Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Chapter Six-Believing and Doubting: "What Means this Carnage?"
Despite countless accounts of southerners losing their faith and questioning the existence of God as a result of the carnage and the South's ultimate failure in the Civil War, why did churches actually grow in the South after the Civil War becoming the foundation of the "Bible Belt" in the twentieth century? If you lived during the end of the Civil War in the South, how do you believe the conflict would have effected your religious beliefs? Why?
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Although many southerners lost their faith through the hardships of the war, they realized they did not want to be without God on their side. Many of the people also wanted to talk to the dead. "...they turned eagerly to the more immediate promised of spiritualism."(pg.180) They believed in heaven and they wanted to be reunited with lost kin. Religion "...promised relief from that dread void of uncertainty..."(pg.181) Many of the people depended on their religion to guide them through the death that suddenly surrounded them. However, people were often reminded "...that God chastened those he loved."(pg.192) Southerners believed that all these hardships were to show how much God loved them.
ReplyDeleteIf I lived in the South during the end of the Civil War, I would stop depending on God to get me through. I would think that he had abandoned me. If someone really does love you like the southerners believed God did, then why would they let you suffer?
In the Civil War South, many lost faith in God and turned to science. “Geological discoveries about the vast age of earth discredited scriptural accounts of creation, suggesting a much diminished and distanced role for any divine creator”. [172 and 173] “Darwin’s theories of evolution…further challenged biblical literalism and replaced notions of divine teleology and benevolence with the heartless mechanisms of natural selection”. [173] People began to believe in science more than God. “Humans had been moved into the realm of animals, and God threatened a distressing indifference to the fall of every sparrow”. [173] Though these doubts occurred, science did not offer a description of what happened after death. People turned to religion more than to science during the war, because of the ever rising death tolls. “ Heaven would recreate ties in a realm of perfection and joy. Death as termination of life simply did not exist”. [177]
ReplyDeleteIf I had lived during the civil war, I would have had a hard time accepting religion, expecially after our army had suffered such heavy losses. I would find it hard to believe in a God that I had been told was on my side for the entire war "they invoked as well the cotion of divine sanction for a holy war in which they served as Confederate Crusaders". [33]
Churches grew in the South after the Civil War becoming the foundation of the the "Bible Belt" because they wanted to believe there was something beyond death for their loved ones that had died fighting for their freedom. "The comforting belief of the recognition of friends in Heaven, which to him is a home, with a great, and happy, and loving family in it." [pg. 180] If I lived during the end of the Civil War in the South, I believe the conflict would have effected my religious beliefs by making me question God or maybe even question if there is a God. Because if there was a God why would he be killing our families? He inficted pain on so many, the dying and their families.
ReplyDeleteWith the end of the Civil War, attendance in church increased for multiple reasons. I believe Americans, on both sides, wanted God to be on their side while other “Americans were also increasingly evangelical, committed to the hope of salvation, and eager to seize their own responsibility for any future beyond the grave.” (172) In terms of the South, with the loss of the war, many people turned to God to help them communicate with the death of their loved ones. Loosing the war made many Southerners doubtful of God. According to Samuel Ford, a Baptist leader, people asked, “‘Where is God’ seemed to be the anxious questioning of each heart…Is there a God? many many asked.” (192) Despite this many people, both North and South, wanted to communicate with their deceased. “With its concerted attention to salvation, evangelicalism made the afterlife the focus of American religious belief and practice.” (172) Although science was beginning to bring doubts to beliefs, only God could understand what happens in the after one has deceased. Afterlife was no longer seen as far away from Earth but “a more modern notion of heaven began to emerge as a realm hardly separate of different—except in its perfection—from Earth itself…hell became less and less a subject for word or dread.” (178)
ReplyDeleteI believe the loss of the Civil War, and being a Southerner, would effect how I understand God. I would feel abandoned by him and question his purpose of killing thousands in which the outcome still was a loss for the South. Understanding religion the way I would have before the war started, would be completely different then the way I would feel once it ended.
Even though the war caused some Southerners to abandon God, the final outcome was higher church attendance. Many families probably went to church to pray for lost loved ones. “They were committed to the hope of salvation, and eager to seize their own responsibility for any future beyond the grave." In other words, they wanted to go heaven. After the carnage of the war, Americans turned to God for prayer.
ReplyDeleteIf I were a Southerner after the Civil War, I probably would not lose religious beliefs. I would probably cling to my religion for hope, salvation, prayer, and mourning. I would turn to prayer to hope for reconstruction of the South and a new start.
Response to Mckenzie,
ReplyDeleteGood point about Darwin's theories and other scientific theories. Science did cause a few people to question their relegions but people didn't believe in termination in death. Science solved no clues to afterlife. Also, good point about the perfection and joy of heaven. People went to church so they could gave salvation and spend their afterlives in peace and joy.
I believe the southerners thought that if they turned away from God, at what might have been their greatest time of need, He would not help them restore things. It is likely the southerners thought God was testing them, and in return for their loyalty He would bless them for their trials. Though the losses they faced were difficult, their faith in God gave them something to hope for after life itself, heaven. I think the reason they did not lose faith was the realization that they needed God now more than ever before, and if they lost faith in Him due to the results of the civil war, He would not help them make things right once more. Another reason for the foundation of the “Bible Belt” was that it created a reason for the south to gather and share their losses. It helped them feel less alone and they had each other to depend on as well as God.
