Why is christianity interpreted so differently between the north and the south?

Question

The North with their progressive, "Social Gospel", do good works message and the South with their traditional, personal, born again, faith more important then works message?

It's not like this divide started recently. It existed as early as the 1800s. The following statements are from Fredrick Douglas. Douglas was a former slave who became a leading abolitionist. This is what he had to say about christianity as practiced in the South.

"I assert most unhesitatingly, that the religion of the South is a mere covering for the most horrid crimes--a justifier of the most appalling barbarity, a sanctifier of the most hateful frauds, and a dark shelter under which the darkest, foulest, grossest, and most infernal deeds of slave holders find the strongest protection. Were I to be again reduced to the chains of slavery, next to that enslavement, I should regard being the slave of a religious master the greatest calamity that could befall me. For of all slaveholders with whom I have ever met, religious slaveholders are the worst. I have ever found them the meanest and basest, the most cruel and cowardly, of all others."
- Fredrick Douglas, Chapter 10, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/lhbcb:@field(DOCID+@lit(lhbcb25385))

" I find, since reading over the foregoing Narrative that I have, in several instances, spoken in such a tone and manner, respecting religion, as may possibly lead those unacquainted with my religious views to suppose me an opponent of all religion. To remove the liability of such misapprehension, I deem it proper to append the following brief explanation.

What I have said respecting and against religion, I mean strictly to apply to the slaveholding religion of this land, and with no possible reference to Christianity proper; for, between the Christianity of this land, and the Christianity of Christ, I recognize the widest, possible difference--so wide, that to receive the one as good, pure, and holy, is of necessity to reject the other as bad, corrupt, and wicked. To be the friend of the one, is of necessity to be the enemy of the other.

I love the pure, peaceable, and impartial Christianity of Christ: I therefore hate the corrupt, slaveholding, women-whipping, cradle-plundering, partial and hypocritical Christianity of this land. Indeed, I can see no reason, but the most deceitful one, for calling the religion of this land Christianity. I look upon it as the climax of all misnomers, the boldest of all frauds, and the grossest of all libels...

"I am filled with unutterable loathing when I contemplate the religious pomp and show, together with the horrible inconsistencies, which every where surround me. We have men-stealers for ministers, women-whippers for missionaries, and cradle-plunderers for church members. The man who wields the blood-clotted cowskin during the week fills the pulpit on Sunday, and claims to be a minister of the meek and lowly Jesus. The man who robs me of my earnings at the end of each week meets me as a class-leader on Sunday morning, to show me the way of life, and the path of salvation. He who sells my sister, for purposes of prostitution, stands forth as the pious advocate of purity. He who proclaims it a religious duty to read the Bible denies me the right of learning to read the name of the God who made me. He who is the religious advocate of marriage robs whole millions of its sacred influence, and leaves them to the ravages of wholesale pollution.

The warm defender of the sacredness of the family relation is the same that scatters whole families,-- sundering husbands and wives, parents and children, sisters and brothers, leaving the hut vacant, and the hearth desolate. We see the thief preaching against theft, and the adulterer against adultery. We have men sold to build churches, women sold to support the gospel, and babes sold to purchase Bibles for the poor heathen! all for the glory of God and the good of souls! The slave auctioneer's bell and the church-going bell chime in with each other, and the bitter cries of the heart-broken slave are drowned in the religious shouts of his pious master. Revivals of religion and revivals in the slave-trade go hand in hand together. The slave prison and the church stand near each other. The clanking of fetters and the rattling of chains in the prison, and the pious psalm and solemn prayer in the church, may be heard at the same time.

The dealers in the bodies and souls of men erect their stand in the presence of the pulpit, and they mutually help each other. The dealer gives his blood-stained gold to support the pulpit, and the pulpit, in return, covers his infernal business with the garb of Christianity. Here we have religion and robbery the allies of each other--devils dressed in angels' robes, and hell presenting the semblance of paradise."
- Fredrick Douglass, Appendix, Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglas
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/lhbcb:@field(DOCID+@lit(lhbcb25385))

Ford, I'm not a christian but I don't think you can say good works doesn't get you into heaven.

There is a debate on that and there is biblical scripture that says it does. Faith without works is empty some have said.

Answer 1

Just as our birth is the beginning of our earthly life, so too is our baptism the beginning of our spiritual life. And just as a baby needs physical nourishment, so do we need spiritual nourishment if we want to grow up and become mature believers.

As Catholics, we understand that sacramental baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is the means by which we are born from above (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1262-1270). Every Easter, in fact, the church asks believers to renew their baptismal promises as a way of reminding ourselves of what it is that we have received and how we have received it. By renewing these promises, too, we have a regular opportunity to embrace and deepen the grace that we received when we were baptized. It is our opportunity to confess that baptism is not the end but the beginning of our faith journey.

Answer 2

because the bible leaves to much open to interprataion that is why there are so many groups of christian religion. unfortunatly no one knows for sure and most people are afraid of two things death and being alone. with out hope that there is life after death and there is some intellagent design causing it all the human race would be afraid of no afterlife and being alone for enternity. no one has it right they just keep guessing. i feel the right belief is to live the best life you can follow your heart and the inner morals within your soul we are all born with them and guilt and confussion often tell us when we have strayed. but then again i could be wrong too. just learn to be the best person you can so karma doesn't come back and bite you in the ***.

Answer 3

Dougals said it very well. good question. I have been pondering that as well.

It's the 2 issues:
1) Good works don't get you into Heaven
2) and Christ was showed a tendency toward humanism by his good works.

Southern Christians don't appear to like humanists, even though Christ helped the sick and the poor.

Answer 4

Just that those out there were at loss with the missing key in planet of apes.
It is a two-way universal communication system of our creator that came with the old and upgraded models in planet of apes.
No batteries is required for operating it in planet of apes.
It's compact and light-weight that function like a time-machine too in planet of apes.
All it require is the missing key to unlock the mystery on the origin of mankind in planet of apes.
Luke 8.17

Answer 5

Because anyone can interprete the bible how ever they want, nothing in the bible is meant to be taken literal, and anyone can twist and turn any part of the bible to make it sound like they are right

Answer 6

the Southern people are closer to the land,therefore more traditional values then the industralized Northrons...its not hard to figure which path each would lean towards..

Answer 7

Simple. Religion is a comfort blanket for those who fear to see.

Each culture will adapt their beliefs to their own comfort zones.