Why was slavery largely opposed in Europe by Christians and not enlightenment types?

Question

Why was it people like John Newton and not enlightnement people who turned the tide to end slavery in the west

Answer 1

Odd that only two people tried to answer your question, and ignored the inescapable fact that the Christian (and former slave trader) William Wilberforce was mainly responsible for abolishing the slave trade in England.

While it may be true that many slave owners in the U.S. were Christians, so were most of the Absolutists who tried to end it. I never heard of any notable atheists campaigning against slavery. And wasn't the civil rights movement in the U.S. headed by religious, monotheistic people? No atheists heading the Civil Rights movement -- as far as I know.

Answer 2

That is just rubbish.

Following the work of campaigners in the United Kingdom, the Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade was passed by Parliament on March 25, 1807. The act imposed a fine of £100 for every slave found aboard a British ship. The intention was to outlaw entirely the slave trade within the whole British Empire.

The Slavery Abolition Act, passed on August 23, 1833, outlawed slavery itself in the British colonies. On August 1, 1834 all slaves in the British Empire were emancipated, but still indentured to their former owners in an apprenticeship system which was finally abolished in 1838.

Answer 3

Funny I thought the end of slavery happened pretty much exactly in line with the Enlightenment Era, and from the actions of Enlightened thinkers.