ReplyDeleteI believe the trials, of living in the south, would have challenged my faith, but I would like to think I would not have lost faith in God. Although things hadn’t been good for my family and I, God wouldn’t be the one to blame. God created humans free to make their own decisions, and we were being punished not from God’s wrath, but the poor decisions that were made to get us here. I’m not saying it would have been the views the south had on slavery that I would have believed got us there, because I probably would have been pro slavery.Maybe there were mistakes the army made, or the soldiers didn’t have enough support back home, or something we had done wrong caused us to lose the war. Maintaining faith in God would have been difficult but necessary in the south.
Many southerners heavily relied upon God, and truly believed God was supposed to be assisting them in the war. They had interpreted Bible readings to make it seem like God was on their side, and an opponent to the north. So naturally if southerners believed in God so strongly, but were still losing the war, and so many lives, questions of doubt were created. It seems southerners were blaming God for their losses, and not necessarily the northerners who pulled the triggers. Even through all this negativity churches still grew after the war because people had a greater hope that there was something better waiting for the dead. Peoples’ hope that the dead had found a better place was so strong they were willing to overlook their feelings of doubt created by losing the war, and strengthen their relationship with God. Southerners needed reassurance that “Death as a termination of life simply did not exist.” (177) If I lived in the south during the war I would have followed the same path many southerners at the time did- find God in hopes of immortality for all the dead. I would have strengthened my relationship with God because I, like so many other southerners would need reassurance that all my fellow citizens hadn’t just died, but rather entered into the afterlife.
ReplyDeleteAfter the war, many southerners lost their faith, such as Grace Elmore and Cornelia McDonald, who believed that God had forsaken them and dealt with “dreadful hours of unbelief and hopelessness.” (p.193) However, as time passed, the women “gradually remembered God’s mercies and began to trust him again”. I think the southerners needed to believe that the loss of life and loss of a war was not for nothing. The families of the fallen wanted to believe that they could be reunited with the deceased in another world: Christianity offered this opportunity. Southerner’s also believed that “God chastened those he loved.” (p. 192) Defeat in this case was not necessarily a bad thing, but God was truly showing affection for them.
ReplyDeleteThe war would have made me lose most of my faith because how could God allow such a gruesome and deadly war? I most likely would have lost family members and would have to live with that sorrow. And to think that this loss was in vain would be completely devastating. However, I would like to be able to see the deceased again, so I would not lose all faith, otherwise, this would be (seemingly) impossible. The war would definitely cause me to question my beliefs, but in the end, it would probably be more helpful to have something to rely on, to justify the war, and for hope than to simply live in despair and hopelessness: it is more beneficial to everyone to do anything to move on and be productive.
Even though many Southern Confederates lost their faith after the conclusion of the Civil War, [pg. 192] many churches opened up in the South as well. Faust wrote, “Churches grew dramatically in the South in the years after the Civil War, setting the stage for the region’s emergence as the Bible Belt in the twentieth century.” Also, many Southern Christian’s faith in God was put in jeopardy after the surrender by General Lee. As Faust said, “What then did it mean actually to see the end and to face defeat? What then of God’s trustworthiness? Surrender made war’s sacrifices seem purposeless; losses would remain unredeemed; southern fathers, brothers and sons had not died that a nation might live.” [pg. 192] I think that all of the churches opened, in an effort to reestablish the Christian faith in the Southern states. Clergymen were always reassuring people that God had a reason for doing everything, and that the Confederate soldiers did not die in vain.
ReplyDeleteIf I was a Confederate in the time of the war and its conclusion, yes, I think that I would question my faith, but in the end I think that I would stay with it, because God does have a reason for everything that he does. And the Christian belief was what got everyone through the war.
In response to Orion:
ReplyDelete“Many families probably went to church to pray for lost loved ones. “They were committed to the hope of salvation, and eager to seize their own responsibility for any future beyond the grave.” In other words, they wanted to go heaven. After the carnage of the war, Americans turned to God for prayer.” I think that Orion makes an excellent point in saying this. Many Americans were likely longing for all of their fallen loved ones, so, as Orion stated, many went to church to pray for them, and to try and connect and talk to them. Many southerners lost their faith in God, so, for some, the only reason for attending church services was to try and find some comfort in praying to their loved ones. I agree with Orion completely on this statement that he made.
In response to Austin,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statements that many clergymen were reassuring people that there is a reason for everything that God does. Throughout history that has happened and then the church numbers did not rise as much as they did then. I believe that many wanted God on their side of the war and were very worried about their afterlife. They kept their faith to be able to reunite with their fallen loved ones.
