could it support such a brutal evolution? How the Whiteman could tote bibles and teach scriptures on doing right and they kept African Americans enslaved, who have not done anything to them. Frederick Douglass used a lot of mythification throughout his speech. He set a serious tone and let them know he meant business because he felt mocked that they asked him to speak at such an event, and people like him aren’t freed. As he stated, “There is not a nation of the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of these United States at this very hour” (160). He also used legitimation in his speech with his use of words and intelligence. He was aimed to uncover and show the hypocrisy of American liberty and

Frederick Douglass proves himself an important author within American literature due to his insight on American slaveholding. Born a slave during the early eighteen hundreds, Frederick gains a firsthand look into the lives and perils of a slave in the south. In his life story, Douglass reveals to his audience an argument that contradicts the claims of many Christians at the time. In order to fight the claim that Christian conversion in the south creates kind slaveholders, he shows to his audience his own experience on the matter. In chapter nine, Douglass’ dispassionate tone in regards to his situation and the uses of allusion throughout the chapter support his claim that conversion to Christianity only gives justification to cruel southern

This novel was the first to be written by abolitionist and former slave Frederick Douglass. The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave was published in 1845, as racial issues and ties between the states were coming to a head. Frederick Douglass shined light on the slave trade and helped to destroy the pristine, romantic view of slavery that many Americans had. In the novel Douglass discusses his life from birth to the first few years after his escape. He talks about being sent to different slaveholders and how religion affected the evil things they did to the slaves. Religious slave masters are the most cruel, he says, because they manipulate religion to excuse their evil deeds. His father was said to be his first white

Especially with regard to his slaveholders, he observes that “... the religion of the south is a mere covering for the most horrid crimes, …. For of all slaveholders with whom I have ever met, religious slaveholders are the worst.” Douglass says that slaveholders claim to be on the side of God and uphold religious beliefs, but in reality they are doing the opposite. Not only do they take away the value they hold to their religion by being slaveholders, they use their religion as an excuse to be cruel. The slaveholders who are the cruelest to their slaves, all the while preaching religion, are most often respected in society. This is yet another example of how a society with religious codes can be a place for hypocrites to roam

86). He writes about religion within the account, includes documented proof from the Bible, as well as insinuations Douglass used throughout his life story, to the Bible and the descriptions in it. Peyser implicates that, to Douglass, the “Christianity of Christ” is something different than what we think of as Christianity. Peyser states that Douglass is misusing language with Christ’s resurrection, and says, “this passage exemplifies his practice of using apparently pious language to repudiate the reigning religion of the West,” (p. 89). Peyser closes his article with saying, “if Douglass did have an anti-Christian message in mind, he could not have spoken it openly and still hoped to advance the cause of abolition,” (p. 88). Peyser brings up very solid arguments, and even more examples to the hinted language within the story. Thomas Peyser is an English professor at Randolph-Macon College in Virginia, and has written many publications. The article is very easy to read and also has notes about what peyser is meaning to be said, as well as a works cited page in case you wanted to do some further reading on the matter. I would recommend this article to someone who wants to have an interpretation on what Douglass thought and felt about Christianity and