Four Lights: Bible Bangers and Past Prejudices

[BloodyWilliam]

Another Four Lights update. This time a little historical lesson.

The right-wing fundamentalists of this country are using religion and tradition to condemn gay marriage, contraception and, inexplicably, cervical cancer vaccines. But did you know that the same types of people used the same tactics to fight abolition and suffrage? Here's a little historial lesson:

Scriptural Slavery

Slavery was described in detail in the Bible, and anti-abolitionists in the mid-1800's used this as an argument to keep the institution of slavery. In 1856, a Baptist minister from Viriginia named Thomas Springfellow wrote "A Scriptural View of Slavery." In it he said:

" ...Jesus Christ recognized this institution as one that was lawful among men, and regulated its relative duties... I affirm then, first (and no man denies) that Jesus Christ has not abolished slavery by a prohibitory command; and second, I affirm, he has introduced no new moral principle which can work its destruction..."
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Read more! http://www.fourlights.org

[getmeouttahere]

1. And I thought it was only the Old Testament....

that stokes the fires of intolerance...

our evolving compassioniate/reasoned thinking brought about first the abolition of slavery, then suffrage, then later the destruction of Jim Crow laws, and so the logical next step is to give our GLBT brothers and sisters equal rights under the law.

By any modern measure, it is only right.

[hfojvt]

2. religion was on the other side as well

"John Brown was a serious Christian, well read in the Bible, who took its moral commands to heart." "Lies My Teacher Told Me" p. 177

'Senator Salmon P. Chase of Ohio published "The Appeal of the Independent Democrats" ... To emphasize the immorality of slavery's extension, they called on Christian ministers to intervene and closed "The Appeal" thus: "The cause of human freedom is the cause of God."' "Bleeding Kansas" p. 17

Both sides claimed the mantle of religion.