question archive How does Stowe use Christianity to support her arguments against slavery?
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How does Stowe use Christianity to support her arguments against slavery?
There are many arguments that Stowe uses against the practice of slavery. I think the largest one had to do with the fact that slavery was anti-Christian. Abolitionists argued that Genesis 1:27 stated that man was created in the image of God. God could not have made a slave in his image. The whole idea of enslaving another human being was contrary to Christian ideals of love and brotherhood. Many of the sympathetic white characters in her novel ascribed to this view of Christianity.
Step-by-step explanation
There are many arguments that Stowe uses against the practice of slavery. I think the largest one had to do with the fact that slavery was anti-Christian. Abolitionists argued that Genesis 1:27 stated that man was created in the image of God. God could not have made a slave in his image. The whole idea of enslaving another human being was contrary to Christian ideals of love and brotherhood. Many of the sympathetic white characters in her novel ascribed to this view of Christianity.
Stowe takes great pains to illustrate the fact that the system of slavery and the moral code of Christianity oppose each other. No Christian, she insists, should be able to tolerate slavery. Throughout the novel, the more religious a character is, the more he or she objects to slavery. Eva, the most morally perfect white character in the novel, fails to understand why anyone would see a difference between blacks and whites. In contrast, the morally revolting, nonreligious Legree practices slavery almost as a policy of deliberate blasphemy and evil. Christianity, in Stowe's novel, rests on a principle of universal love. If all people were to put this principle into practice, Stowe insists, it would be impossible for one segment of humanity to oppress and enslave another. Thus, not only are Christianity and slavery incompatible, but Christianity can actually be used to fight slavery.