Friday, March 13, 2009

Frederick Douglass on American Christianity [from his 1845 autobiography]


Between the Christianity of this land, and the Christianity of Christ, I recognize the widest possible difference - so wide, that to receive the one as good, pure, and holy is of necessity to reject the other as bad, corrupt, and wicked. 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. Indeed, I can see no reason, but the most deceitful one, for calling the religion of this land Christianity.

2 comments:

Sara said...

wow.

Andrew Lewis said...

Man... I remember reading that in my African-American Literature class. It gave me goosebumps then.

It still does.

Thanks for the reminder.