Natasa Misic -- Journal Entry 2

Natasa Misic—Journal Entry 2

Christianity

In this narrative Christianity plays a great part throughout the entire text. The main reason is that the people in the story are suffering discrimination and slavery at its lowest and worst point and they seem to have to have faith that God or a higher power will save them from their sorrows and that the evil people will be served justice at death. I am very surprised by the amount of quotations of the bible and different laws that are in the text but since the text was written after the actual story happened those could be looked up and it was typical in the writings of that time period.

Christianity has a different meaning to many people. One would be that it is a way of life or the way of God. Some people follow religion very strictly while others don’t. To be a Christian means to believe in a higher power such as God and follow the way of life God would want one to, such as be good to other people and treat them as you would want to be treated. People that have lived hard lives usually believe that once they pass God will give them eternal happiness in heaven.

In the book of Uncle Sam’s Cabin biblical references are used to show how abolitionists defended their view on helping slaves. Mrs. Bird a nice, gentle woman stood up to her husband and said that he nor the law will keep her from helping a poor slave because “the laws of God means more then the laws of man” and she felt that nothing could stand between her and what God wants her to do. In the case of Mrs. Bird I believe the text is engaging in “genuine belief” because she is a true believer in God and Christianity and even at a time where women didn’t have much of a voice she stood up for what she believed in.

In the narrative “Running a thousand miles for freedom” there are several biblical citations and passages as well. One that really struck me is on page 9: “There is, however, great consolation in knowing that God is just, and will not let the oppressor of the weak and the spoiler of the virtuous, escape unpunished here and hereafter.” To me this quote summarizes what I mentioned earlier that most of the people who have been slaves do believe there is a just God and that is all knowing and when the times comes the good will be awarded and the bad punished. In conclusion, I find that both of the texts are engaging in genuine believes and they explore what it means to be a true believer of faith.