ral obligation to God or man. (Lewis, 1973, p. 49).Unfortunately, the abolitionists were small in numbers, and they never could get most of the Northern churches to agree with them. Although the Northern churches claimed to be anti- slavery, their opposition to the abolitionists, along with their actions or inactions toward slavery, would prove otherwise.The Northern churches were just as guilty as the Southern churches in keeping slavery alive. Some Northern church members made money by selling the South Negro-clothing, handcuffs, and cowhides, to be used on the slaves. Most Northern church members purchased and used cotton, rice, sugar, tobacco, and other goods produced by slave labor. (Ross, 1969). While the Northern church members were claiming to be anti-slavery, their actions gave the South economic justification in allowing slavery to persist. The Northern churches were nothing more than hypocrites! A few Northern church members even married Southern slaveholders, thus becoming slaveholders themselves. (Ross, 1969). Frederick Douglass also had problems with Northern churches, who were hypocritical in their treatment of black members.Douglass decided to attend communion one Sunday at a Northern Methodist church in 1841. Douglass was surprised to see that all of the white members were served first, while the black members had to wait by the door. After serving all the white members, the minister then turned to the black members and said, "Come up, colored friends, come up! For you know God is no respecter of persons!" (Ritchie, 1968, p. 39). Douglass never went back, but he did not give up his faith.Douglass decided to attend another church in New Bedford. There was a young, black girl who drank from the cup representing Christ's blood. The next in line to drink from the cup was a young, white girl. After this white girl was passed the cup, she refused to drink from the same cup that a black girl had just drank fr...