Churches grew in the South during to Civil War forming the "bible belt" for multiple reasons. First many were concerned with what would happen in their afterlife if they didn't go to church. This was supported by, "With its concerted attention to salvation, evangelicalism made the afterlife the focus of American religious belief and practice."(172)They were concerned with their afterlife because many americans, "thought that they would one day be reunited with lost kin was fundamental to the solace of religious faith."(180) Another reason is the South wanted God to be on their side of the war. With God's help they believed they would be victorious. If I lived during this time I believe this would make my faith more stronger. This would motivate me to live my life in honor of a loved one and would feel that there was a reason that God had spared my life.
ReplyDeleteResponse to Amber Pixley
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. The families of deceased soldiers wanted to know their loved ones were in a better place. They could not stop believing. They did believe that God chastened those he loved so they believed God loved them a lot. They had no other explanation for so much death. I would question God too. If God loved you he would not let you suffer. It would not make any sense to me that pain would mean love.
Response to McKenzie:
ReplyDeleteI like how you brought up how many American's were starting to doubt God. It brought up an interesting point. It personally made me really think about how people back then would feel and how I would react after the war. Overall, I really liked your post.
During the Civil War religion was a powerful factor with each side believing God fought on their side of the conflict. They depended on God so heavily that when they began to lose, questions and doubt arose against their beliefs. Even though many southerners questioned God and his existence churches began to grow in the South. This growth was due to the belief that God was harsh on those he loved as well as the hope that they will be reunited with those they love in heaven. “Heaven would recreate earthly ties in a realm of perfection and joy. Death as a termination of life simply did not exist (177).” The Southerners strengthened their relationship with God so when their time came they would once again see their family in the peace of heaven. Furthermore, their Christian faith helped them go through the grief they suffered and they did not want to release the one thing they could rely and depend on in hard times. If I was a Southerner during the ending of the war my faith would be questioned. However, I would remain with my faith and beliefs. God has justification for all his actions. It would also help give meaning to the mass amount of death and violence and give hope of reuniting with loved ones.
ReplyDeleteThe outcome of the Civil War and the devastation caused by it were often blamed for the loss or questioning of many Southerners' faith in God. However, churches grew and spread throughout the South during and after the end of the Civil War. This was often because Southerners looked to religion to provide some sort of answers or comfort. "Such convictions, as we have seen in the ritual of the Good Death, made both dying and mourning easier. Some historians have argued that, in fact, only the widespread existence of such beliefs made acceptance of the Civil War death tolls possible, and that religion thus in some sense enabled the slaughter" (175). Southerners were perhaps able to blame their terrible losses on somebody else, that somebody being in the form of God. God "enabled the slaughter", and so the Southerners themselves were not to blame - going to church and listening to sermons such as that of Reverand John Sweet relieved them of any guilt that came with losing the war and sending countless soldiers to their deaths. Sweet expressed that "soldiers need not be victims; even if their earthly destiny was beyond their control, they remained the masters of their more important eternal fate" (174). He assured his followers that the deaths of Southern soldiers were not their fault, and so attending church provided comfort and relief to many mourning or faithless Southerners. Churches also grew because the war and its carnage were believed by many to be a test of faith. Even if one had lost or was questioning their faith in God, they would not want to fail a test of their faith, which might send them to Hell. "Confederates confronted what for many became a profound test of faith" (190). Many southerners, even those whose beliefs were faltering, continued going to church because they did not want to risk failing a test of their faith in God.
ReplyDeleteWhat it all comes down to, I think, is fear. No matter what terrible devastation occurs in our world - war, famine, natural disasters - most people will not lose their faith in God because there is always the looming possibility of going to hell if they abandon their faith altogether. Organized religions - Christianity, in this case - inadvertently create ultimatums and use scare tactics to keep their followers. This affected Southerners during the Civil War because while the war caused them to question their faith, they still attended church so that they would not risk the punishment of going to hell. Had I lived in the South during the end of the Civil War, I think I would have lost the minimal religious beliefs I had. Any faith in God would be extinguished, because I think that if there was a God, and he really was a pretty nice, righteous guy, he wouldn't have let something so terrible happen.
In response to Blake N:
ReplyDeleteI agree with Blake that referring to God and religion after the war gave justification and hope to the South. “If soldiers needed to be assured they would not really die, survivors yearned to know their loved ones were not-even if they were missing or unknown-forever lost (180).” The only place they could turn after their defeat in the war was God. Without this they would fall into despair and hopelessness. Their religion eased the transition from violence to reconstruction.
Response to Jamie:
ReplyDeleteI like your statement that if you had lived in the South during the Civil War, you would "stop depending on God to get me through." I think many Southerners, to a fault, thought God would somehow help them through such hard times, which only made it harder to cope when he didn't. Had I lived in the South back then, I think I also would have stopped depending on God for any comfort or strength, which would have allowed me to move on more quickly and find it in something else.
Response to Austin Parr.
ReplyDeleteAustin brought up an excellent point, that churches grew, but they weren’t the same churches that people had been going to before war. Austin said “Many churches opened up in the south as well”. People were doubting their original faith and not defecting from Christianity altogether, merely, they were switching to churches that would give them the answers that were not provided by their current congregation.
“Overwhelmingly Christian and Protestant, Americans were also increasingly evangelical, committed to the hope of salvation and eager to seize their own responsibility for any future beyond the grave”. [172] People were turning their focus to life after death during this period, rather than abandoning Christianity completely.
