Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Chapter Six-Believing and Doubting: "What Means this Carnage?"
Despite countless accounts of southerners losing their faith and questioning the existence of God as a result of the carnage and the South's ultimate failure in the Civil War, why did churches actually grow in the South after the Civil War becoming the foundation of the "Bible Belt" in the twentieth century? If you lived during the end of the Civil War in the South, how do you believe the conflict would have effected your religious beliefs? Why?
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Even though many southerners lost faith, churches grew in the south because people “yearned to know their loved ones were not- even if they were missing or unknown- forever lost.” (180). Religion was a way of reassuring citizens that they would be able to reunite with loved ones even after death. “As Hampton’s wife explained, ‘I suffer all the time about you… if it was not for the great hope I have I never could bear up under the present distress.’” (176). Death served “not so much as a fear but as a promise- of relief, or salvation from war and suffering and of an escape into a better world.” (176). Although many couldn’t comprehend why their god could permit this terrible war, many believed it was his will, that if “death was to be not dreaded but welcomed, it need not challenge God’s fundamental goodness.” (188). Instead of believing in a god, some people sought relief in the form of spiritualism, for it “offered belief that seemed to rely on empirical evidence rather than revelation and faith.” (180). Spiritualists claimed that if “the dead could cause tables to rise, telegraph messages from the world beyond, and even communicate in lengthy statements through spirit mediums an afterlife must exist.” (181). Citizens found many different ways of finding relief from the war’s atrocity, but mainly by turning to god.
ReplyDeleteIf I lived during the end of the Civil War in the south, I would definitely question how a loving god could allow such a horrific war. I’d feel like he betrayed me if he could let so many die and leave myself and so many people heartbroken. I believe I would abandon god because I would feel like he abandoned me.
By the end of the Civil War, the idea of Religion and God had changed dramatically. Churches, however, began to grow by the twentieth century. But why? Men and Women wanted to know they would be with loved ones when they had passed on. As CJ mentioned in his post, "some people sought relief in the form of spiritualism." "I am trying to work out the meaning of this horrible fact, to find truth at the bottom of this impenetrable darkness... Has God forsaken us?" (192-3). Even though so many didn't understand why God had permitted this devastation, they found a sense of hope within churches. "But gradually memories of God's mercies crept over her, and she resolved once again to trust him despite her affliction." (193). It was their safe house which helped them through the pain.
ReplyDeleteIf i had lived and suffered through the end of the Civil War, I would have had questioned my views on God. For have been living in such a religious time, religious ties would be strong. And after experiencing such horrors, I would have felt dull with pain & abandoned. That’s exactly what happened. Everyone felt the loss of their God. Everyone felt the immeasurable pain.
CJ
ReplyDeleteI agree the dramatic effects of the Civil War left people heartbroken. People found relief through spiritualism and religion. They were a grieving process which helped families to move on. They relied on the idea that they would meet their loved ones again. They also needed some to provide and help for that. This was given to the churches. I also agree that I would have questioned a loving god. "I believe I would abandon God because I would feel like he abandoned me." (CJ's Post)
I believe the amount of churches grew in the South after the Civil War, becoming the foundation of the "Bible Belt" in the twentieth century, for multiple reasons. Chief among these is the fact that Southerner’s who did give up their faith discovered that life without it was much more dismal. If God did not exist, what had become of all the Southern fathers, brothers, and sons’ lives that had been mercilessly extinguished by the war? Life without faith simply offered no comfort or justification of the War’s carnage. Also, many believed that the Confederacy’s defeat was simply the “suffering” endured on the road to “redemption”, paralleling the crucifixion of Jesus for the redemption of man kind. For the majority of white southerners, the idea that so many could die for essentially no purpose was nearly impossible to comprehend, thus allowing strong religious affiliations to become much more prevalent after the War.
ReplyDeleteIf I had lived during the end of the Civil War in the South, I believe the conflict would have had a large impact on my religious beliefs. This is because up until that point in history, death had never been seen on such a massive scale in the United States. The idea that so much death could occur, only to produce a Southern defeat, would have been devastating. I do not however, believe that the Civil War would have led me to renounce my faith entirely. I feel that the belief in an after life would have been critical in allowing me to cope with the after-math of the Civil War. While there is no doubt the War would have put tremendous strain on my previous beliefs, I think I would have adjusted my views based on the War’s outcome and attempted to continue to live my life in accordance with those beliefs.
hank hammond
ReplyDeleteIt is true that in the south lost it's faith in God and religion during the war. But since they wanted so much to know of what had become of their loved ones, they kept their faith to ensure their meeting in heaven. Especially after the war religion started kicking up. This is when the Bible Belt started to stretch across the south. This is because, now that the war was over, they were very interested in reuniting with loved ones since the mourning was still going on. I believe that if I was in the war, my belief structure would have changed, as many southerners’ did. Yet I think that my beliefs would have grown. This is because you need religion to help the process of the war go by faster. The war to me would also become easier to fight in and die in because I would have God on my side. This is why and how my religion would have changed if I were to be in the civil war.
hank hammond
ReplyDeleteIn response to Nick Burns
I agree with Nick that the southerner's believed that life would be much more dismal without God in their life. He also said that without God, what would have become of the loved ones if there was no God, so therefore, they followed God and religion. Nick and I sort of have the same view on how the war would alter all religion, except for his would lessen, but not completely. I also agree with that in being a reasonable answer.
