Role of Religion in the American Civil War - Essay Example

Religion emerged as a very significant factor in the civil war experienced with the development, production, and publication of religion and the American civil war. Army chaplains complained that the youths who had left their homes for the first time were engaging in seductive influences of sin, and, therefore, there was the need for religion. Abraham Lincoln realized the value of religion and decided to develop it as a stabilizing force in the Union army. He did this by organizing spirituals guidance to soldiers. He also funded organizations that handled the spread of Christianity. Religion is a very central theme when it comes to understanding civil war both in the era before the war and during the war. During the war, there were divisions that were caused by the North and South and those divisions helped precipitate conflicts and continued to divide after the war. The domination of the Protestants denominations in the 1830s and the 1840s looked at the two sections of slavery along with the biblical injunctions used for the defense to end slavery (Barker 1961). There was the prevalence of revivals and spread of religious literature in the army camps. Each side believed in God as the helper who will bless them throughout their endeavors. At the end of the war, each side could interpret the outcome based on their religious worldview and belief system. There were theological differences between the industrial north and the rural south. The north, which was industrialized, embraced progressivism and more liberal enlightenment-inspiring ideas. The souths who were largely rural maintained the traditional orthodox doctrines that were aligned with the teachings of John Calvin. All the above were important aspects of the civil war. As stated by Abraham Lincoln in his second inaugural address they both read the same Bible and prayed to the same God. But the north embraced industrial growth very fast and they were very open to the ideas of scientific revolution and the European enlightenment creating a very different society and the belief system. There were millions of non-reformed Europeans immigrants who flooded the northern region during the early 19th century leading to dilution of reformed theology. They came with a different modern ideology that influenced religious leaders in the north (Barker 1961). Most of the religious leaders of the North received ministerial training in the Europe and Germany where they were deeply immersed in the new radical theology. While these leaders maintained the terminology from the Bible; they tried to redefine it by replacing the spiritual import of the words with a secular meaning. The Calvinists doctrines of human depravity and the sovereignty of God were viewed as the enemy of progress. Modernization ideas and advancement were usually pushed forward with the ideas of human perfectibility and self-sufficiency.it made many people start rejecting their old theological beliefs that were viewed as old fashioned, very irrelevant and enemies of progress. They now become more concerned with the reformation of the society rather than with the salvation of individuals. The southerners were deeply rooted in matters of salvation on land and in the traditions of faith and family. They strictly adhered to Calvinistic doctrine of the protestant per formation. They, therefore, resorted to a much stricter allegiance both theologically and politically to the establish norms and creeds. They believed in the Bible and knew that the Bible was the most authoritative word of God, and the existence of everything was there to it. They believed that the northern people were constitutional violators since they felt that the north permitted slavery and also justified secession. They also criticized the United States Constitution because they believed that it never directly mentioned God whereas the Confederate constitution explicitly embraced the idea of God as well as invoking Gods favor and guidance. The different perceptions that each group had on religion allowed for disapproval amongst the Americans. There also erupted general distrust to foment in each opposing group. Despite the differences the norths still fostered and were adamant on standing with the sole opinion on slavery. Being keen on not to upset their southern brethren, extremist ideologies like the complete emancipation of all slaves were not wholly accepted in the north. For instance, William Lloyd Garrison did not see the initial fruition of his ideas on the complete abolishment of slavery. The debate on slavery issues would still get heated between the two sides, but it would not amount to extreme circumstances. No single side was willing to lose its brethren all in the name of slavery. The position would have proved otherwise or rather contrary to the early days of the civil war (Barker 1961).The declaration of the initial secession from the seven states of the Union led to the battle of Fort Sumter. Despite the report of two causalities on the union side, it was a great Confederate victory. That meant that four more southern slave states would secede and join the ranks of the Confederacy, and the Civil War had begun. Almost immediately, there was a call for war, by the large, religious Protestant bodies in the north. The issue of slavery was taking a toll on Christianity, and, therefore, all northern religious bodies cried out in unison on the very sinful nature of slavery. To add on, the north region felt that the union would be the last remnants of the civilized Christian society, and it was a must that it be preserved. They felt they were not only struggling for the nation but also for the sake of humanity. The formation of churches during the war formed the basis and highly contributed to the radicalization process of the north side