Although the south lost the war, they turned to God for consolation rather than blaming their loss on him. "Loss demanded an explanation that satisfied hearts as well as minds." For this reason, people flocked to churches, longing for the comfort and security of having a community there for support. People were more religious also because they witnessed how sudden death can be. They witnessed their relatives and friends dying so young and realized that death is sudden and unexpected. They realized that if they had a shot at eternal life, it was through organized religion. It was as if they forgot that death was real and were slapped in the face with it and forced to choose between heaven and hell. Grief causes people to search for answers and one of the most common places they look is church. If I was alive during the war, I would definitely become more religious. The war would have been a huge wake-up call for me to start living morally because death can strike at any time. It would have helped me to stop procrastinating on living justly because I may not have a long life. Overall, I think southerners became more religious even though they had lost the war.
ReplyDeleteResponse to Ben Grote:
ReplyDeleteYou make a very valid point when you say that belief in God gave southerners hope for the dead. Athiests did not believe in any sort of an afterlife, so that was it for their relatives. On the contrary, Christians were comforted with the hope that they may one day be reunited with their loved ones. Also, ars moriendi included a soul in good standing with the church, so families wanted to do everything possible to rest assured that their dad, brother, husband, or friend was comfortable on his deathbed.
Religion played a huge part in the day to day lives of civil war era Americans. many believed that God was fighting on their side, and that the Civil War was more of a holy war for that reason. Because the Union won the war, many Confederates started to lose hope and began to question their faith in God. The number of churches actually grew in the South after the Civil War because many people would go to church, hoping it would relieve their doubts, and encourage within them new hope for the future. Many "would suppress their doubts and return to religious belief and observance", even if they really could believe anymore. Many had lost sons, fathers, husbands, brothers, etc. in the war, and by having Lee surrender, the whole South probably felt that they had fought and died in vain.
ReplyDeleteIf I had lived in the Civil War era, and had been a Confederate, I definitely would have began to doubt my faith and question God. It would have been worse if I had lost a family member to the war effort, which, with casualties like those of Civil War proportions, would have been inevitable.
Response to Austin
ReplyDeleteI don't know how many churches actually opened to help reestablish the Christian faith in the South, but it is and interesting idea. it could be useful to research that point and find out how many were opened after the war, and if they actually state that they opened to help resurrect the Christian faith (no pun intended). But overall, I do agree with you.
Response to Brenna:
ReplyDeleteI agree, some southerners may have hung onto their faith for your reasons like the war was a test, or God wouldn’t help make things better if they gave up, but I think majority of southerners stuck with their faith for your other reason that their faith gave them hope for an afterlife. I think after seeing so much death southerners felt like their only hope was to turn to God in hope of an afterlife for the dead. Later in your post you brought up a good point that many southerners likely gathered together, and shared their losses through religion. I agree, many southerners were probably lost after seeing so much death, but eventually connected with each other through their faith, and shared their losses with each other.
Although many southerners had lost faith in God after losing the war and many loved ones, churches grew in the South. Some, like John Adger, reminded other southerners, “God chastened those he loved,” (192). Many people had felt abandoned by God. Eventually they started to trust him again as they remembered some of “God’s mercies” (193). “Most former Confederates would suppress their doubts and return to religious belief and observance,” (193). Many southerners had lost loved ones, but thought that they would meet them again if they followed God. Their doubts of God were lost as they tried to reconnect with loved ones who had passed.
ReplyDeleteIf I lived in the South during the end of the Civil War, I most likely would’ve taken the same path as the other southerners. At first I would feel like God was not there for me and I would doubt my beliefs. Eventually I would forgive God and remember everything He has done. I would try to think that everything He does is for a reason, but not think of the reason for the war. I would go back to believing in God with hope of seeing my lost loved ones.
In response to Jessi,
ReplyDeleteI think that the reason churches started to grow was because families would want to reconnect with their lost loved ones. If people had doubts in faith they would not want to go back to church to try to “relieve their doubts”. People did return to religion, but it was mostly because they wanted to be reunited with family in Heaven and not to relieve doubts of God. Also, many people started to doubt their faith and question God when they all had lost family and still lost the war. I doubt that many people who did not lose family members to the war started to question their faith in God. But I do agree with you that many people, including myself, would begin to question God if I had lost family and still lost the war.
Churches grew in the South after the Civil War because people wanted to be with their loved ones who had died in the war. Even though they were losing faith because of the North's victory, Southerneres turned to God searching for answers and a better life. Churches told them what happened after you died- and they liked that answer. They believed that if they followed God, they could see the people they lost in Heaven. They also realized how short life is, so they wanted to go with God to eternal life after death.
ReplyDeleteIf I lived during the end of the Civil War in the South, I would have doubted God like I never had before. Everyone was in mourning then- I would be devasted at the loss of the war and the loss of loved ones. I would be asking the big question- why? If God is good and kind, how did he let this happen? But, I probably would have done what a lot of the Southerners did. I would have stayed with the church to seek answers and pray to be with my lost loved ones again.