I believe that churches actually grew after the Civil War in the South because people needed faith. For all the death and injuries in the war, and to not get the outcome the South wanted, it was clear how people could question God. To believe that no one will go to heaven and you will never see them again would be almost unbearable. The Civil War made "encouraging notions of an afterlife that was familiar and close at hand, populated by loved ones."(180) People almost had to believe in a god and that the atrocity occurred for a reason. They thought that if they believed in God ann heaven then their loved ones would be safe and they would be reunited eventually. People wanted to believe so bad that they thought they spoke to their lost loved ones. One man, William Simms, "believed he had successfully communicated with his dead children."(181) Believing in God instead of thinking there was none because of what happened, gave the South hope in seeing their family again, and knowing they are in a better place.
ReplyDeleteIf I survived the Civil War in the South it would be a hard time for me and everyone else. And even more difficult if a loved one was killed. It makes you wonder if there really is a God and how could he let that happen? I don't think it would be enough to completely deter me from my religion, though. I would definitely question my faith, but having hope is better than having nothing. Hope that my loved one is in a better place, and I would be able to see them again.
Hank Hammond,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you said "they kept their faith to ensure their meeting in heaven." I believe this was a main reason. People thought that if they lost their faith they wouldn't be reunited with their loved ones. The thought of being with their loved ones in the afterlife greatly helped with the mourning and dealing with the grief. I don't believe my religion would have been stronger if I went through that, though. It could help, but just because I'd want to believe doesn't mean I could. I believe my faith would not disappear completely but be strained.
Despite loss of faith in the south after the Civil War, the amount of churches actually grew. Even though southerners may have been upset with the loss of the war, it was more upsetting to think about never seeing their lost loved ones again. Faith and religion had always ensured that they would eventually meet again after death. Religion "...promised relief from that dread void of uncertainty..."(pg.181). Although some people were mad at God for the war, it was hard to live life without him by your side. Also, it was hard for many to believe that their loved ones died for no reason having lost the war. The idea of faith was helpful to console this pain. Many people, whether they wanted to or not, felt a sense of hope inside of churches. More than anything, they longed to find meaning within the loss. Church seemed to help people find the meaning.
ReplyDeleteIf I was a southerner after the Civil War, I think that the conflict would have made my religious beliefs even stronger. I think I would turn to God for comfort. The idea of faith would help me to understand that I would eventually be reunited with my lost loved ones. Like so many others, I would probably spend much time in church for a sense of hope. My faith would most likely be stronger.
Hank,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you say that you believe your faith would become stronger. I also think that a strong faith would help to ease the pain of the war. I would think that an event such as the Civil War should strengthen your faith. It makes life so much more bearable, especially if you have lost someone you love. You are assured that one day you will meet again in heaven.
Although there was a massive amount of damage resulting from the Civil War, the amount of churches grew in the Southern states. This was a direct result of experiences during the war. When many demanded justification for the war’s carnage and an ability to comprehend such a high death toll, “religion remained the most readily available resource” (174). Many Southerners’ faith in God had been shaken because they thought if God was so mighty he would not allow so much suffering. The only way to be able to come to terms with death was the idea that “even if their earthly destiny was beyond their control, they remained the masters of their more important eternal fate” (174). Religion made many people stuck in the middle of the war not fear death; as heaven was depicted as a “more perfect earth” (187) and “negative images traditionally associated with life’s end” (178) were silenced with the promise of reunion with kin in the afterlife. Churches preached to mourners that their loved ones were not fully gone, just “beyond the veil” (180) and “lived on in another, only temporarily inaccessible world” (182). Devout followers of religion went to church to “reconcile themselves to defeat and to find meaning for the slaughter” (192) and to determine “life’s meaning and the very foundations of both belief and knowledge” (193). People yearned to know that their loved ones were in a better place and religion assured that death was nothing to be scared of in a time when it was a regular occurrence.
ReplyDeleteIf I lived in the South during the Civil War, my faith would most definitely be questioned. I would ask exactly what Southerners at the time wanted to know: “Where is God? Is there a God?” (192). If there was a God he would not have allowed so much suffering. The sacrifices during the war would seem completely meaningless as a result of defeat. It wouldn’t make sense for all of those soldiers to die without achieving their purpose. All of the destruction would be hard to justify.
Nick-
ReplyDeleteYou made a very good point when you stated “Life without faith simply offered no comfort or justification of the War’s carnage” and that “the idea that so many could die for essentially no purpose was nearly impossible to comprehend, thus allowing strong religious affiliations to become much more prevalent after the War.” Without faith, mourners could not make any sense of what happened. The only way they could accept such destruction was by the ability to believe that there was a divine purpose behind all losses. If people lost their faith altogether they had no hope left to hold onto and would be unable to comprehend all that resulted from the war. Great way of putting it.
