Slave Religion essays

Slave Religion essays When it comes to religion most people feel they have a belief in God or a higher power. This belief helps sustain them in times of mental and emotional turmoil and many times physical pain. The slaves of North America brought with them a belief in their sacred beings, in which they didnt distinguish the living from the dead. Their belief that in death the body just slips from the physical state to a spiritual one was widely believed in and can still be seen in such places as Jamaica and Trinidad, and in United States but to a lesser degree in the form of Voodoo. A religion that incorporates Because they were very expressive in their supplications to God in their practice of their religious beliefs, their prayer sessions were stifled by the slave holders for fear of slave revolts. Because of the censorship, they generally had to wait until late at night after the head count when they could slip away to a designated location (generally a predetermined slave house) or theyd steal a way into the woods for fear of being heard by their masters. When really concerned about their masters not learning of their prayer meeting (particularly their mid week meetings) to mute their voices they would turn pots upside down in the middle of the floor or the round area in the thickets that they had created for their prayer sessions. Some would even resort to putting pots over their heads because they were overcome with emotions and it was forbidden to worship without the masters approval. The African slaves brought with them the practice of laying of their hands on each other as they sang and prayed as a sign of physical support, understanding, and healing of the spirit. Their beliefs helped them survive the physical, mental, and emotional degradation of being humans in bondage. In the US during the first one hundred and fifty years the slaves were able to practice their religion almost unobs ...