Response to Brenna-
ReplyDeleteYou make a very good point saying that the people believed God was testing them. I think if I lived back then a Southerner, I would have believed that same thing. God does put people through tests, and the war was one big example of that. But, if they kept their faith (which many did hence the growth of churches), they would have passed "the test."
Most everyone involved in the Civil War lost faith in God because they could not believe, if he was out there, that he was making them go through a situation like they were going through. With death surrounding them and no way out of the pit of sorrow everyone was in, people turned again to faith believing that they would oneday reunite with their kin again. A powerful question that Reverend John Sweet asked his people was "Where had all those young men gone?" (pg. 171) This question was a major reason why people reunited with God because there was finally a place where they could see their families again. Reverend Sweet said that death was "the middle point between two lives." (pg. 174) John Sweet shed a great amount of light on the idea of heaven and life after death. He was a major contributor to a "rebirth" of faith after the hardships and cruelties of the Civil War.
ReplyDeleteIf I lived in the South at the end of the Civil War I would try my best to keep my faith in God but it would bo very hard. I would not have as much faith in my prayers or thoughts and I would continually question my fate and existense. It would be unimaginably horrible.
In the south many people stared doubting their god they actually started questioning him. Some people even stoped believing in him, but soon they would quickly return back to him. They started to realize they needed him. Many believed that because so many were running to God for help they needed more churches. So many people started attending church because they were so badly hurt by the war, so they started building more churches so more people could attend. If I had been alive during they war I would had doubted me beliefs. How can someone take by family away, when this person is supposed to be a protector? I wouldn't be able to trust I'm God any more after so many I knew an loved had died. The south used their religion as a comfort away from the wars impact it was all they had.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Celina.
ReplyDeleteI agree when you said, "if he was out there, that he was making them go through a situation like they were going through." this statement is true very true. Any human that goes through as much as the people did during the civil war, are bound not to have faith. God was supposed to be a being of great power a protector. We are his children is what many believe and what being can let his children suffer like this? People lost faith because of how hurt they were by the war this caused them to question their faith and in the end more people came to believe in god. More people needed his comfort.
Religion was a trying subject during the Civil War, especially in the South. If I lived during this time I would have absolutely questioned God. Strong believers must have asked why all the killing and dying was happening and why this country that was becoming so strong was ripping apart at the seams. But through it all a lot of those people started to or continued to believe in the Church. This is something that I think the North and South shared. Both sides were desperate for faith during their times of need. More than ever the South was asking for his help at the end of the war when their part of the country was destroyed and they had failed. Also if I lived during that time period I would have thought maybe God was sending it as a sign. Maybe some of the people of the South began to realize slavery was wrong and they were on the wrong side of the fight so is it possible they were already asking for forgiveness? There is no question that both sides fought for what they believed was right. But I’m sure many wondered what was right in the eyes of God?
ReplyDeleteThe Civil war made many, many Southerners think twice about God. While many lost faith, even more felt like their relationship with God needed to be strengthened. The “immediate responses,” (pg 180) and “comforting ideas about heaven,” (pg 180) were all parts of spiritualisms immortal appeal. While many believed it was God that made them suffer, just as many believed that it was also God who could relieve them from their pain. I think anybody who goes back to God after such a horrific incident is dangerously unstable both emotionally and mentally. Why would anybody ever want to worship the same God that let their son be murdered? Some would argue that God is testing their faith or teaching them lessons, but is that really a lesson anybody would want to learn? It wouldn’t have changed my religious beliefs because I would have different beliefs in the first place.
ReplyDeleteMany Southerners may have lost their faith in God during the Civil War. Because they could not understand how such a loving God could let all this tragedy upon them. "Night and day in every moment of quiet, she wrote, I am trying to work out the meaning of this horrible fact, to find truth at the bottom of this impenetrable darkness..Has God forsaken us?" (pg.193) Although many felt this same way, they continued to follow God and use religon to help them get through the hard times, they wanted to know that they were in fact on God's side. Also by continuing to worship God, this gave many peace of mind that God would take care of thier loved ones in heaven. I would like to say that if I were living during the time of the Civil War, my faith would grow stronger and I would use God as my refuge, but if many people I loved were killed in the war, im not sure I would still believe. I think I would turn away from God, rather then growing stronger in faith.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Jordan Voegele:
ReplyDeleteI liked what you said about how maybe the Southerners were seeing this as a sign, and may have been realizing that slavery is wrong, and that they were on the wrong side of the fight. And hoe they wondered what was right in the eyes of God. I never thought about that before, how the South may have felt like God was siding with the North and not the South.
“Most former Confederates would suppress their doubts and return to religious belief and observance (193).” This quote pretty much explains why the Bible Belt is where is it today. After the Civil war, Southerners had lost all hope of how they used to live, so they might have turned to religion and God despite their doubt. They needed something to believe in and something to look forward to now that their lifestyle was about to change dramatically. If I lived in the south during that time, my religious beliefs would depend on the situation. If my brother or father lived past the Civil War, I would still be a Christian and thank God every single day. If they died, I would still remain a Christian to know that they are in a better place. I would have a hard time keeping my beliefs if, say, my dad was captured and was a prisoner of war and they tortured him. Dying is one thing, it is painful, but it is soon over; but being tortured wrecks a person inside and out forever. I’m pretty sure I would keep my religious beliefs so I could have something to look forward to, to see my dad again if he had died.