If I am honest with myself I would agree with the book of Job by the end of the war. However that is just me and I haven’t lives through the war perhaps it was gratitude that a man survived when so many did not. Some must have taken that of a sign of god’s hand saving them. Perhaps some just wanted a reason for the death and carnage of the war. Perhaps some had to believe that their lost loved ones were going to heaven. That may have lessened their grief.
ReplyDeletePersonally I am surprised that Christianity survived in America after the land had been razed. I see the survival of Christianity as a testimate to the supreme will or supreme stubbornness of the Christian faith.
The feeling some had about God is said best by Elie Wiesel in his book Night "I concurred with Job I did not deny God's existence, but I doubted His absolute justice." Chapter 3, pg. 42 I hope that nothing so horrible happens to me to make me renounce my faith.
By the end of the Civil War, many people’s faith had been shaken. How could God have let this happen? Many people were questioning if there was even a God. After the war, Southern churches grew due to the strong religious influence that the war had on each individual. People believed that through church was the only way that the families could stay connected to their lost loved ones. Some southerners still were amazed “by God’s mysterious ways in subjecting them to the anguishing losses of war.” (193) Only through the church could people ease the pain and be comforted, amid all the death and destruction that had occurred. Hoping to reconnect with the deceased, some spiritualists performed séances which would allow them to communicate with the dead. This, in some ways, comforted the living by giving them the opportunity to say goodbye to their fallen friends and family members.
ReplyDeleteIf I lived at the end of the Civil War in the South, I believe that my religious beliefs and faith would be shaken a little. I would still believe that there was a God, but my overall trust and faith in Him would be doubted. How could He have let so many young boys and men die? Why did He have to break apart families? I guess the war was part of His plan. With all the death and destruction, I would need Him at that time more than ever if I ever wanted to feel relief from the war’s horrors.
Re: Kendra LaFonte
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement, “Church helped people find the meaning.” At a time with so much death and destruction, nobody could stand to be apart from God. Due to the strong religious influence of the time, people searched for solace in church despite their feelings for Him. The feelings of loss, suffering, and disappointment spread throughout the newly reunited country. The only place that they could take refuge from their feelings was in the sanctuaries of churches.
Despite countless accounts of southerners losing their faith and questioning the existence of God as a result of the carnage and the South's ultimate failure in the Civil War, churches actually grow in the South after the Civil War becoming the foundation of the "Bible Belt" in the twentieth century because of a couple of reasons. I believe that churches actually grow because the soldiers would find out that without faith stuff would be in more dismal, also they could find relief from all the carnage of the Civil War, and if there was no heaven what happened to their fallen comrades. The life was dismal without religion so they would bring back the religion so the churches would grow. Also people would find relief in religion like was said here "some people sought relief in the form of spiritualism."(172). The soldiers that survived the Civil War must have believe in God and heaven because they would fear about where their fallen comrades would go if there was no religion. That is the reasons that despite countless accounts of southerners losing their faith and questioning the existence of God as a result of the carnage and the South's ultimate failure in the Civil War, churches actually grow in the South after the Civil War becoming the foundation of the "Bible Belt" in the twentieth century.
ReplyDeleteNick,
ReplyDeleteYour comment on this question was very good. I like that you said that the biggest reason for the churches to come up more after the Civil War was that there was more dismal. Also sating that if there was no God then where did the fallen soldiers gone. That was a good reason. Saying that there was no relief from the carnage of the Civil War was good. I also like what you if you were around after the Civil War. I agree with that it would affect my religion. You said that you would not entirely give up your religion and that was good. Good job.
Because the south had lost the Civil war, the southerners began to lose their faith in god and questioning the existence of god himself. Surprisingly, the South had built more churches, which might had been the “Bible Belt” of the twentieth century. In the south, religion was a way of say that family members would be reunited with each other even after they had died. Many people could not understand how their very own god had allowed the Civil war to even break out; most southerners had believed that the outbreak of the Civil war was God’s will. Few people had found relief from spiritualism, instead of believing in their God. Many people had different ways to into finding relief from the war’s aftermath, but most had turned to their god for guidance.
ReplyDeleteIf I was living during the Civil War in the South, I would be asking myself “how did God allow this horrible war outbreak in this country.” That would feel as if God had just betrayed me and others that look to him for guidance. For him to allow so many deaths in this country he had left many distraught and heartbroken over the whole situation.
I completely agree with CJ. If I had lived back in the Civil war times, I would abandon my God because he had abandoned me in such a horrific time.
The churches in the south actually grew for several of reasons. One reason is that the southern people could not live without God. After a vast amount of loved one's died under God's will, many began to doubt the power of God. They developed to question the meaning for all this; "found no sure comfort in religion/that doubts as fervently as it believes." (206). Even though they began to question their beliefs, they still found a way to forgive Him for taking their loved ones, and they actually turned to him for guidance. And that became their foundation, as men acted more like animals than humans they realized that life is precious. And no life should be taken for granted. The southerners' redefined their religious beliefs to actually grow after the Civil War.
