Slave Religion by Albert Raboteau

He attempts to answer a variety of questions regarding bare righteousness in the States, such as what are the tunes of depressed religion in America and what make black religion distinct in slave quarter if, indeed, it was. In light of the lack of exploration into these kinds of questions and the significance of the black church in the lives of slaves and freed blacks, Raboteau (iv) says one of his main purposes in piece the book is "to work on as a rough survey for further, more exhaustive examination of this important subject." The histories of oppressed lot are often written by their oppressors, but Raboteau is sufficient to unearth many original sources and documents and actual slave narratives to fix to piece together the over whole significance of the church in the slave community and beyond.

In the initial chapters of the book, Raboteau explores the various religious customs and practices of slaves who were forced into bondage in this country, ones who were also born-again to Christianity. We get a glimpse of different customs and beliefs, same the strong belief that when an African died they were reunited with friends and family in their land of origin and that if an African died the next somebody born into that family was the same person reincarnated. When American slaves from Africa lost a child, they often buried things with him uniform a small carved boat and other items that would serve him

Raboteau, A. Slave Religion. New York, Oxford Univ. Press, 1978.

Raboteau contends that black slaves from Africa practiced many rituals and life storyual rites that encompassed a transcendent and good-hearted God, but also a belief in legion(predicate) other gods to whom proper sacrifices were made. Polytheistic practices were as much the norm as any monotheistic practices. The author also demonstrates how the rites and rituals from African beliefs were integrated with the Christian ideology blacks were subjected to in America.

Though they whitethorn have been forced into a new country, forced into bondage, take of any rights, abused, and force-fed Christianity, the slaves were able to somehow integrate some of their subjective religious practices into the new religion of Christianity. For example, many African blacks mat up they were inhabited by one of the gods from above or that they were have by them. Raboteau argues that there remained remnants of such beliefs in the black religion formulated by American slaves. For example, the ecstatic behavior of spirit possession common in many African cultures may have been integrated into black religion in America albeit in subtle forms:

The conversion to Christianity of American slaves was carried out with all the zeal and determination of the Christian Crusades. Knowing it was easier to indoctrinate children than elders, a tactic often used by dictators and fascists, those responsible for converting slaves to Christianity rate up schools where children would be taught the Christian Gospel and way of life. In other words, instead of instruction flowing from the elder to the younger, those heart on conversion felt indoctrinating the children would have an impact on the adults. Not all blacks were eager to swallow the new ideology regardless of the tactics used. The following words by Bishop Secker regarding this hatred demonstrate why, but they also show the ethnocentric, prejudiced temper of many of the converters, "Th
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