ReplyDeleteResponse to Jessi:
ReplyDeleteYou make an interesting point claiming that the “Civil War was…a holy war.” I agree with you. It makes me think of what would have happened had the Confederates won when it comes to religion. I wonder if the North would begin to question God as strongly as they did in the South, had they lost. It also makes me think why the religious revolution didn’t happen so much in the North. The North did win, but that’s the only major difference when it comes to the wins and losses by the time 1865 came around. Both sides lost hundreds of thousands of lives, but only the South became a part of the religious “reawakening,” so to speak. I think that the establishment of the Bible Belt had less to do with people believing that “sons, fathers, husbands, and brothers…had died in vain,” or else the North would have had a similar future, and they didn’t.
Even though many people from the south lost their faith through the difficult times of the war, they all came to relize that life would be harder without god by their side. Their where many people who wanted to speak to the dead.. " The Comforting belief of the recognition of friends in Heaven, which to him is a home, with a great, and happy and loving family in it" (read on page 180) if i was a southerner my believes would differ in the situation i was put in. For instance, if my brother, my father or possibly even my son was ever sent off to war i would hope to see him again. But if by chance their lifes where taken from them, i would keep my faith with me until my life was taken from me, and i wold be joined with my loved one once again i heaven.
ReplyDeleteI think churches grew after the war even though some lost their faith is because of the comfert of knowing that your family is in heaven and that one day you will reunite in that world. (pg 180)"They will not leave us long." Soldiers and families were comferted with the idea that after death, they would reunite in another world with their loved ones. If I had lived at that time during the Civil War, I assume I probably would've doubted my religion but would keep the faith by going to church and being with loved ones who shared m grief and loss of the bloodshed of war.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Jordyn:
ReplyDeleteI do not completely agree with your statement, “Maybe some of the people of the South began to realize slavery was wrong and they were on the wrong side of the fight so is it possible they were already asking for forgiveness? There is no question that both sides fought for what they believed was right. But I’m sure many wondered what was right in the eyes of God?” I am sure that some Southerners probably felt that way. Having lost the war and hundreds of thousands of soldiers probably came a as a big shock to the South: possibly one big enough to turn their beliefs around. However, if Southerners truly wondered “what was right in the eyes of God,” then perhaps they wouldn’t have continued treating blacks like dirt for the next hundred years.
In response to Tanner:
ReplyDeleteYou make a good point when you mentioned that the expansion of the “Bible belt” had to do with, “the hope that they will be reunited with those they love in heaven”. I agree. It never occurred to me that God was the only thing those people had left and they did not want to let Him go. That could very well have been true and was a clever assumption. I agree with you that people believed that, “God was harsh on those he loved” however, I couldn’t believe in a God who had a reason for making my life difficult. I think God let them make their own decisions and therefore the punishment that followed was their own fault, not anything to do with God’s wrath.
Even though some Southerners lost their faith in God, there was a higher attendance in church most likely because they felt that God was their only hope and that if they turned their back on him they wouldn't have hope at all. Also, I think they turned to the church as a way to pay their respects to the dead and mourn in a more honorable way. The church was a safe place for people in the South to go, where they could escape the war or even have more faith in the war.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I'm not the best example of a religious person, I feel that if I had grown up during the Civil War, my faith would most likely grow stronger even if I was a part of the South. This is because I'd feel that God wanted this to happen for a reason. However, I know that if I had lost a brother or father, I would most likely lose faith only because death is a painful experience for everyone. But for the most part, I believe that during a time of war a person's faith usually grows no matter what side that person is on.
In response to Blake Naito:
ReplyDeleteI agree with your response to Jordyn. You stated, "if Southerners truly wondered “what was right in the eyes of God,” then perhaps they wouldn’t have continued treating blacks like dirt for the next hundred years." This is completely true, if they were asking for forgiveness from God, then they wouldn't have gone back to similar treatment of blacks. I don't think most of the South even thought that God could be punishing them for their treatment of slaves, in fact they probably they thought they were being punished for separating from the Union. And if they did feel bad for their treatment to blacks then they must have forgotten about it because they didn't change their ways for a while. Once again, great point Blake.
During the Civil War, many Southerners lost reliance in God as a result of losing battles. Many believed that God had turned his back on them as if he were the one causing their defeat. Grace Elmore had written, "I am trying to work out the meaning of this horrible fact, to find truth at the bottom of this impenetrable darkness...Has God forsaken us?" (pg. 193). Instead of putting their blame on the enemy, they doubted and questioned Christianity. "Is there a God? many many asked." (pg. 192) said Baptist leader Samuel Ford. Southerners felt betrayed and disappointed. However, years after the Civil War, things took a dramatic turn as the presence of people in churches in the South greatly increased. I believe that many Southerners changed their mind because they hoped to eventually reunite with their loved ones in heaven. Most people wanted to ensure a happy life after death by becoming a Christian, yet again. They were willing to forget about the past, as long as the future will be bright. If I lived during the end of the Civil War in the South, I would've accepted the outcome of the war, as well as my religion. Although I am not a Christian, my actions would be similar as if I were. I believe that everything happens for a reason. In this situation, it was humanity that was the conflict, not religion. To me, blaming would only cause a bigger problem. Therefore, my religion would have no effect on the Civil War outcomes.