ReplyDeleteIf I lived during the end of the Civil War in the South, I think that would have been a very difficult struggle. With the constant realization that anybody could be killed that way, would have me questioning my religion. But, with that doubt I would turn to God even more. For only God could get me through such a terrible time. Therefore, as hard as it seems, the Civil War conflict would strengthen my religious beliefs.
Evan
ReplyDeleteI believe I would have reacted very differently than you if we had both lived through the Civil War. I personally feel that my faith in God would have grown stronger. I would have looked to my faith for support and for hope. I would not be able to renounce my faith and accept that more than 600,000 soldiers had been killed without the possibility of an afterlife.
Churches actually grew in the South after the Civil War, becoming the foundation for the "Bible Belt" for a few reasons. The Southerners wanted to find the reason they had so much faith in God before the war, because during the war many people began to doubt that faith. "Confederates would suppress their doubts and return to religious belief and observance." Grace Elmore of South Carolina "struggled to fit her experience into Christian narratives of suffering and redemption." (192) Her experiences of losing two cousins, invaders in her house, and a fire nearby seemed to cause her to have very little trust in God. This loss of trust and doubts caused people to want to go back to church to see what they lost and if they could get it back again.
ReplyDeleteIf I was living during the end of the Civil War in the South, I believe the conflict would have effected my religious beliefs greatly. Like Grace Elmore, I would begin to question my faith. I would look at how so many people could die, I would just be taken aback.
Kendra LaFonte,
ReplyDeleteYou make a good point. Southerners probably went, and spent so much time in church for a sense of hope. It's interesting to me that you would turn to God for comfort when others are thinking how could He let this happen. You are the opposite. I am not saying this is wrong, it's just an interesting view and opposite of many people.
Evan,
ReplyDeleteI have a different point of a view than you as far as your opinion on religion during the Civil War. Even though you would feel abandoned by God, it wouldn't be right for you to completly abandon him. I respect that you have a different opinion about how you would feel, but I would have acted differently. I would want more of God's strength to get me through. Sometimes when you're all alone, God is the only one that is there too guide you.
I believe that churches grew after the twentieth century because people needed a way to connect with thier loved ones in the after life, in heaven. Heaven is associated with religion and thus causing the rise of the "bible belt". People had lost hope and faith that God was on their side and that he was "good". Many people could not understand God's actions and would start to wonder why such a horrible thing could happen.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the conflict would have caused conflict with my beliefs becuase I would question God's reasoning and I would also find myself wondering why he would choose my family to partake in such a horrific event. I would contemplate that if God is supposed to be such a good person then how could he be the cause of all the lost innocent lives.
Danielle Sheehan-
ReplyDeleteI understand that you would turn to God even more after such an ordeal and would look at him for hope and for the good things to come in the future. That is understandable but my only desecretion would be why you wouldn't doubt him and his powers after all the innocent lives lost.
Even though many Southerners lost their faith in God after seeing so many men sacrifice their lives in a war that the South lost. However, many others turned to religion, which I believe created the foundation for the "Bible Belt" in the twentieth century. The main reason people sought faith in God after the war was to reassure themselves that their soldier and them would be reunited in heaven. Also, many people needed a God to get them through such terrible times. With nothing to look forward to, people realized faith and religion could help them understand and guide them through the aftermath of the Civil War.
ReplyDeleteI think I would've been very conflicted living in the South after the Civil War. Initially, I would question how God could let such a horrible thing happen. However, I think I would come to realize I need to trust in God and use faith to help me get through the rebuilding of the South.
During and after the great carnage and pain that the Civil War brought to the South many people lost their faith in God. When you lose as much as Civil War Southerners did I can imagine that many would struggle to accept god as being the truth. However, despite all this, countless Southerners turned to God in their time of anguish and despair thus creating a large spike in the production of churches and therefore the "Bible Belt." The primary reason people turned to god in this time was the hope of reconnecting with loved ones and because they “yearned to know their loved ones were not- even if they were missing or unknown- forever lost.” (180). Many also found refuge in the arms of God during their healing and mourning process for the loss of their loved ones and the loss of their hope for a new union. These were hard times, and in the darkest times the best thing one can do is seek hope and salvation through God.
ReplyDeleteToday I feel that I am strong in my faith, and I really am confident that I wouldn’t lose my faith during that time. However, I don’t know what it’s like to see 600,000 men dead, and I don’t know what it’s like to have my family torn apart from death and dismay, so it’s hard for me to know where I would stand if this type of pain occurred today. However, I would like to think that my faith would grow and be stronger because I know that I can always turn to him and I’m confident that I would be able to stay strong with God and in God.
The churches grew because the people, even though they may have lost some faith, wanted to believe in an after life. The thought of heaven, a perfect paradise, as a way to be connectedd with their lost loved ones. They wanted to believe in it so they can one day be reunited with their fallen kin. I cant say what my persinal religous faith would do if I lived in the tim of the civil war because I havent met the disfourtuneof liveing through something like that. I would hope that my faith would be strong enough to hold through it.
ReplyDeleteIn Response to CJ
ReplyDeleteYou say that you would "question how a loving god could allow such a horrific war," but we need to remember that god doesn’t create war. He placed us on this earth with intentions that we would love him, and he trusted that, and gave us every freedom he could give. God has a plan for every individual on earth, and whether we follow that plan and search for that plan through god is up to us. We are not his puppets; we are completely free which makes him such a great and loving god. He didn't start the Civil War; Americans of that time did. We have to remember that.
