[rustbucket]

Thank God, right?

Not surprisingly, both sides thought God supported their view of slavery. For example, the following resolutions were adopted by the Alabama Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church (one of the forerunners of today's Methodists) on December 19, 1860:

Resolved: That we believe African slavery, as it exists in the Southern States of this republic, to be wise, humane and rightious institution, approved of God and calculated to promote to the highest possible degree the welfare of the slave.

Resolved: That, as in the providence of God, several millions of the African race have been committed to us as a people, we should be recreant to that trust if we did not defend our right to their service against any and all enemies now and forever.

[donmeaker]

On the other hand, I think the African Methodist Episcoples had a different view. It was my understanting that the Southern Methodists did not join the Methodists and United Brethern to become the United Methodists.

I hope that we know now that the institution of African Slavery was a pernicious instituion, enabling rape, assualt, and murder as a matter of policy, and theft as a matter of course. Of course rapists will always justify their acts by saying the victim deserved it.