Harriet Beecher Stowe illustrates the classic paradigm of how a single text can be used to both defend and criticize an issue or practice. In this case, passengers on the boat use the Bible to alternately defend and to rebuke the practice of slavery. Slave owners saw themselves as good Christians and as morally upright in their practice of slavery. Were they justified in believing as they did? Use the quoted and alluded to Biblical passages that Stowe used in Uncle Tom's Cabin and evidence from Uncle Tom's Cabin, itself, to defend your argument.
41 Comments
william
2/18/2016 09:41:39 am
No. they were ignorant to have believed that they were morally upright in they're dealings with slaves. Because they ownership of a fellow human as a piece of replaceable farm equipment is morally wrong. The slaves were treated as far less than human and beaten for even the least of offenses.
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Ingalls
2/18/2016 11:21:55 am
Evidence? Re-read the question.
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Emily Groseclose
2/18/2016 09:42:46 am
In my opinion, not everything can be justified by the bible. There are some things that are good that encourage kind behavior, but something like slavery could never be justified by anything. The bible doesn't even refer to the race... Canaan is in reference to Noah's grandson, Canaan, who is the son of Ham. Noah curses his grandson, Canaan, to be enslaved. He does not curse an entire race. What makes the man think that this is what the scripture means, I really don't know. Canaan was a region around Israel a long time ago, which could be the reason, but even then, that's the middle east. They aren't African. I feel like maybe white men used anything they could back then to justify slavery, and the bible was one of those things, though the bible didn't actually relate to slavery. Even if it did, I don't think slavery could be justified anyway.
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Wyatt
2/18/2016 10:03:55 am
I agree, the Bible often leads people in the right direction, but doesn't always have reason for happenings like slavery.
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Dylon
2/18/2016 11:59:46 am
You make some pretty good points and I agree with you. People used what they can to say what they wanted even if it was or wasn't true.
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Layne H
2/18/2016 12:30:09 pm
Historically, people have always 'bent' the truth to make it seem as if they are correct. Look at mainstream media: any interviews or video-snippets that they use are almost always edited or twisted to make the point align with what the news wants you to see. This is no different than quoting a bible verse out of context to meet the needs of an argument.
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St. Gavin the Dragonslayer
2/18/2016 09:50:19 am
I believe that the use of these verses are not justifiable, both in the context and true meaning. With the New Testament, the Old Testament was basically set aside. So, the use of the Old Testament, the harsher of the two, to justify the actions of people to their fellow man is not right, just, or without sin. Tom, having read only the New Testament, feels the love and compassion for his fellow man, white and black, and understand the unjust use of the Old Testament. Even if Canaan was cursed to be a slave, Jesus forgave everyone, and died for everyone's sins, no matter the race or religion.
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Shelley Grace
2/18/2016 09:53:46 am
I agree, race or religion doesn't matter in the end. We're all the same, at the end of the day -> human beings.
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loodachris
2/18/2016 12:28:26 pm
I agree, when people think of the bible, they think of the new testament, which states to love thy fellow man. and the slave owners weren't following the new testament.
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Shelley Grace
2/18/2016 09:50:40 am
Slave owners believed they could own slaves and still be "good Christians" which could be as right as it is wrong. I'm not all that religious, so I don't know much about anything biblical, but I'm almost 100% positive that it doesn't say people are able to own another person. It isn't morally right to believe you have the right to own another human being. Slave owners should've sat down and thought about what they would be forced to live like, had they been born a slave. I am a strong believer in karma, so honestly, I think the only thing that would justify a slave owner is for the slave owners to be the slaves of the poor humans they were 'working', at least for a little while. It was cruel and unfortunately that was life back then, I would call it unusual punishment, but it wasn't all that unusual for people back in the 1800s.. "And now you'll save yerself the trouble, won't ye? said the tall man. "See what 't is, now, to know scripture. If ye'd only studied yer Bible, like this yer good man, ye might have know'd it before, and saved ye a heap o' trouble. Ye could jist have said, 'Cussed be' -- what's his name? -- 'and 't would all have come right'." 'A tall, slender young man.. broke in, and repeated the words, "'All things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so unto them'. I suppose that is scripture as much as 'Cursed be Canaan.'" The tall, slender young man I agree with. Slave owners, honestly, shouldn't have thought themselves to be saints when they were really just horrible humans. Human beings were given their rights, all the same, no matter the skin color, sex, or race of the being. Humans were all made the same way and we're all here, living on this Earth that we were born on. Everyone should be able to keep their rights, no matter what you look like, that honestly really shouldn't matter. At the end of the day, we're all the same in spirit and thought.