Churches grew in the South during and after the Civil War for many reassons. Well first reasson was many Southerners were losing there faith because of how the war was turning out. Also when General Sherman of the union army devastated the south by demonstrating "Total War", which layed a path of destruction in the south. An many people lost everything and they turned to their faith to comfort them during these times. The next reasson was that many people strived for a good death and to religously reunite with their loved ones who have lost their lives. I don't think this would have much effect on my faith in anyway I would actually be more focused on the war but i think thats the Bible Belt expanded across the south the way it did.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Evan
ReplyDeleteI thought your reassoning was very interseting and I'm neither agreeing or disagreeing with you but I thought it was a good point on how you said how could god have let this carnage happen. I might have asked the same thing if my faith was stronger during those times. But thats war it happens and many people think the same thing.
Many Southerners began to question and lose their faith in God during the Civil War. This is very understandable considering the fact that they were losing entire families. Brothers, fathers, grandfathers, cousins, and uncles were slain on the battlefields. As Mark Miller pointed out, after General Sherman laid waste to the South by practicing "Total War" it is no question on why the South's faith was shaken. However, despite this devastation, churches in the South grew and spread, developing the Bible Belt. One of the reasons is people didn't want to think of their relatives as "forever lost", but rather that they were "just beyond the veil". People also sought comfort, refuge, and reassurance with God during these hard times of mourning and despair.
ReplyDeleteIf it were me during the end of the Civil War, I am honestly not sure how I would react. Personally, I do not have an extremely strong relationship with God so I believe that my faith would most likely become shaken. However, I do not think I would completely lose faith in God because despite the devastation God continues to perform miracles.
During the Civil War, “religion defined the values and assumptions of most mid-nineteenth-century Americans.” (172). the belief in God and heaven was present in almost every home. The Civil War, with all the death and suffering it had caused, made them wonder what kind of a God would allow so much death. Many “…confronted doubts about the very foundation of their faith.” (188). But many clung to their faith. “Loss demanded an explanation that satisfied hearts as well as minds.” (174). I think churches actually grew because the Civil War was so gruesome; no one could explain or understand it. Many couldn’t even find their lost loved ones on the battlefield, and if they didn’t believe that the dead were in a better place even after death, it would have been unbearable. “…the Good Death made both dying and mourning easier.” (175).
ReplyDeleteMany also wanted the assurance that the dead weren’t gone forever, just out of reach for now. Many even held séances to see their dead again, even if it was in another form. They just wanted to know that the slain were not truly lost. Some tried to describe or picture heaven. What people seemed to have wanted the most was an “…eternal family reunion…” (180). Many pictured it as “more perfect Earth.” (189).
Many struggled with their faith and some denied it altogether, but many couldn’t deal with the possibility that there was no God and no hope in seeing the fallen again. “Surrender made war’s sacrifices seem purposeless; losses would remain unredeemed; southern fathers, brothers, and sons had not died that a nation might live.” (192). Cornelia McDonald described “…lying immobile on a sofa through ‘dreadful hours of unbelief and hopelessness. But gradually memories of God crept over her, and she resolved once again to trust in Him…” (193).
If I was living during this time, I would have questioned my faith. I would have wondered why a God that was full of love would have let so many die. It would have been unbearable. I think the assurance of heaven and seeing those that had died would have given me a little bit of hope and comfort, but living through such a war would be devastating.
Chris-
ReplyDeleteYou made an excellent point when you said "Initially, I would question how God could let such a horrible thing happen. However, I think I would come to realize I need to trust in God and use faith to help me get through the rebuilding of the South." This is also part of the mourning process. At first I think people doubted God because they were in shock and disbelief. However, once people began to accept the tragedy they allowed God back into their lives and went to him for comfort rather than blaming him.
Matt,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your post and I think I would have reacted in the same way. I would have wondered how God could let all the devastation occur, but I would also need him like you said more than ever at that time. The thousands that died was unimaginable and I would have had to lean on my faith to get me through.
Mark Miller-
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you said that many people turned to their faith as a source of comfort, and that they strived for a good death and to religiously reunite with their lost loved ones. I know many people who would do the exact same thing during a tough time like the Civil War as a source of comfort and to reunite with the dead.
During the Civil War, there were many accounts of Southerners losing their faith and questioning the existence of God. Because of all the death, "The force of loss left even many believers unable to abandon lingering uncertainties about God's benevolence" (page 193). However, after a period of doubt, many Americans "would suppress their doubts and return to religious belief and observance" (page 193). One reason for this is that Americans looked towards their faith as a comfort during the hard times, and "Some historians have argued that, in fact, only the widespread existence of such beliefs made acceptance of the Civil War deaths possible" (page 175). Americans also hoped to be religiously reunited with lost loved ones, causing churches to grow in the South. During all the chaos, "Religion remained the most readily available explanatory resource, even as it was challenged by rapid cultural and intellectual change", and "In the face of war's slaughter, mid-nineteenth-century religion promised that there need be no death" (page 174). This implies that if there need be no death, families and friends could reunite with lost ones in some sort of religious heaven.
