Re: [asa] Sin, animals, and salvation

On 11/20/08, gordon brown <Gordon.Brown@colorado.edu> wrote:
>
> By the same sort of reasoning the opposite position (abolition of slavery)
> was part of Christianity.

Of course. We are a mixed bag of inconsistencies! <G>.
>
> What church creeds have you seen that assign secondary status to
> nonwhites?
>
Creeds are not part of what interest me, so I don't know. But the
teaching was most certainly part of most Southern clergymen for over
100 years as well as some in the North.

About 4 years ago I had occasion to live 50 frrt from the entrance to
the Iliff seminary library, and, as friend wife studied for her MDiv
degree, I spent a lot of time in the archives, looking through old
newspapers, journals, etc. In the 1850s, the concept was being debated
fiercely by divines on both sides. The ones justifying slavery always
had the scriptural arguments. They were good arguments, if one takes
the Bible to be a rulebook and inerrant. Of course, by taking that
position, one can also justify genocide as being "God's will."

The interesting thing to me is that these people were not stupid, not
incompetent, and were as good Christians as they knew how to be. I
expect to have good conversations with them some day -- as well as
with some who will be pointing out my blind spots!

cheers.

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Received on Thu Nov 20 15:21:22 2008