Joshua

Frederick Douglass on Christianity

Between the Christianity of this land, and the Christianity of Christ, I recognize the
widest possible difference... to receive the one as... pure... is of necessity to reject the other
as... wicked. (71) Frederick Douglass, in the narrative of his life, made clear his disdain for
slavery and for the religious affiliations between slavery and Christianity. Douglass tale, rich
with religious references, evidences his great admiration for Christ and Christianity, but he
clearly abhors the Christian ideals, teachings, and philosophies of the South. This conundrum
demonstrates the dichotomy between his espoused Christianity and the Christianity of the
South: the potential of affected good, but also its corruptibility and misuse as exemplified by
Southern slaveholders and their professed faith. For Douglass, the Christianity of the South is
used to inflict great suffering with an unsullied conscience, expediting slavery and oppressing
the pursuit of freedom.
There is no doubt that Christianity had a positive role in Frederick Douglasss life: In his
narrative, Christ is a symbol of freedom. Douglass compares the suffering of the oppressed
slaves (in parallel with Isaiah 53:3) with that of Christ before His death, describing them as men
and women of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. (28) Additionally, Douglass compares
freedom with resurrection, (43) an important tenet of both freed slaves and Christian scripture.
Throughout his writings, Douglass utilizes scriptural symbols in an allegorical manner. For
example, he includes that after his freedom, (tomb of slavery (43)) three days transpired
before he acquired work (resurrection) and entrenched himself in free society (68). This implies
that for Douglass, as well as for many of the slaves of his time, Christ was a symbol of hope and
freedom. Willing to suffer punishment in order to approach Him, (48) the slaves faith was
redeemed beyond the corruption of the Christian beliefs adopted by the majority in the South. To
Douglass, true Christianity has the potential to lead [a slaveholder] to emancipate his slaves...

[or] at any rate, make him more kind and humane, (32) as opposed to holding them. It has the
potential to lift, inspire, and change the hearts when applied in its pure form.
In contrast, religion in the South is used to destroy hope rather than bring light,
encumbered with hypocrisy and barren of kindness. Their faith led them to eschew love rather
than evil, and degrade and debase rather than liberate. Of the religious men and women of the
South, Douglass argued that they attend the pharisaical strictness to the outward forms of
religion, and at the same time neglect the weightier matters of the law. (73) For Douglass,
religions role in the South was to cover the infernal business of slavery with the garb of
Christianity. (72) Consequently, it is void of true religiosity and discipleship. It made [men] more
cruel and hateful and justified the darkest, foulest, grossest, and most infernal deeds of
slaveholders (46) in Douglass mind. He had no doubt that Christianity in the South was corrupt
and that its application defaced the very name of Christ.
Summarily, comparing Christianity of the South to true Christianity is comparable to
equating the Judaism of the Pharisees to that of Christ. Douglas makes clear throughout his
narrative that Christianity has the capacity to bring much good into society. Thus, Christianity
itself is neither corrupt, nor is it evil. The Christianity of the South, however, is used to inflict
great suffering with an unsullied conscience. It is used to expedite slavery and oppress freedom
and repress its pursuit.