The Enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 192?-1930, 1927-12-09
The Week :
Read "The Week" and Get a
College Education
RosCoE SIMMONS .
SLAVERY

SLAVERY
Rev. Smythe called the war against
slavery (the Civil War)at reasonable
war against the wisdom of God.
THE war is war against slavery
and is, therefore, reasonable rebel
lion against the Word, Providence
and the government of God"
1t was no less fighting abolition
ist than William Lloyd Garrison who
declared that american Christian
ity was the main pillar of American
slavery" and Parker Pillsbury added
eve had almost to abolish the
church before we could reach the
dreadful institution (of slavery at
ALL"
IN VIRGINIA
Let US see the way Christianity
among the Negroes worked out in
practice. Virginia in 1905 allowed
"slave in company of white man
to listen to a white minister in the
evening"" A slavemaster also was
allowed ito employ religious teach
er to instruct his slaves" Dubois
The Negro Church.) While one of
the early justifications of the slave
trade had been its value as a method
of converting the heather into
Christians, the same Christian con-
science in America soon had laws
passed which made it righteous to
Christianize slaves but not to eman-
cipate them. In ITO Massachusetts
clergyman evolved a marriage cere-
mony in which the bride solefhnly
promised to cleave to her husband so
long as God and the slave trade let
them live together.
9APTIZE BUT NOT FREE
III 1906 law was passed in New
York in which it was explicitly stated
that:
"The baptizing of Negro, Indian
or mulatto slave shall not be any
cause or reason for the setting of
one or any of them free"
v. c. Romans remarks in refer
ence to the ACTIVITY of the Methodist
Episcopal Church are likewise illu-
minating:
"The Methodist Episcopal Church
South welcomed the Negro slaves to
membership but set him aside to keep
house for himself when he became a
free man. 1t now hesitates to recog-
nize him as free man. The NJ. +.
Church is divided into the African
M. E., and the African M. Z. Zion,
the sColoiss NJ. Z. and the M Z.
South, all simple efforts to sidestep
the doctrine of human brotherhood"
All of these are gestures of a re-
ligion that fits into every situation
according to the exigencies of the
economic system and the inclinations
of the ruling powers.
CIVIL WAR
Since the Civil War over Chris
tianity has changed its tactics, but
not its chameleonlife charter. 1t
does not justify slavery, but neither
does it attack the economic condi-
tions of our society which still make
the Negro a victim to prejudice and
oppression. In American English sit
plays safe" Arising as the religion
of oppressed peoples, it has lost en-
tirely its proletarian protest. 1t does
not fight for oppressed causes. 1t
teaches servility and submission to
the oppressed and blesses the oppres-
sors.
PAUL AND SERVANTS
The words of the Apostle Paul are
characteristic of the sentiment of
official Christianity:
Servants, obey your masters"
Christianity, therefore, is but a
soporific anodyne for the Negro
for all people. 1t diyerts him from
his fundamental economic emancipa-
ton. Christianity teaches him that
all men are brothers, and proceeds
to permit certain few brothers to
exploit all Of the other brothers. It
opposes caste, but cooperates with
an economic system based upon class
exploitation. 1t obscures and senti-
mentalizes the issue.
SOCIAL INSTITUTION
If it be argued that the church as
a social institution has. given organ
ization to Negro life, has inspired
Denmark Vesevs and Nat Turner'S,
IL must be admitted that it has not
been through the .sentimentality of
its spirit and doctrine. The church
for long time was the only meeting
ground upon which the Negroes were
permitted to unite.
The law forbade other assemblies
of Negroes unless properly guarded
by whites. Even the churches, for
time, were allowed to function only
under the supervision of certain
number of whites. If the church to-
day still remains important as a
social unit its Importance must be in
the direction of eliminating its reli-
giosity and introducing radicalism in
the form of economic and ethical
protest. At times, as in the recent
instance in New York. a sentiment
for unionization may be effectively
instilled by using the church as
medium rather than by ignoring 1t.
HANDICAP
But this has nothing to do with
the Influence Of religion in handicap
ing the progress of the Negro and
hindering the development of a
class consciousness within his prole-
tartan ranks. The white mans reli-
gion always has made the Negro his
pawn. If the religious organization
at times must be utilized because of
It's value as a social unit, it must be
In order to eventually destroy reli-
gion in its hold upon the Negro peo-
pie.