ReplyDeleteIf I lived during the end of the Civil War in the South, I don't think this conflict would have reflectred my religious beliefs at all. I think that I would have been more focused on the war, and since my family is not religious, it wouldn't have had much of an impact on me.
Many southerners lost faith towards the end of the civil war because one in five of the white military aged men in the south was killed in the civil war. They didnt know why God would want them to have so many afflictions. A confederate poet and novelist said "How does God have the heart to allow it?" The reason that churches actually grew however, was that since so many confederate soldiers died, their families needed to know that there was an afterlife even more than ever. If I had lived in the time of the civil war, I think that i would have reacted the same way most southerners did. I would have started to lose my faith, and then probably realized that now was when I needed the church more than ever.
ReplyDeleteIn Response to Mikayla Greenwell
ReplyDeleteI also would have wondered why a "God so full of love would have let so many die" And I agree that living through such a war would have been devastating. I dont think that there was anyone who didnt know someone who was killed in the war,and so it was difficult all around.
Although many southerners lost their faith and were questioning God and his existence as a result of the carnage and the South’s failure in the Civil War, churches in the South actually grew. Eventually, the South became the foundation for the Bible Belt within’ the twentieth century. I believe this is because the Civil War and it’s aftermath “became a profound test of faith,” (190) for Confederates. Many people from the South’s faith was shaken due to such great loss within’ the war. Several months after the war, “most former Confederates would suppress their doubts and return to religious belief and observance,” (193) which made churches grow dramatically.
ReplyDeleteIf I had lived during the end of the Civil War in the South, I believe the conflict would have greatly affected my religious beliefs. Because of all the uncertainty the war and its carnage brought forth to the American people, I have no doubt that my faith would have wavered as well. On page 193, Faust said, “The force of loss left even many believers unable to abandon lingering uncertainties about God’s benevolence.” A crisis such as the long lasting and deadly war would bring forth many questions of God’s true intentions. In the end I would remember Lincoln’s statement, that “God has his own purposes,” (190) and that everything happens for a reason.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIn response to erin:
ReplyDeleteIt is true that, as you said, "People... sought comfort, refuge, and reassurance with God during these hard times of mourning and despair." I agree that all those things could be provided by the church in their time of need, and that attending their church would help console the near inconsolable. Woes of the battlefield could surely be addressed in this house of religion, which is most likely the reason why churches grew dramatically in the South during time after the war.
I believe that the number of churces located in the south increased after the war, despite the fact that many had been caused to distrust their faith after so much had been lost in this conflict, because of one main reason. Southerners were confused and even came to doubt whether the God they worshiped was a God of righteousness because it was hard for them to comprehend why so many of their people had died and they still left the war defeated. These qualms made the people of the South feel disbelief towards their faith and made some of them evade their religious life. This did not last very long, though, because after only little time they realized that without religion it was more difficult to understand why the Civil War had caused so much carnage and they wanted to believe that all of the soldiers who were killed would move on to a better life. Such realizations were the ones which forced the number of churches in the South after the Civil War to rise, becoming the foundation for the "Bible Belt". The families just wanted to feel that their relatives had died for a reason and that they would one day be reunited in the after life.
ReplyDeleteHad I lived in the South during this time of crisis I believe that the war's carnage and ending result would have surely impacted my religious faith tremendously. This costly war and any losses that I might have been faced with would have caused be to doubt whether God was really just and it would have been complex to understand why he had allowed all that tragedy and still let us be defeated. I do not think that the war would have completely taken my faith away but its impact on my beliefs would have been big.
Jacob,
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said about it being hard to know what the Southerners during the Civil War felt because most of us do not know "what it’s like to see 600,000 men dead" and it is hard to guess in a precise way what kind of impact something like this could have on our faith. Many of us also do not know what it feels like to witness our family being "torn" apart by something like war and, therefore, it would be difficult to imagine what effects living in the South during those times would have truly had on us and our religous beliefs.
During the war, I believe both sides question the belief in thier religion and thier god. But after the war, chruches grew and the "Bible Belt" became. I believe this happened because after the Civil War, people needed some think to go to for help, they needed faith. That is how the South became the foundation of the "Bible Belt".
ReplyDeleteIf I lived at this time, my faith would be questional. However, I don't believe I would lose faith in God. I believe that all things happen for a reason and that God has his ways. Everything such as something beautiful like love all the the way to something such as brutal as the Civil War.
I agree with Erick when he talks about how after the Civil War many people were confused and finally realized that life without religion just is not the same as it was in the past. Erick states,"The families just wanted to feel that their relatives had died for a reason and that they would one day be reunited in the after life." That is exactly how I would feel if I was a family member of a fallen soldier.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Larissa,
ReplyDeleteI agree, “If there was a god he would not have allowed so much suffering”. Although the war took place due to the nation’s conflicting views, it seems that if a loving god existed he would’ve done something to forbid the misery that millions of Americans were put through. As others have stated, I don’t think people could’ve comprehended the war if religion wasn’t in play; they “yearned to know that their loved ones were in a better place” and relied on it to help them overcome the agony.