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LoodaChris
2/18/2016 09:55:23 am
The slave said that they were justified by the bible to, own and control others like livestock. Slaves were bought, sold, and traded for the plantations and farms of the wealthy. The slave owners, and traders didn't treat the slaves like humans, in fact, in the passage that we read of " Uncle Toms cabin" the slaves are referred to as " creatures". The slaves were not "creatures" they were people, no different than the slave traders and owners except one thing, the color of their skin. In fact, many people still do discriminate because of the color of someones skin. Some people are still racist in today's culture, in the society that is made up of people from all over the world. so, I think that the slave owners were not justified, by any means, to own, buy, sell, or trade other human beings.
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Billy
2/18/2016 12:27:22 pm
I agree on how there are racial problems still today
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Blake
2/18/2016 10:05:23 am
I believe that in this case both party's are correct. I say this because because the bible is interpenetrated on many different levels. There is no right nor wrong way to read and interpret the bible. It can be translated into lots of different meanings witch they are stating with the slave holder Vs. the people that are against it. I believe the bible is translated by the one that is holding the scrips and reading it. along with that there is many different meaning in the bible like i said before. Its like tomato tomato it is spelled the same but could be translated two different ways.... in this case tomato tomato has the same meaning but in the bible it to has different translations but different manning to different people. Everyone has the right to believe in things in there own ways. But in my own opinion as i read Uncle Toms Cabin the slaves were referred to as creatures. In no way are they creatures and therefor i believe its wrong that they have slavery and the bible is against it. At the same time the people of that time didn't see the black as human beings so the interpreted the bible that way. So in that case its all about how you interpreted the scrips.
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BiLlY
2/18/2016 10:08:02 am
I dont think that they were in the right for the way they punished their slaves. The quote that he uses says that Canaan was cursed to become a slave. What was hard for slave owners to understand was, slaves were human beings just like them. The owners would also consider themselves good religious people because they thought punishing people almost to death was a good way to know that they messed up. Slavery was a horrible and dark part of our American history and the sad part is there are still racial barriers between races in todays society.
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Abbigail
2/18/2016 10:08:14 am
In Leviticus it states"As for your male and female slaves whom you may have: you may buy male and female slaves from among the nations that are around you. You may also buy from among the strangers who sojourn with you and their clans that are with you, who have been born in your land, and they may be your property. You may bequeath them to your sons after you to inherit as a possession forever. You may make slaves of them, but over your brothers the people of Israel you shall not rule, one over another ruthlessly." But it also states in Colossians "Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven." So this is stating that slavery is just as long as you treat them as property, but as lovely as they can be treated. Stowe makes the unjust part of slavery pop out "Those poor creatures!" "And they've got chains on." This points out the unjust of slavery. Yes there was horror, but what about the people who loved the slaves like they were their own family. This is when Haley is unjust because they are treated as unwanted items. The mother lost her child and in turn lost her life.
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Ingalls
2/18/2016 11:28:02 am
So would "good" slave owners be justifiable? I am familiar with the passages you are citing, and it seems as though slavery is "ok" as long as the owners are respectful; however, I cannot rationalize any situation where I think it would be ok to own another person. If the Bible is divine, does that mean God is wrong?