ReplyDeleteSoutherners lost faith, but still wanted God. They believed that God put them through the hardship of war because he loved them. They also believed that God would reunite the dead with their loved ones in the after life. Many Southerners used Spiritualism to try to communicate between the dead and the living. They needed God in their life so they could again meet their loved ones in the after life.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the Southerners put to much faith in God. And they thought he would make everything right. I wouldn't have depended on him as much as they did.
In response to Blake and Sophia:
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of you. Southerners didn't go to church to repent for their actions towards African Americans, that would have made the following years of racism never happen. They went to try to pay respect towards their kin. Most Southerners still didn't see what was wrong with slavery. How can they ask for forgiveness from God if they do not believe slavery was wrong?
In response to Michelle:
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that people lost faith in God because of what was happening. However I don't believe that is why They came back to God. I believe that people came back to God more after the war was because they needed a way to get rid of their pain and God had already done that for them on the cross. I also believe families needed a way to sort of reconnect with their loved ones and that God promised that to them one day.
In response to Michelle M
ReplyDeleteI agreed with what you were saying about how they “Realized they needed him.” Religion was such a questionable subject during the Civil War. Many people wondered how he could be out there when there were such bad things happening. But even when things didn’t look like they could get better they felt a huge need for him. They needed something to lean on and that was something they had relied on their whole life. I think I would have felt the same way as you if I had lived during that time period. It would have been miserable and really unsettling and I would have questioned my God every single day.
In response to michelle McClurg…
ReplyDeleteSince people in the South lost all hope of going back to the life they once had, they either turned to or away from God. But like michelle McClurg said, “They started to realize they needed him.” That’s basically what it boils down to. They had no one to turn to, and they lost everything they once knew, so the only resort left was to try to have a strong faith. “It was all they had.”
In response to David White…
ReplyDeleteI don’t really agree with what David White said. To me, wanting God and believing in God are the same things, just put in different words. If they had lost faith in God, then they wouldn’t still want him because they believed he was evil or bad for putting so many people in sadness. The only reason why the southern states are in what is called the “Bible Belt” today is because he was the only thing left to turn to for help or comfort.
think that with the horror that these people experienced with all the killings and sorrow, it actually made people reaffirm their faith. It’s said that there are no atheists in Fox Holes, so I think that most soldiers, having grown up on religious ideals, after the war would want to continue believing in God. This faith is what kept most of the soldiers going, because most felt like when they were in circumstances out of their control (the war) it was comforting to believe that it was all in God’s control. Especially with lost loved ones, people wanted to believe that they were not gone forever, but they would be reunited in death. I think that, if I lived in these times, I would at first question my faith. But eventually, after seeing the slaves freed and the nation reunited, I would find myself wanting to rejoin the church. I would not think that God made me and everyone else suffer, because look at the newly freed slaves; they are now free to do whatever they want to do, they have no one owning them anymore. And how is that suffering?
ReplyDeleteI believe more people went to church after the war to pray so their loved ones that died in the war would go to heaven. Also so when they pass on they would be reunited. Also, as Steven said most of the soldiers were religious and used gods help to get them through the war. If i were alive at that time I would not have changed my beliefs. I might have given up hope but in the end when the slaves were freed i would go back to my religious beliefs.
ReplyDeleteIn response to David,
ReplyDeleteI agree when you say "I believe that the Southerners put to much faith in God. And they thought he would make everything right." i agree I would not have been so faithful. After the war i would have started to see how it was best and every thing would have played out.
During the war, people needed their faith to make it through, so after the war, they just kept their faith because they had experienced too much to change their faith. I think that if I had lived through the war, my religious beliefs would be much stronger afterwards, because I would have been through many near death situations.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Steven:
I think you put it very well when you said, "there are no athiest in fox holes". The war is a bad situation, and everyone would have faith if they were constantly worried that they could die at any moment. And I think that once you have had faith, you can't really change your mind later on.
In response to Jenna Hofmann
ReplyDeleteForgive God? I would be thanking God that He inspired men to lay down their lives to free the slaves. I would be thanking him that now the slaves are free and the nation is whole again. I don’t think its our place to judge Him about what happened.
At the end of the Civil War the southerners had lost faith in God, from all the hardships that the war had brought. Although they shortly realized that they wanted God on their side. The southerners wanted to be able to go to heaven and be reunited with their lost kin. This is most likely why the “bible belt” was formed.
ReplyDeleteIf I had lived during the Civil War, I would have had a hard time accepting my religion. After all the losses in the war, I would feel as though the lord was not on our side. Since during the war I was told he was always their. So why would he let these deaths happen?