After the North won the war, many Southerners began to question their religious beliefs. However, churches in the South began to expand. This was because the Southerners wanted to be assured that they would be reunited with their loved ones in death.
ReplyDeleteIf I had lived during the Civil War era, I think my faith would have been weakened, but I do not think I would loose my faith completely.
Amy Bowman
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you say that everything happens for a reason. Even though the war was terrible, it ended slavery, which was reason enough for the war in the first place.
By the end of the civil war the idea of religion and god had changed drastically. Many southerners had lost their faith and belief in god because of the enormous sacrifice and overall fall of the south. But after that, the southerners believed that “God chastened those he loved.” (p. 192). Which gave them something to believe in.
ReplyDeleteI think if I was alive during the end of the Civil war my beliefs would have been shaken at their very foundations seeing this kind of chaos and destruction.
Churches grew in the South after the Civil War for several reasons. Although, the war caused some people in the South to lose faith in god, churches grew because people needed god the most at that time. They wanted to make sure that they would go to heaven and be reunited with their loved ones. “Many bereaved Americans…were unwilling to wait until their own deaths reunited them with their lost kin, and they turned eagerly to the more immediate promises of spiritualism,” (180). They also joined “regular spirit circles” in hopes of “communicating with the dead.”
ReplyDeleteIf I had lived in the South during the Civil War I think I would seriously question my faith in god. Southerners believed that God was on their side during the war. If that was true, I would wonder how God would allow so many people to be killed. Ultimately, I think I would understand that I need God in my life to help me get through the troubles and lead me to solace.
Although many Southerners had lost their level of faith they had possessed before the war, they still believed because of the comfort faith provided them about their lost loved ones. They yearned to know what became of their dead. The belief that their dead relatives simply didn’t exist anymore was too much for many people. To cope with this, churches expanded, along with other things, such as spirit circles, in hope of enlightening the mysteries of death.
ReplyDeleteIf I had lived as a southerner at the time, i would heavily question my faith. The thought that god was on my side would be the main reason. Why would God allow us to fail in this war and die in such massive numbers if he was on our sides. They thought of god forsaken me would definitely cross my mind. Despite these thoughts, I would maintain my faith for I would need the sole comfort faith provided when pondering the deaths of my relatives.
Brent-
ReplyDeleteI agree with your post. Numerous southerners lost faith in god after the war, but ultimately they came to believe that "god chastened the ones he loved." This belief allowed many to maintain their faith. I strongly agree with you that seeing the death and pure chaos would shake people down to the core of their beliefs.
Churches grew in the South after the war because people needed something to escape from their grief. With untold destruction, and countless dead, the situation in the South looked bleak. The world had turned upside down. People needed something to look forward to, a happy goal that brought their lives out of the gloominess and fire from which they were stuck in. With religion people are promised redemption and help, and that is just what they needed.
ReplyDeleteIf I were in this situation, I probably wouldn't believe in religion due to the amount of pain I would have had. God would have probably simply vanished from my life.
ReplyDeleteFarmer,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with how you would feel. It would be hard to turn to a religion that had seemed to turn it's back to you. Its hard to imagine such a depressing time period.
In response to Brian Bower
ReplyDeleteI see where you are coming from when you said, "I probably wouldn't believe in religion due to the amount of pain I would have had. God would have probably simply vanished from my life." I understand that it would seem like God abandoned you when you needed it most. However, I think I would take a different approach and look to God for guidance and assistance. I would have to trust in God and hope he is there for me.
It seems a strange phenomenon that horrible grief, loss, and senseless suffering, tends to bring out very extreme feelings towards God. Some people become extremely hostile to God blaming Him for their suffering. Other people become more passionately devoted to God because He is all they have left. I don’t think it is incongruous at all that many Southerners lost their faith after the war, while the faith of many others grew. People process the terrible crises, losses, and suffering of their lives differently and views of God can radically change as people live through these crises.
ReplyDelete“Northerners were reinforced in their conviction that lives had not been lost in vain . . .” while “Confederates confronted what for many became a profound test of faith.” (190) This is why churches expanded in the South after the Civil War. Experiencing a far greater loss than the North did, the South had a greater need for the condolence of religion. Building churches was the South’s way of handling the thought of the 260,000 dead the Civil War left them. The people of the South needed to find “meaning for the slaughter” (192). Some passages in the book suggest that some of those who lost their faith eventually recovered it again. "But gradually memories of God's mercies crept over her, and she resolved once again to trust him despite her affliction." (193) For this reason, there was a dramatic growth of churches in the South in the years after the Civil War. They needed to create additional churches to regain their faith. The growth of the churches represented a growth of religion.
Changes in religious faith as a result of crises were not unique to Southern whites. Consider the slaves themselves, uprooted from their families, culture, and religions in Africa to work long and horrible days in the hot cotton fields of an unknown world; and many of them later become Baptists. Suffering changes a person’s view of God, often in very extreme ways. Perhaps it is not logical then, but it is explainable that the 19th century sufferings in the South would give birth to the “Bible-belt” in the 20th century.