in their effort in war. They believed that God was using the war to establish his church and, therefore, gave them more strength to fight on. They transformed the war from what was earlier on a war of disagreements to a liberation process. At the center of the conflict between antislavery and proslavery ideology were the contrasting ideas of the relation of the individuals to the society. In the south, there was the existence of a social stratification under the ruling class that accepted the responsibility of being their brother’s keeper. They believed that labor was not to be subordinated to capital and disciplined but to also nourish and protect (Scott 23). They believed that there existed some order where the family order was ordained by God in the power of men over women. Wives were to be submissive to husbands an act that they equated to slaves and master .they believed that the master was higher, and the slave was lower. They believed that slavery was good since slaves were well taken care of and given basic needs. Within the order of family, household, and community, they defended slavery as a positive good for the masters, slaves, and the society. The slavery acts led to a rise of inferior African Christianity, civilization. Through the provision of labor, the Africans freed whites from the drudgery and raised them to Republican political and civil equality. The southerners also assaulted the north for their free-labor system. They claimed that slaves had secure living conditions than a free worker since they received regular reports about their misery. The southerners used the Bible to ground their slavery activities. The church was the total encourager of people taking part in the war since they grounded their judgment on bloodshed as the cleansing of sin. The church preached and told the people that their sins were being forgiven through the blood that was shade as a cleansing process for the rebirth of a better nation. The north group believed that they were the precursors of peace and Christianity to other nations. It gave them the strength to keep fighting since they knew and were aware that they were fighting to liberate not only their nation but other nations. They were to spread Christianity since they acted as a bridge to the salvation and transformation of the whole world to Christianity. During the war, Christians in both regions accorded a spiritual sanction to the war effort. The north region as a godly Christian had to answer the call of their country. They send their men to war with the encouragement from the church. The southern region looked for the biblical basis for their cause. They quoted the scripture in the book of Romans that every soul was to subject unto the higher power. They believed that there was no power greater than Gods power. They, therefore, concluded that whoever resisted the power resisted the ordinance of God. Some northern religious leaders believed that God would use the war to complete the process of molding America into Gods own image. Southern Christians also supported their cause proclaiming it as a righteous act. James Henley, a Presbyterian minister from the south, justified and endorsed the conflict stating that the parties of conflicts are not merely abolitionists and slaveholders but also atheists, socialists’ communists, and republicans. They believed that the world was the battleground whereas Christianity and atheism being the combats and humanity progression being the battleground. The Sothern ministers termed the south as a peace loving and as being wantonly attacked by the north (Scott 38). They admitted that slavery led to the war but defended it as a benevolent institution that had brought blacks into a better situation in America where they could easily listen to the gospel that could not be possible in Africa. War was waged to punish the north for attacking an unoffending Confederacy and for having the temerity to label slavery as sinful. In conclusion, both nations used religion as a motivation and justification towards their cause. They employed Christian doctrine to justify their reasons for the civil war and gave moral to both basic society and the troops on the battlefield. Even after the civil war, America was reconstructed by religion in some sense. The southerners felt as if they had lost in the war and loss of the war meant that Christian values were lost in America and the rise of anti-religious movements. The northern group saw the victory in the civil war as God-given. It is clearly seen in the northern painting of civil war reconstruction as the victory that was God given where Christ was fully on their side. As discoursed in the paper religion clearly played an important role in the American civil war since it gave the troops divine inspiration and motivation especially in the battlefield and the politicians at home. It proved to give society the reason to keep fighting whether it was the defense of scriptures or giving away for the kingdom of heaven here on earth. Despite slavery being the main cause and the catalyst towards the war, Christian belief was the motivating factor towards the stop of slavery and an end to the war. It was a great joy the north group to gain victory since they believed that they were not only fighting for the federal system but the whole of humanity. They had in mind the notion that their success was to ensure they help others know about God. Works Cited Barker, Alan. The Civil War in America. Garden City: Doubleday, 1961. Print. Haberski, Raymond J. God and War: American Civil Religion Since 1945. New Brunswick: Rutgers UP, 2012. Print. Scott, Sean A. "Awaiting the Heavenly Country: The Civil War and Americas Culture of Death, And: This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War (review)." Journal of Social History (2010): n. pag. Print. Read More