Relationship Between Christianity and Slavery in America...

African-American Religion It can be assumed that Christianity shaped slave culture in several ways such as developing a common bond among slaves. At the some time, it could also be argued that slavery altered Christianity in various ways including the formation of Methodist and Baptist denominations. However, these were not the only manners in which both cultures had an effect on each other. Black converts dramatically increased the number of Christians in the New World. The ideas instilled in slaves by Christianity gave some slaves thoughts of rebellion and influenced African-American music and dance. Not to mention the church was a major supporter of the proslavery argument which conveyed slavery as a positive thing during the†¦show more content†¦It wasn’t until the 1790s that whites even attempted to convert slaves to Christianity. Religions that derived from West Africa, where many American slaves came from, depicted few distinctions between the palpable and divine worlds and believed th at water was a symbol of life and hope. With water having a importance in Christianity in the sacrament of baptism, it’s possible that the admiration for water may have inclined slaves to acknowledge Christianity. About a quarter of the Methodist and Baptist churches were formed by blacks by the 1790s and slave owners dreaded that Christianity could result in insubordinate slaves. As a matter of fact, of the three major uprisings by slaves, converted slaves played key parts. Leaders of Gabriel’s Rebellion used the biblical story of the Israelites to show slaves that even against overpowering statistics they could triumph. After reading the Bible, Denmark Vessy accumulated black followers of which most belonged to Charleston’s African Methodist Church to seize Charlston. Nat Turner’s Rebellion, led by Nat Turner, occurred because Turner preached to his followers that he was a prophet for God. Nevertheless, these rebellions actually motivated Protestant mis sionaries to convert more slaves by saying a Christian slave is better than a bitter slave. As a outcome, the amount of black Baptists doubled between 1845 and 1860.Show MoreRelatedNarrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass1255 Words   |  6 Pagesalso incorporates religious details throughout the Narrative and the appendix that lend themselves to a separation between â€Å"the Christianity of this land [America] and the Christianity of Christ.† These two distinct religious views cannot coexist in Douglass’ America, and it becomes clear that in order to abolish slavery, first one must confront these two distinct roles of Christianity. 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