I ask myself the question of would I have done so and so . . . more than I should. It was the same when I studied the Holocaust. I could not comment then on whether or not I would have been able to believe in God after the devastation that World War II produced and I cannot comment now on how living in the South during the Civil War would have affected my own religious beliefs. The fact of the matter is that I was not there; nor will I ever be to find out. I would like to think I could have held on to them despite having lost my loved ones in such senselessly tragic ways. But without having actually lived through the war, I really don’t know how I would have handled it.
RE: Golight
ReplyDeleteYou wrote, “they could find relief from all the carnage of the Civil War.” This is exactly the point that I was trying to make. Like I said, the growth of the churches represented a growth of religion. The Northerners had their victory as relief from the carnage, the Southerners created their churches for relief; “relief in religion”, you put it. You wrote a great paragraph on why the churches grew in the South after the Civil War, even when they suffered such traumatic losses. It was because of those losses that the churches grew! And you recognize that!
At the end of the war Southerners did find themselves questioning god, "Even the most devout struggled to reconcile themselves to defeat and to find the meaning for the slaughter."(192) They began to wonder what kind of god, who was supposed to be loving, would create such devastation and mourning. But on the other hand, god had been one of the biggest part of most of their lives. They thought, if there was no god, what happened to our soldiers, or loved ones? So in order to the death of their loved ones, churches grew and more people than ever joined them.
ReplyDeleteIf I were a southerner toward the end of the war i would be devastated that my way of life had ended and my country had lost a war, with many casualties. I would definitely question the presence of a god.
The reason for churches actually growing in the South after the Civil War and becoming the foundation of the "bible belt" in the twentieth century was that people "yearned to know their loved ones were not, even if they were missing or unknown, forever lost."(180) Religion was there for them, and a way for them to "reunite" with loved ones after they passed away. In simpler words they wanted to know that they would be with their loved ones even though they passed away. Churches gave them a sense of hope after all the grief and davastation brought upon them.
ReplyDeleteMy views on God would definatly have changed and altered if i had lived and experienced the difficult times of the Civil War. I probaly would have been much more religous because having suffered and grieved over lost relatives, I would want some type of connection or bond with them, one that religion could help me with.
In response to Sevan Strait
ReplyDeleteI cannot agree with you more when you say, "If I were a southerner toward the end of the war i would be devastated that my way of life had ended and my country had lost a war, with many casualties." I think many wondered how so many people could die when god was supposedly on their side.
Although the south lost its faith during the war, the number of churches in the south grew after the war because family member and friends wanted to reunite with loved ones through Christ. This was the beginning of the Bible Belt. Southerners felt that if there were a God, then how could he let such a thing happen to everything he had created, and questioned his presence.
ReplyDeleteIf i lived during the Civil War, i feel as though my faith would only become stronger because i would need it to help me through the hard times of war and to become closer to my family and friends off at war.
Kurtis-
ReplyDeleteYour quote, "I probaly would have been much more religous because having suffered and grieved over lost relatives, I would want some type of connection or bond with them, one that religion could help me with." Showed me a new perspective. Although I thought it would make me less religious, I have to agree that religion could help create a "connection" to lost relatives.
Sevan-
ReplyDeleteI can definitely see where youre coming from when you say that you would question the presence of god, but i feel that you would also want to keep your faith strong for what youre going through. Many people believe that God does these awful things for a reason..
Matt
ReplyDeleteI agree that the church war a place that the south could pour their grief and take solace in gods mysterious ways perhaps it is a simple way to busy yourself and find a reason for the carnage and the horror of war as Sherman simply puts it "war is hell" that is the plain truth of the matter perhaps now that the soldiers had seen hell they could believe in heaven. That’s what I think anyway.
The reason for churches actually growing in the South after the Civil War and becoming the foundation of the "bible belt" in the twentieth century was that people wanted to know that they would be with their loved ones when they have passed. Chuch gave the people a sense of hope. They also wanted to know how and why God would let this go on and let his childern fight in such a war that created such a horrific conflict.
ReplyDeleteIf i lived in the Civil War i believe that my faith would be very timid and yet stronger. I am not a religious person but back then religion was everything. I think that I would become more religous because I would want the connection with my loved one and want someone to help me through the grief.
I agree with Katie because I have a hard time with loosing people and I think that the church would help me find a sense of help. I think that it would help me know that they are looking over me and are waiting for me.
ReplyDeleteEven though many southerners lost faith churches still grew because the families who suffered losses wanted to know that even if they were lost they would never be forever lost. So many people went to churches to know that their loved ones would always be there with them. Also many people realized that without church, life seem to become more and more meaningless drawing many people back. I think that if I lived during the end of the civil war my views on god would change dramatically. I would wonder how god could let such vile things happen. But with the war we became a nation that is united so I would probably have my faith restored because maybe god planed it all out.
ReplyDeleteNick Burns
ReplyDeleteI agree that the Civil war would have a large impact on my life but that dose not mean I would renounce it totally. I also agree that it was a new thing for people to see so much death and that probably affected them greatly. Also, that belief in an after life would help me greatly with being able to cope with the after-math of the civil war.