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2/18/2016 10:10:33 am
I believe they were not justified in the eyes of God to own slaves. I believe they used the words of the bible and twisted their originally intended meaning to fit their needs. They wanted to feel good about owning slaves and needed a clear conscience so they used scripture to sort of "soothe" their minds about everything. After a few generations, that's just what almost everyone believed. Their fathers told them the scripture which is what they grew up to believe and so on and so on. You can use scripture to fit almost any situation, and that's what I believed what happened. "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so unto them.", was the scripture used in the paragraph used to justify slavery.
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Mason
2/18/2016 10:13:44 am
I agree, and at the time of the bible slavery was already a big thing, therefore it was included in the bible. The bible never really stated if it was right or wrong, it was just a part of life.
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Harley
2/18/2016 10:22:56 am
I agree, people twist scripture to fit their situation or support their argument all the time. I also agree that it was important for them to have a clear conscience about it,
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loodachris
2/18/2016 12:30:52 pm
I agree
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Logan
2/19/2016 09:28:31 am
You make a great point. I think that people can misinterpret or even manipulate the words of the Bible. I feel that if they were read the whole book, then they would have got the message that they should not have slaves.
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Hunna
2/19/2016 10:09:26 am
I actually wrote about the same thing. I agree that they would take words out of the bible and twist them around to fit their needs.
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Mason H
2/18/2016 10:11:16 am
Stowe's “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” is a classic paradigm that both defends and criticizes an issue, which was in this case slavery. The passengers of the boat alternately defend and rebuke the practice of slavery, saying things like, “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be” and “there’s differences in parsons, an’t there? ‘Cussed be Canaan’ don’t seem to go down with this ‘un does it?” Slave owners often thought of themselves as “good Christians” and were morally upright in their practice of slavery, such as Tom who found himself as a good Christian. I believe this is so because in the Bible there is not much said about how slavery is bad, in fact it was a very common practice in the Bible. It dealt less with if slavery is good or not, and focused more on how the slaves and slave masters should act and treat one another. So in the eyes of the slave owners they weren't really doing anything wrong it was just a common part of life. This is why at the conclusion of Stowe's novel she asks for a reformation of the Christian church, in order to do its duty to those who were enslaved and spare them from what some people of the church considered a sin, slavery. “In Ramah there was a voice heard, -weeping, and lamentation, and great mourning; Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted.”
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Harley
2/18/2016 10:21:22 am
In “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” by Harriet Beecher Stowe, characters use the Bible as justification of slavery. The first man claims that the Bible supports slavery by quoting Genesis 9:25, “Cursed be a Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be.” A different character responds with a quote from Matthew, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you. . .” So even if the first quote was to be used as a defendable argument, people need to consider everything that the Bible says about slavery, not just what supports their point of view. For example, Galatians 5:1 says, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” When using that Genesis quote, we have to consider the actual history behind it; Noah cursed his grandson, Canaan to be enslaved. People had no real justification of slavery from the Bible, and what they used was one quote that wasn’t even legitimate.
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Ingalls
2/18/2016 11:37:04 am
How is this a twisting of scripture? It's pretty clear in the Bible that slavery is condoned and is fact codified--Deuteronomy, Ephesians, and Colossians all give rules for how to treat slaves. Exodus and 1 Timothy condemn kidnapping people into slavery and slave trading, but slavery as a broad practice is never condemned.
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Hayden
2/18/2016 10:24:01 am
Christians believed that blacks were meant to be slaves, that they were there to be ordered around and treated like garbage while the "owners" didn't even lift a broom. These people considered themselves as good Christians even though what they are doing is a bad thing, they didn't know it was bad because they grew up believing that blacks were meant to do work for whites. In the text, the woman who is "preaching" is basically defending her rights. she believes that blacks aren't any different from whites and that they are also gods people. I would have to agree with her. Mr. Haley is one of the good christian's even though he buys and owns slaves. It's become so natural to these people to buy and own slaves it doesn't even bother them. In paragraph 74-75 It talks about a tall man preaching and he talks about the bible. Back then they thought that blacks weren't gods people even though they are. Religion, race etc. none of those should make us treat others different, everyone should be treated equal and everyone deserves the same amount of respect.
