Top Figures in Conservative Movement Spreading Crazy Lie That Faith in God Ended Slavery

[doxydad]

Jim DeMint of the leading right-wing corporate think tank in DC tries to rewrite history.

The fanatical right in the US has a problem on its hands and that problem is American history. History tells a tale that does not fit the narrative of the Tea Party and libertarian version of American's founding and history.That was evident this week, when former senator Jim DeMint, who is head of the Heritage Foundation, a libertarian think tank, made the claim that it was not the government that freed the slaves, but faith.


http://www.alternet.org/tea-party-and-right/far-right-spreading-crazy-lie-faith-god-ended-slavery

[rurallib]

1. "DeMint misses some important historical points here"

talk about an understatement.

The right is really, really pushing the rewrite of history.

What was it Orwell said in 1984?
“He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past.”

[Recursion]

2. Was there a non-evangelical abolitionist movement in the 1850s?

I don't know of one.

[Supersedeas]

6. the revisionists are getting to that...wait for it

wait for it

[hedda_foil]

8. Actually, that part is somewhat true.

The abolitionist movement was supported by many ministers and churches in the North. That helped to harden views against the horror of southern slavery, and win northern support for Lincoln but it was far from the biggest reason that slavery was finally abolished by constitutional amendment.

[Cartoonist]

3. It was the other way around

The bible says it's OK to own slaves. Slave owners were on the wrong side of history, but on the right side of the bible, as Huckabee would say.

[jwirr]

4. That was definitely the souths interpretation back then. As to faith - I must have been mistaken.

I thought that my ancestors who fought for the Union has something to do with that.

[Lex]

5. Correct. They used Bible passages to show that slavery was a-ok with Christianity.

Just like they do now, cherry-picking the Bible to hate gay folks or pro-choice people or any number of things.

[eShirl]

7. this

[NuclearDem]

9. Curse of Ham.

[Cartoonist]

10. Curse of green eggs

Your post led me to look up what the Curse of Ham was all about. Man, the bible is f'ed up. Anyone can use any part of it to make their case or to hate others. I've been calling the bible a hate manual for years.

[Art_from_Ark]

11. But then again, the story of Exodus

is built around the escape of slaves from their Egyptian slavemasters, and the horrible fate that awaited the slavemasters when they tried to recapture their slaves. In fact, that story served as the basis for some of the so-called "Negro spirituals":

Moses had a lot to do
Hand me down my silver trumpet, Gabriel
When he led the Children of Israel through
Hand me down my silver trumpet, Lord

[Tom Ripley]

12. I guess they realize that whole "Party of Lincoln" campaign is deader than Lincoln.