Black Religion in the Civil War

Religion In Africa

In Africa, there was already some Catholic colonization, there was also a heavy Islamic presence, and the original African tribal beliefs.

Their customs included many rituals to: obtain spiritual power, establish initiation, cast out evil spirits, conduct healings, ancestor worship, mourn in funerals, and commemorate significant events in life.

Their ceremonies were characterized by lively drumming, dancing, and singing.

Move to America

When they came to America, slaves were not aloud to continue their “superstitious” practices. (Some suggest their masters feared the slaves might curse them)

The people came from a wide variety of African tribes and their customs developed into a blend of pagan and Christian practices.

Black Denominations

Some denominations developed that were nearly exclusively Black. Independent Black Methodist congregations became common in the North. In the late 1780s or early 1790s a free Black members of the Free African

Society in St. George’s Methodist Episcopal Church were offended by the racial discrimination and broke off from the church body. They began St. Thomas’s African Episcopal Church (lead by Absalom Jones).

Around that same time Richard Allen headed the development of the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church. This church laid the foundation for the largest black Methodist denomination, the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

In the South, the Blacks were unable to formorganized churches and denominations of their own. Instead their churches mirrored the overall predominant denominations of the South—Missionary Baptist or Methodist

Perspective of Slave Masters

Although many slave masters either allowed their own churches, they interfered with the content of the teachings their slaves to accompany them to white churches or have. The Masters often removed topics of personal rights and responsibility, and instead focused on the job of

submission. They emphasized the “Curse of Ham” (implying the Africans were the bearers of this curse) and submission.

The masters feared the slaves might discover they were being fed distortions of the truth, and consequently slaves were forbidden to read.

Lucretia Alexander described the situation thus: “The preacher came and … he’d just say, ‘Serve your masters. Don’t steal your master’s turkey. Don’t steal your master’s chickens. Don’t steal your master’s hawgs. Don’t steal your master’s meat. Do whatsomever your master tells you to do.’ Same old thing all the time.… Sometimes they would … want a real meetin’ with some real preachin’.… They used to sing their songs in a whisper and pray in a whisper.”

Secret Meetings

Slaves grew tired of the inconsistencies and manipulations of their Master’s preachers and had a desire for their own church

They risked intense punishment to learn the truth; Mr. Moses Grandy describes the penalty inflicted a secret preacher, saying he “was flogged, and his back pickled” because he had been preaching to slaves. The people attending the meeting were also flogged and “forced to tell who else attended.”

The Slaves concocted many ways to keep their meetings secret.

Methods of Secrecy

One way was the use of Hush Harbors, concealed places in nature such as woods, ditches, or gullies.

Sometimes slaves covered themselves in wet laundry to mute the sound of their fervent prayers and songs.

One occasion has been reported where the preacher spoke into a basin of water to muffle the sound.

Slave meetings often focused on centered around the hope that they would not always be in slavery. Moses was a favorite hero, because he had lead his people out of slavery.

Although some slave masters permitted their slaves to worship openly, sometimes even participating themselves, the slaves still identified their worship as separated and private as they prayed for freedom. Some Masters took their assumption that the slave was not human to its natural conclusion and said Slaves did not have souls, and therefore did not need religion.

Distinctives: The Black Preacher

The Black Preachers were usually distinguished by their natural wit and eloquence (this made up for the fact that they were usu-ally illiterate).

They lived in a precarious position—in between the masters and slaves. Masters wanted the preacher to stress obedience, and the slaves wanted words of hope. Sometimes both slave and master accused the preacher of being traitorous.

Anderson Edwards explains: “I been preachin’ the gospel and farmin’ since slavery time.… When I starts preachin’ I couldn’t read or write and had to preach what massa told me and he say tell them niggers iffen they obeys the massa they goes to Heaven but I knowed there’s something better for them, but daren’t tell them kept on the sly. That I done lots. I tell ’em iffen they keeps prayin’ the Lord will set ’em free.”

Some Preachers were given extra freedoms as long as they did not interfere with the Slaves’ work

They were known for their passionate zeal they invested into their teaching, making their message feel real.

Distinctives:Music

The Music developed by the Blacks of America has a distinct flavor from the rest of American music through it’s powerful rhythm.

It conveyed the sorrows and joys of a people long oppressed.

Distinctives:The Frenzy

Baptism was a boisterous and lively experience with much song and celebration

The “Frenzy” described a moment of ecstatic joy in which the Spirit of God was said to have passed by.

This apparent direct encounter with God anchored the suffering souls in their belief.

The expressed their joy through a variety of shouting, stomping, dancing, singing, etc.

Distinctives:The Conversion

Experience This signature event was one in which the slave

underwent a time of torment as they wrestled with their sin, prior to accepting the gospel personally.

George Liele wrote:

“I was convinced that I was not in the way to heaven, but in the way to hell. This state I laboured under for the space of five or six months.… I was brought to perceive that my life hung by a slender thread, … and I found no way wherein I could escape the damnation of hell, only through the merits of my dying Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.…” After much prayer, Liele explained he “felt such love and joy as my tongue was not able to express. After this I declared before the congregation of believers the work which God had done for my soul.…”

This experience helped give Christianity a personal hold and inspired personal commitment

Slave’s View of God

Contrary to the interpretation of God hammered in by their masters, Slaves believed God was more like an All-Loving Father than a “Stern Taskmaster”.

Many believed God was preparing a better land, either in this life or the next, and he would liberate his people.

Because they believed God was good and gracious, they prayed with passion. A slave described the difference between the prayers of the Blacks and Whites: "White folks pray

powerful sad. Black folks pray powerful glad!"     

Slaves’ View of Evil

The Slaves had a relative idea of sin. To steal from a slave would be base treachery, but to steal from a rich person for their own children was seen as a measure of fairness. God understood the injustice of the rich.

The slaves also had their own interpretation of the devil, believing him to be like their spirits. African tradition held that evil spirits could be tricked by wit. Consequently, slaves would sometimes try to trick their masters into releasing them from punishment because they believed their masters were possessed.