It was a commonly held belief that religious slave owners were crueler than slave owners who were not religious. More than once Douglass commented about the connection between religion and brutality. When he lived with Captain Auld, he wrote,

“I have said my master found religious sanction for his cruelty. As an example, I will state one of many facts going to prove the charge. I have seen him tie up a lame young woman, and whip her with a heavy cowskin upon her naked shoulders, causing the warm red blood to drip; and, in justification of the bloody deed, he would quote this passag

“[Slavery] was established by decree of Almighty God...it is sanctioned in the Bible, in both Testaments, from Genesis to Revelation...it has existed in all ages, has been found among the people of the highest civilization, and in nations of the highest proficiency in the arts.”

In Douglass’s time, all religious groups in the United States, excluding the Society of Friends, supported slavery. Many believed that the Bible itself supported slavery. Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America once said,

Throughout time, people have taken the Bible as they wanted it to be. Some justified their actions through religion. These kind of people would tell themselves that even if they do something wrong, commit a sin, and so on, attending a church service, or reading the Bible would clear them of all wrong. Many people attended church or other religious services simply to be part of something, a sort of social event. Also, people have become very skilled at putting up a show for other, such as the recent issue of Catholic priests molesting children. Behin

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