“KINDLING WOOD FOR THE FIRES OF HELL”

Information is essential for any decisions we take. Many times, people control the flow information that goes out, so that, they hold the narrative that is desirable, comfortable and conforms to their view, and not let the truth, the bare truth, speak for itself, and disturb and disrupt the status quo. One such narrative, that is suppressively held with tenacity is, the seriousness and the depth of oppression, slavery and racism practiced and promoted by the Church.

On 15 February, that is today, in 1739, almost a good three hundred years back, “Five slaves on St. Thomas Island, [part of Caribbean islands] writing on behalf of 650 persecuted Christian brothers and sisters, address a letter to the king of Denmark telling of the violence they have experienced from white owners; their owners also burn their books and declare that a “baptized black is no more than kindling wood for the fires of hell.” A baptised person!!!

If we were told to our face, “baptized black is no more than kindling wood for the fires of hell.” – how would you feel? It is so unimaginably dehumanising, even to read such a statement. Civilised language has no words to express the depths of depravity that this view holds. It was the official stand of the church, not so long ago, in the history.

Oxford Bibliographies website states, “For the majority of the early modern period, most Christian churches—both Catholic and Protestant—supported slavery and benefited from the institution. Even the Quakers (Society of Friends), who were leaders in the abolitionist movement, took a century to disown enslavers from their congregations.”

Leighday’s website states, “Between 1714 – 1739, the Church of England made around £443m (433 million pounds in today’s money) through a fund which had invested in the South Sea Company, a company whose main activity was transporting “34,000 enslaved people in crowded, unsanitary, unsafe and inhumane conditions”.”

Some of the biblical reasons held by the Church, are listed in Christianity Today’s article on slavery…
– “Just as women are called to play a subordinate role (Eph. 5:22; 1 Tim. 2:11–15), so slaves are stationed by God in their place.”
– “Slavery is God’s means of protecting and providing for an inferior race (suffering the “curse of Ham” in Gen. 9:25 or even the punishment of Cain in Gen. 4:12).”– “Abolition [of slavery] would lead to slave uprisings, bloodshed, and anarchy. Consider the mob’s “rule of terror” during the French Revolution.”

We don’t seem to have learnt our lessons. The underlying principles for racism, slavery, oppression and dehumanising fellow human beings, still exists and continues, with active support of the Christians, and the church. We don’t see “other” human beings as human enough, to “deserve” our love and compassion, let alone created by God, in His own image…and that we are sinners all, none being righteous…let alone superior. This is precisely the point about slavery and racism…of superiority…racial or otherwise. This is still in vogue, and is still in use…sadly most of the Christian world.

The world view we hold, is much more than merely a view that is held by us. It speaks with clarity, what we hold deep within, and how we wish to see the world, its people, and all this, in the name of God.