Why did Southern Christians lynch, and discriminate against Black people?

Question

The Southern Christians also voted for Bush. What's the deal with them?

Answer 1

Guilt. They were the biggest slaveholders and the rationalizations that allowed them to deny their basic humanity came from what they read in the Bible. Everything regarding the rules of slave ownership was laid right out for them in the Bible. Unlike other Christians, they cherry picked from the Old Testament to justify their evil. Generations later they can't let go of the beliefs that are so destructive. In order to hide from the realization that their ancestors were awful people they need to cling to their rationalizations.

Edit - Hey, why the thumbs down, it's a historical fact that slaveholders perverted the Bible to justify their "right" to keep slaves. Read Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy for examples.

Answer 2

I know you intend that as an insult, but the people who participated in lynchings were NEVER Christians. There was and is just as much discrimination in the north as in the south. The reason Southern Christians voted for Bush is he is a Christian, Kerry is a left wing, military-hating, liberal democrat and that scares more than the Christians. It should scare anyone with any sense!

Answer 3

You are very ignorant if you believe that the racial tensions of the South were unique to the region. Black people were discriminated against throughout the entire country.

And why are you discriminating Southern Christians by assuming they all voted for Bush, and all hate black people.

Answer 4

Let me quote the late, great Billie Holiday on the subject. She recorded this song written by, Lewis Allan.

STRANGE FRUIT

Southern trees bear a strange fruit,
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
Black body swinging in the Southern breeze,
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.

Pastoral scene of the gallant South,
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,
Scent of magnolia sweet and fresh,
And the sudden smell of burning flesh!

Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck,
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,
For the sun to rot, for a tree to drop,
Here is a strange and bitter crop.

Contrary to what some have answered here, Billie Holiday was born on Apr. 7, 1915, and died, Jul. 17, 1959. That's 1959, folks! Not all that long ago. And to answer your question...

When black people were slaves, they were a valued commodity. They were not thought of as human - even to this day, there are people in the south who consider them another form of animal. This gives them justification to treat them differently than other human beings. So, when the slaves were freed, suddenly they were no longer "owned" thus they were no longer a valued commodity. Lynching became common practice whenever it was believed that a black person did something criminal, et al. No need to go to the expense of a trial because they weren't human to begin with - in the eyes of many. Just "lynch 'em" and be done with it whether they did the perceived criminal act or were in fact innocent. Didn't matter. One less black bastard, valueless animal to deal with. And here is the inherent problem with Christianity, in my humble opinion. Be it the Christian south or anywhere else Christians gather and live.

According to church teaching, only human beings have souls. This devalues all other life on this planet and could not be more wrong. All sentient beings have souls. Period.

If you go through life believing that only human beings have souls, and certain ethnic groups are "less than human" killing them is of no consequence. This is the bedrock of heinous actions like lynching.

And yes. People like this voted for Bush. All people who believe the church's teaching about the soul, could well be cast in the same light. Painted by the same brush.

Answer 5

You are getting the times mixed up. Voting for Bush is recent, black people got lynched a long time ago. God doesn't want us to be racist. Those people had a racist problem. Either they weren't christians or they had a lot to learn about how God wants us to treat people.

Answer 6

If these people were true Christians, they would not have been lynching black people. The discrimination also came from unChristian ways. Unfortunately, many people call themselves Christian and they are not - they are self righteous hypocrites who want God's blessings to only belong to them, and they think they are a superior race. We also have many misguided Christians who put on the disguise of religion. God created all of us and gave us a soul. I can't explain why there are different races (oh there are theories), but God watches over us all, and by His grace and our acceptance of His gift of salvation are we privileged to be called Christian. When Christ returns to this earth, we will truly find out who are the true Christians.

Answer 7

You are in the wrong section. This should be in the history section.

People, both believers and non-believers owned slaves. Why did the Egyptians enslave the Jews for 400+ years? The Jews were slaves longer than people brought over from Africa. ((...and wasn't it the greed of some of the native Africans that caused them to kidnap and sale their fellow Africans to slave traders?))

Come to think of it...

Every race at one time or another in history have been enslaved or at least been taken advantage of.

You are trying to stir up hate and discontent. Move along.

Answer 8

No where in the Bible does it say to lych the black people. I believe it is just hate that makes people think that they are better than others and Satan use them to do his work for him. I am a christian and it makes me sick to think that they are making me look stupid. God made all of us and he gave us dominion over the animals, not over other nationalities. As for the bush thing, I have no idea.

Answer 9

Don't put Christian in that statement. Christ has no part in racial bias. These individuals are not moving by the Spirit of God when they perform acts of their father.

Answer 10

It's seems odd that the people who hated blacks in the South also had them working in their homes and the white men making babies with them... like Strom Thurman did --- and spouted their racial hated in public.