The Narrative Of Frederick Douglass’ Life examines how Christian religion was practiced in the South antebellum. Douglass is a slave and finds Christianity in South that still holds slaves hypocritical. Douglas is a committed Christian, but he believes that Christianity expressed through slave-owners is a violation of the true Christian belief system. Douglass considers the false Christianity that supports violence and oppression a misrepresentation God’s Word. Douglass is a man who is passionate about his faith. He uses his faith to fight against injustice and to point out America’s corrupting of God’s true message.
Douglass learned early that slave owners were practicing false Christianity. Douglass befriended Charles Lawson, an African slave who was 13 years his senior. Douglass called him his spiritual father. Lawson explained to Douglass that God had called him for more than just a life of slaves and that you would be able to preach the true gospel. Christianity was split. Slaves believed one version while white men and owners believed the opposite. Owners and slave masters used Christianity to excuse their actions towards slaves, calling them racist names and calling them horrible names. Slave owners would give their slaves hope in Christianity, which would justify their masters. Captain Thomas Auld was Douglass’s ex-slave owner. This dangerous alliance of slaveholders with false Christianity was also formed. Douglass’s former slave owner was Captain Auld’s son in-law. Douglass recalls how Auld became crueler towards slaves after he converted Christianity. He found religious support and sanction for his slavery-holding cruelty after his conversion. He pretended to be the most religious of all men. His house was the place of prayer. Captain Auld believed Christianity permitted him to degrade slaves and treat his fellow citizens better. Douglass called religious slave owners “the most evil”.
Douglass’s other slave owner, Edward Covey, was also religiously motivated and used morally deplorable ways. Mr. Covey was a professor and leader of his church’s classes. He was known for his reputation as a “slavebreaker”. Owners of slaves would send their worst to Mr. Covey is a punisher who uses labor to make them slaves, and then he also discipline them with violence. “He found religious support and sanction for his slavery-holding cruelty.” Mr. Covey encouraged slaves to drink during the holidays in an effort to get them to stop wanting freedom. Douglass understood that it was not a good idea to be drunk during Christmas, and that he had hoped religiously to be free.
Douglass claims that you can’t be both Christian or slave owner. Slavery grew as Christianity spread to the South. Slavery was rampant in the South at that time, and many of his former owners such as Edward Covey and Captain Auld are prime examples. Frederick Douglass is the author and he first-hand describes the difference between true Christianity and false Christianity.
