How did the American South become fanatically religious?

Question

It wasn't like that before the Civil War, so did something happen during Reconstruction?

Answer 1

many backward societies turn to religion to make up fro their lack of development

Answer 2

I believe that the answer to that question can be found by investigating the KKK.

The KKK was not just a racist organization determined to roll back any gains that Blacks had made immediately after the Civil War; they were also a religious organization. At one time, this racist, religious organization had a major following and provided a decisive impact upon southern American culture as it fed on the fears and insecurities of the masses in the period following the Civil War.

It should further be noted that the Civil War was not fought for the purpose of freeing slaves. The ruling elite of the north had no real problem with slave-labor as they themselves were abusing labor just as badly in the northern factories. The problem that caused the Civil War was the contradiction between the agrarian plantation owners of the South verses the emerging market-based economy of the North. The two were utterly incompatible. This can be seen in the legislation put forth by the competing interests leading up to the Civil War. This disagreement between elites found its way to the public in the form of "free-state" and "slave-state" legislation.

The South correctly felt that were a market-based economy to be inflicted upon them, the plantations would be broken up and the slaves left to go free. When this, in fact, occurred, the North's ruling elites had no real interest in embracing the empowerment of Blacks and yielded in the pursuit of reconstruction to the more undesirable elements of Southern society. As is often the case, those elements used religion to further their cause.

"In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot; abetting his abuses in return for protection to his own." -- Thomas Jefferson

Answer 3

The South did not become fanatical overnight. Many factors contributed to it. The best to my mind is the onset of modernity
The US economy (back in the day) was run from the East Cost. The intellectual life of the Union was dominated by modern thinkers (in touch with Enlightenment Europe), who typically hailed from the East.

The South, on the other hand, was agrarian and removed from many of the currents of modern thought. Therefore, it became insular and more hierarchical. So what happened as they encountered modernity was a reaction to the contrary. Think about the reaction to evolution.

Answer 4

There actually was a bit of a religious revolution going on pre-civil war. People started to think about it more all of the sudden. Darwin's theory also came to light around this time. That started some controversy. It probably also started with some people in the south using the bible to justify slavery.

Answer 5

Every part of America has religion and some are considered more intense than others.

Have you heard:
Mormons - and many wives and children - based on religion
Catholics - over USA to many are intense.
Baptists - are all over of the USA
Protestants - all over the USA
TV - evangelists - some are very intense - and some are providing wells for water and food in Africa - but it's a billion dollar industry to keep these on tv and provide for so many people all over the world.

So in my opinion, it's not the American South that has intense religious beliefs. It's just a matter of reading the history of most religions.

GOD bless us always.
MBA-Boston Univ.

Answer 6

we in the south ought to assert the comparable for the different faith race creed lifestyle dont decide us all as fanatically religious because of the fact we are born and raised in the south no i dont stress a time-honored lee my cousins do no longer resemble bo and luke duke if u examine on line under my state u will see that for the time of our first port city charleston there are extra faiths in extra church homes in a small area religious freedom to worship attempt going to the different united states of america in the international some places u can b hanged for in basic terms donning a bypass necklace then communicate approximately religous fanatacism

Answer 7

Conservative Evangelicals and Fundamentalist Christians love to dominate our American culture and political scene.

Answer 8

Yes,we started praying when the carpetbaggers moved in and the slaves moved out.