Religion

struggle4progress

(123,085 posts)

32. The language in Howe's hymn is clearly religious and even explicitly Christian

Sun Sep 23, 2018, 12:37 AM

Sep 2018

Howe's hymn had its origins in earlier religious songs, and even the various John Brown's body songs contain explicitly religion language, such as:

He's gone to be a soldier in the army of the Lord!

or

The stars above in Heaven are looking kindly down
On the grave of old John Brown

or

John Brown was John the Baptist of the Christ we are to see,
Christ who of the bondmen shall the Liberator be

Such language continues to appear in Howe's hymn:

I have read a fiery Gospel writ in burnished rows of steel ---
“As ye deal with My contemners, so with you My grace shall deal"

This view does not suddenly appear with the outbreak of Civil War: it was already well-established in abolitionist circles

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How Antebellum Christians Justified Slavery [View all] Cartoonist Sep 2018 OP

Power and Money Sherman A1 Sep 2018 #1

So I often hear. Act_of_Reparation Sep 2018 #21

What I learned in Sunday School: Dark skin is the Mark Of Cain. (1950's) Midnight Writer Sep 2018 #2

I thought it was the problem of Ham, ProfessorPlum Sep 2018 #22

What kind of crack pot church did you go to? Midnight Writer Sep 2018 #33

I can't tell if you are being sarcastic ProfessorPlum Sep 2018 #34

The Ham story is sickening. Mariana Sep 2018 #44

You're absolutely right, of course ProfessorPlum Sep 2018 #45

Great post, TY! AM Joy has had excellent segments on Slaveholder Religion w Revs Barbour & Curry stuffmatters Sep 2018 #3

"This hierarchy placed white men at the top" and they're still trying Squinch Sep 2018 #4

Thousands of Christian denominations in the world. safeinOhio Sep 2018 #5

There were no shortage of Southern pastors justifying slavery from the pulpit Major Nikon Sep 2018 #6

The Bible explicitly endorses slavery. Mariana Sep 2018 #8

Of course, the major Jewish holiday celebrates escape from slavery: that might say something struggle4progress Sep 2018 #12

Yeah it says better to be the owner than the slave. Voltaire2 Sep 2018 #13

But coveting someone else's slaves is expressly prohibited. Mariana Sep 2018 #14

The path from the past to the present cannot be well-described in terms of how the land looks today: struggle4progress Sep 2018 #15

You clearly tried to make an argument that Voltaire2 Sep 2018 #16

Treatment of Non-Israelite Slaves struggle4progress Sep 2018 #17

I give up. Did you even bother reading it? Voltaire2 Sep 2018 #18

The intended meaning of a text depends on the world inhabited by the author who wrote it: struggle4progress Sep 2018 #19

Matt Dillahunty on the Atheist Experience ProfessorPlum Sep 2018 #23

You must read according your understanding, and I must read according to mine struggle4progress Sep 2018 #24

in other words, you've got your fingers in your ears ProfessorPlum Sep 2018 #25

In other words, my own theory of history is dialectical and materialist: struggle4progress Sep 2018 #29

Please start your own thread Cartoonist Sep 2018 #26

It's a Gish Gallop. Voltaire2 Sep 2018 #27

The language in Howe's hymn is clearly religious and even explicitly Christian struggle4progress Sep 2018 #32

You had no interest in any conversation in this thread for two weeks after posting your OP struggle4progress Sep 2018 #30

Maybe I had nothing to add Cartoonist Sep 2018 #31

What were John Brown's beliefs? struggle4progress Sep 2018 #35

John Brown struggle4progress Sep 2018 #36

John Brown's address to the court struggle4progress Sep 2018 #37

So what? Cartoonist Sep 2018 #38

So we see that, when confronted with the distinction between John Brown's readings struggle4progress Sep 2018 #42

That the First Arkansas used the Say Brothers tune for their marching tune struggle4progress Sep 2018 #39

No one said that Cartoonist Sep 2018 #40

I must say I much prefer John Brown's reading of the texts to your readings struggle4progress Sep 2018 #41

A certain A. Lincoln of that era said: struggle4progress Sep 2018 #43

Please don't hijack threads with multiple images. MineralMan Sep 2018 #28

Most browsers allow you to disable loading of images if you like --- so you can control struggle4progress Sep 2018 #46

That's not the point, is it? MineralMan Sep 2018 #47

Let's recap: (1) You haven't been participating in the thread; and (2) your complaint struggle4progress Sep 2018 #48

I think it had less to do with the Bible than with the plantation owners marylandblue Sep 2018 #9

That's pretty standard with Protestant congregations. Mariana Sep 2018 #20

Same as today edhopper Sep 2018 #7

Actual first sentence of the JSTOR article: struggle4progress Sep 2018 #10

A Selection of Anti-Slavery Hymns: for the use of the friends of emancipation struggle4progress Sep 2018 #11