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2/18/2016 11:32:53 am
In Uncle Tom's Cabin Harriet Beecher displays the horrors of slavery. The characters in this story use the Bible as justification for slavery. We see the first justification using the bible when a gentlemen says " Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall be." This quote is inapplicable.When the Bible talks about Canaan, they're talking about the grandson of Noah, and in this case Noah is cursing his grandson to serve his life as a servant. When Noah curses his grandson, he's only cursing an individual, not an entire race. The next justification of slavery using the Bible is when a character says, " All things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so unto them." This quote is weird, as it is used and an argument to defend slavery, but rather contradicts its purpose when you look into the actual meaning of the scripture its pulled from, because in the scripture in whole states, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! "In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets."
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Ingalls
2/18/2016 11:39:05 am
I think that the passage is giving rules for how to treat slaves--treat them like family. But it does nothing to say that slavery was/is wrong.
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Dylon
2/18/2016 11:53:46 am
I can see how slave owners thought they were good Christians because back then, everyone thought blacks were made to be slaves. They were brought here to serve the white people and that's it. But, I'm pretty positive it doesn't say in the Bible that one human being can own another using them for labor and beating them. IN the Bible, Galatians 5:1 states "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." This means that Christ died for ALL of us human beings to be free, your skin color doesn't matter. Exodus 21:16, "Whoever steals a man and sells him, shall be put to death." That right there shows that slavery is not okay and any slave owner who said he was a "good Christian" was wrong. If any slave owner were to actually read the the Bible, they would've figured this out. Slaves were in the right to use the Bible to alternately defend and rebuke the practice of slavery. Galatians 3:28, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." If this was read, I feel like slavery wouldn't be a thing. If Christ is in all of us, you wouldn't make him a slave.
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I Am The BiLlY
2/18/2016 12:24:52 pm
i agree with you 100% no human should be able to buy another one then beat them almost to their deaths.
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Layne H
2/18/2016 01:05:15 pm
In Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin," anonymous characters on a boat both use the same text, the Bible, to argue their different points on slavery and servitude. Both of these characters both seem adamant that they are right, completely ignoring the other side of the argument. This is reminiscent of modern day biblical arguments, when people cite specific parts of the Bible which may seem to satisfy their own argument or viewpoint, without taking the rest of the scripture into account. The characters who defend slavery, and used the bible quote "doom the race to bondage years ago" actually misuse the quote in the wrong context. The characters were not necessarily wrong in their line of thinking, but they neglect to consider the bible as a whole, instead of just the passage they are focused on. The Bible (mainly old testament), actually outlines how to treat slaves properly-- nothing in the Bible states that enslavement is wrong. Stowe acknowledges this, and instead focuses on a Constitutional standpoint, alongside the moral implications. This is seen through her strong themes of patriotism and ‘freedom’ throughout the chapter, such as the description of the boat: “floating gayly down the stream, under a brilliant sky, the stripes and stars of free America waving and fluttering overhead.” This quote is obviously in opposition of the proceedings below decks, as Haley's slaves are chained and miserable.
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Hunna
2/18/2016 01:20:08 pm
During the time of slavery the majority of the population lived their life by the bible. Literally whatever the bible said to do they would do it, so when the bible says that “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem. May God extend the territory of Japheth; may Japeth live in the tents of Shem and may Canaan be his slave’.” They proceeded to take this as a justification to enslave blacks, even though it does not describe a specific race they still used this in their fight for blacks to be enslaved. There were some very cruel white people in power during this time that took things out of the bible and twisted it to fit their needs. Personally I feel it is wrong that the bible even mentions slavery because I believe no one should have that punishment brought upon them. I’m not saying that the bible leads everyone to do cruel act, I do believe that the bible is full of great encouragements for kind behavior.
