aveholders used religion in order to convince slaves and themselves that slavery was necessary and just. The slaves were taught only certain parts of the Bible; a person would be punished for teaching a slave to read, for fear that the slave would then be able to read the Gospel and interpret it. Jacobs speaks of this injustice, arguing, “[T]here are thousands [who] are thirsting for the water of life; but the law forbids it, and the churches withhold it” (73). Mr. Pike preaches the same sermon to the slaves week after week, stressing the bible verse, “[S]ervants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ” (68). Not only were slaves forced to remain illiterate in society, but also denied access to religion.Some of these slaves recognized that Reverend Pike’s sermons were garbage, and so chose instead not to go to church. Although the slaves were Christians, they distrusted any church, indeed anything, created by the slave owners. One of their hymns went, “Ole Satan’s Church is here below. Up to God’s free church I hope to go” (Jacobs 71). They began attending church again when a new reverend arrived in town. Jacobs writes of his sermons, “it was the first time they had even been addressed as human beings” and so “it was not long before his white parishioners began to be dissatisfied” (71). When the slave owners realized the reverend was preaching good and true sermons, they moved quickly to relieve him. When the good reverend came back to town several years later, he delivered a powerful message to the slaves. “Try to live according to the word of God, my friends. Your skin is darker than mine; but God judges men by their hearts, not by the color of their skins” (Jacobs 72). Over one hundred years later, Martin Luther King delivered his power...
