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Show William Thurston Brown Why? Because those slaves had in this life. hope of anything better for religion in this life, They because there was not the remotest hope of escape from their slavery. They therefore made religion almost solely the of concern could a future life. That is what anyone now will do, does, who sees no hope of perfect what everyone now fulfillment of our ideals of All through no see no use justice and love these 19 centuries now to our own time and here. hardly a man fact of has understood this simple history which is now to becoming plain increasing numbers of thinking people. The great mass of people, never stopping to look for causes, thinking it sinful and wrong to ask any question about such sacred things as the words of the bible and the teachings of the church, have been trying to force on themselves and others religious ideas and teachings which merely reflect the despairing outlook of hopeless slaves. In other words, the which the church has been teaching for about Christianity 1600 years has been a religion of slaves, by slaves, and for slaves. But a great many things have happened during these nineteen centuries. Vast and far-reaching changes have taken place, and the world of today is as different from that ancient world almost as day is different from night. Think how this change has affected the minister and the church. Ministers were thought of for centuries as having the keys of that future heaven of which men were taught and able to say who should clear and enter and who should custom ness of the Catholic priest of giving absolution or forgive to dying persons, and in the similar custom of friend two That old idea still lives in the of sins millions of Protestant a not. or relative ago, the learned man people seems of about minister priest community. in the or sending to die. was for a minister when Until a century the everywhere practically For centuries or most all 213 |
