The Misrepresentation of Christianity in Slave Lands
             "He that knoweth his master's will and doeth not, shall be beaten with many stripes," is not only a passage of scripture, but is quoted by Frederick Douglass in his autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, which was published in 1845 (Douglass 70). These words would forever echo in Douglass' head as the memory of Master Thomas Auld reciting them during a brutal lashing of a helpless young woman would haunt him for a lifetime. The description of such events would help Douglass achieve his goal of spreading the extreme cruelness of slavery. Inhumane acts backed by the Christianity of the land were prevalent throughout the narrative. In my opinion, Douglass uses the controversial practices of Christianity in slave lands as an effective way to bring attention to the idea of abolition.
             The Christianity of the slave lands and the Christianity of Christ, which should have been one in the same, were perceived by Douglass as two separate religions. The Christianity of Christ is genuine, sacred, and unblemished. On the other hand, the Christianity in the slave land was evil, dishonest, and immoral (Douglass 105). Douglass describes the two practices as being two separate religions. For example, a man who preached about forgiveness to others Sunday morning came home Sunday evening and beat one of his slaves for a miniscule reason. The very man who helped others achieve holiness became more wicked every day. Not all slaveholders were a significant part of the church. At the same time most were devout, or should I say deceitful, followers of Christianity. These followers would pray in the morning and at night, yet whip and starve slaves in between. Douglass hoped that revealing the hypocrisy of the religious practices of slaveholders would cause a major up rise and increase the drive for the eradication of slavery.
             Of ...