Frederick Douglass Religion

Religion of the South Being a Christian and being religious is two totally different things. In The Narrative Of the Life of Frederick Douglass, there are many religious people. They may claim to be Christians, but they are far from it. Douglass himself says, “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 of Christ” (Appendix, Page by Page Books). Throughout the book and especially in the Appendix, Douglass separates the religious slaveholders and the true Christians. A true Christian believes Jesus Christ died and rose from the grave to save us from our sins. A true Christian believes He is the only way to heaven. …show more content…
He felt compelled to make sure the religion of the south will never be associated with Christianity. They are total opposites. He wrote, “to be a friend of the one, is of necessity to be the enemy of the other. I love the pure, peaceable, and impartial Christianity of Christ: I therefore hate the corrupt, slaveholding, women-whipping, cradle-plundering, partial and hypocritical Christianity of this land” (Appendix, Page by Page Books). Although Douglass refers to the slaveholding religion as Christianity, it is merely out of sarcasm. Any man or woman who refuses to teach a human being how to read the Bible to understand the amazing grace of Jesus Christ, is not a Christian. Douglass refers the religious slaveholders as the Pharisees. He wrote, “the Christianity of America is a Christianity, of whose votaries it may be as truly said as it was of the ancient scribes and Pharisees…All their works they do for to be seen of men” (Appendix, Page by Page Books). Everything the “Christians” did was not for God, but to make themselves look better. Actions always prove what someone puts their faith in. Their actions proved they either did not believe in God or did not respect Him. How can one preach on how to serve God, yet disregard everything He told you to do? The religious slaveholders did it to get mans approval despite the fact that their actions made the thought of Christianity unbearable to those who saw their evils. They put their faith in earthly things. They did not care what happened as long as they were rich and had a good

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