this portrait of Frederick Douglass—an escaped slave who had become a lauded speaker, writer, and abolitionist agitator—is a striking exception. Northeastern Ohio was a center of abolitionism prior to the Civil War, and Douglass knew that this picture, one of an astonishing number that he commissioned or posed for, would be seen by ardent supporters of his campaign to end slavery. Douglass was an intelligent manager of his public image and likely guided Miller in projecting his intensity and sheer force of character. As a result, this portrait demonstrates that Douglass truly appeared “majestic in his wrath,” as the nineteenth-century feminist Elizabeth Cady Stanton observed.
“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. Never was there a clearer case of “stealing the livery of the court of heaven to, serve the devil in.”" - Frederick Douglass
That Christianity of the land, of the South, never went away. Fredrick Douglass is only like 5~ generations away from us today and many churches have never changed from being corrupt and wicked and bad. Denying food to people cutoff by food stamps, closing their giant stadiums during floods, using their God’s name to get their congregation to buy them a new private jet, and are right now, using the literal actual (orange) depiction of sloth and gluttony to hurt “the people he needs to be hurting” for them. They still celebrate their kills and there’s been a surge of lynchings of black and brown folk.
On a less dreadful note, I know one of Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s descendants! I forget how many grands- there are in her lineage, but she is my favorite modern day feminist, the most badass woman I’ve ever met and am glad to call a friend!
https://www.artic.edu/artworks/145681/frederick-douglass
“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. Never was there a clearer case of “stealing the livery of the court of heaven to, serve the devil in.”" - Frederick Douglass
That Christianity of the land, of the South, never went away. Fredrick Douglass is only like 5~ generations away from us today and many churches have never changed from being corrupt and wicked and bad. Denying food to people cutoff by food stamps, closing their giant stadiums during floods, using their God’s name to get their congregation to buy them a new private jet, and are right now, using the literal actual (orange) depiction of sloth and gluttony to hurt “the people he needs to be hurting” for them. They still celebrate their kills and there’s been a surge of lynchings of black and brown folk.
On a less dreadful note, I know one of Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s descendants! I forget how many grands- there are in her lineage, but she is my favorite modern day feminist, the most badass woman I’ve ever met and am glad to call a friend!
That’s an incredible quote. I still need to read more Douglass. Thank you!
Also, nice turn toward the positive there at the end.