In Response to Jamie:
ReplyDeleteI like how you said “Many of the people depended on their religion to guide them through the death that suddenly surrounded them.” This then makes you question why they would give up their beliefs.
After the Civil War the southerner's faith in God was tested but not lost. Anyone who thinks that because they believe in God their side will always be right and win doesn't really believe in God. One must keep in mind there are always people of diverse religions on every side of every war. The people of the south needed a reason for all the death and help getting over mourning. They turned to religion to guide them in their lives which had drastically been altered. I doubt very many people actually lost their faith but in actuality their faith was strengthened. Faith in God comforted them and allowed them to find peace. I am Jonah I don't lose faith because people die or a war is lost against my wishes. I am not a silly nanny. I would have been completely unaffected by the conflict just as I am unaffected by all situations. Tehee :)
ReplyDeleteJonah- in response to Gabby Pfeifer:
ReplyDeleteI disagree with you. I don't believe the Southerners lost their faith but rather had it tested. Aswell I fail to understand your resoning for the "bible belt". I believe it was formed because they needed God to get through their hard times rather than just becuase they wanted to go to heavean. This is because there must be a reason for that particular area to be more religious than other areas.
Churches actually grew in the South after the Civil War became the foundation of the "Bible Belt" in the twentieth century because religion grew more after the Civil War. "Nearly four times as many attended church every Sunday in 1860 as voted in that years critical election" as is stated on page 172. Christians and Protestants were evangelizing to have the possiblity of life after death. They wanted to be able to die and go to heaven and that is one of the reasons why religion was so important. Religion was one of the things that caused the churches to grow in the South.If I lived during the end of the Civil War I think that my religious believes would have been effected immensly. I think that after the war I might have doubted my beliefs a little but then I would probably have grew more in my religious beliefs. I think I would have grown in my religious beliefs because religion was so important after the Civil War. It would have helped me to overcome the catastrophe and carnage of the war's outcome considering how many soldiers lost their lives.
ReplyDeleteIn response to David:
ReplyDeleteI do not agree with you when you say that the "Southerners put too much faith in God." During that time everyone was dependant on religion and it would have helped them a lot more than relying on just themselves. They did not put too much faith in God because it would have been much better for them to go to church and be religious because religion was so important in that time.
That’s the funny thing about religion and war: people go in and when they come out they either have an unyielding belief in God or they don’t believe in Him whatsoever. And it all depends on what happened to the person during the war, if they made it through without much suffering, God protected them. If they were met by death around every corner they would think why is God letting me suffer. I’m not sure why the South grew so religious afterwards, maybe because they needed to find God because they thought He had abandoned them. If I lived back then, I would’ve just thought that it was God’s Will and move on with life, some things just aren’t meant to be.
ReplyDeleteChurches may have grown from the conflict for one of two reasons. The first being the thought of so many moving on the Heaven and the second being that religion, despite what ensued, was previously on the rise and the Civil War only gave people more reason to fall back on God.
ReplyDeletePage 177 states that it was believed "Heaven would re-create earthly ties in the realm of perfectionand joy." It was thought that even in death, there was more ahead to look forward to. When soldiers died, it was, to some, a great occurance, as that man was off to a better place.
Page 172 tells of religion on the rise. "[Over] 10 million Americans...appear...to have been in close sympathy with evangelical Christianity." This number represented 40 percent of the American population and showed that more and more citizens were becoming in tune with religion. More people attended church ever Sunday than voted in the presidential election. The Civil War, if anything, only bolstered the religious following by ushering in a time where many needed faith and God to keep sane.
In Response to Ryan Lynch,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. Many, most likely, went to church to pray for their relatives safe passage into the afterlife. It would be of much concern whether any good came out of a man's death. I certainly would pray to God for a friend to gain entry into Heaven, were I to live in such a time. However, after losing the War and being forced to change my practices, I would question my God and his intentions. I may not see it as for "the best". But perhaps that's born out of my own stubbornness- perhaps.
Response to Jenna's response to my first Post:
ReplyDeleteWhat I was using was a reference from the book that the people were going back to church to try and make sense of what they had seen and experienced. They were trying to ensure that they really did have a faith in God, and it wasn't all for nothing.
Response to Cameron's response to my first post:
ReplyDeleteWhat I was trying to reiterate was the fact that many Southern men lost their lives for a war that they didn't win, that many families probably felt a bit hopeless after the war; some so much that they felt that going to church helped them to feel closer to those deceased family members. But I think that it was mostly a Southern thing because they lost the war. Maybe something similar would've happened in the North if the South had one instead, but that is pretty much irrelevant.
I completely agree with Brenna Hjelle. Southerners wanted to always be on God's side, because if not, God would not support them back when in time of need. Heaven was also a fantasy to many Christians, and they all wanted to end up there after death. God was the only one that they believed let them through to heaven. And even though their anger took over their beliefs during the Civil War, it was soon that they realized that they needed God.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Nicole:
ReplyDeleteI agree wih you about the Southerner's going to church more just because they wanted to be closer to the one's they lost. They knew they has assurance that if they believed in God, that they would be able to see their lost ones again in Heaven. They couldn't get enought of this idea and they didn't want to live life without them forever.