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Emily Groseclose
2/19/2016 08:12:04 pm
Maybe the bible doesn't mention slavery because it encourages it, but the opposite. Canaan is cursed to be a slave because it is a punishment, but people interpreted it wrong.
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Logan
2/18/2016 02:28:39 pm
In "Uncle Tom's Cabin" by Harriet Beecher Stowe, she uses a couple of verses from the Bible to both defends and criticizes slavery. Stow has one of the men saying,"Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be." This is the biblical quote that she used defending the view of slavery from a religious stand point. Then she says, "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so unto them." This quote, on the other hand, disproves slavery. The quote I want to use is, "Love your neighbor as yourself." I wanted to use this because it's the "golden rule," to treat others the way you want to be treated.
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Layne H
2/19/2016 09:37:15 am
Were they necessarily manipulating the words of the bible though?
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Allie
2/18/2016 09:06:17 pm
Uncle Tom’s Cabin is a paradigm that both defends and criticizes an issue, for example, slavery. Everyone in the time of slavery lived their lives off the words of the bible. Slave owners thought of themselves as “good Christians” and were morally right in their practice of slavery, such as Tom who found himself as a good Christian. Slavery was a common practice in the Bible which leads me to believe that the reason these slave owners saw no wrong in it was because of this. The Bible didn’t necessarily say if slavery was good or bad but focused on how the relationship between the slaves and slave masters should be. This is the reason that at the end of Stowe's novel she asks for a reformation of the Christian church, in order to do its duty to those who were enslaved and spare them from what some people of the church considered a sin. “In Ramah there was a voice heard, -weeping, and lamentation, and great mourning; Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted.” The use of the Old Testament was to justify the actions of people to their fellow man is wrong or without sin. Tom, having read only the New Testament, feels the love and compassion for his fellow man, white and black, and understand the unjust use of the Old Testament. Even if Canaan was cursed to be a slave, Jesus forgave everyone, and died for everyone's sins, no matter the race or religion.
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Dakota Lynch
2/18/2016 10:04:18 pm
Like Emily said in her post, "Canaan is in reference to Noah's grandson, Canaan, who is the son of Ham. Noah curses his grandson, Canaan, to be enslaved. He does not curse an entire race." This seems to be the only legit biblical reference that I have noticed. While these men, the slave holders/owners, used the Bible, on many occasions, to justify their behavior towards their enslaved individuals,they were wrong in doing so. Slavery is just an issue that cannot be justified, no matter the case.
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Emily Groseclose
2/19/2016 08:14:54 pm
I like how you actually quoted my post... :D
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Peter
2/18/2016 11:42:16 pm
Doing some research and looking deeper into Stowe's writing it is clear that we can see a much larger picture that is being presented to us. Put simply the question is "how does Stowe or the characters justify slavery using the bible or religion". Now before I start my argument I'm going to quote Jurgen Moltmann “Reading the Bible with the eyes of the poor is a different thing than reading the it with a full belly. If it is read in the light of the experience and hopes of the oppressed, the Bible’s revolutionary themes – promise, exodus, resurrection and spirit – come alive.” now after quoting this and thinking about how people were brought up I think that they were justified. Having read quotes like Leviticus 25:44-46 "As for your male and female slaves whom you may have: you may buy male and female slaves from among the nations that are around you. You may also buy from among the strangers who sojourn with you and their clans that are with you, who have been born in your land, and they may be your property. You may bequeath them to your sons after you to inherit as a possession forever. You may make slaves of them, but over your brothers the people of Israel you shall not rule, one over another ruthlessly.", and Titus 2:9-10 "Slaves are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.". Now there are also examples that are against slavery, but having quoted Moltmann some would say having been raised in the darkness they wouldn't of had the opportunity to see or to read that type of scripture. Not having there eyes open to the light and to the sin they were committing.
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Alison Renee'
2/19/2016 08:59:43 am
Stowe explains in Uncle Tom's Cabin that Tom believed that he was a good christian by slave-holding. Not everything in the bible helps you and tells you what to do in certain situations. The bible never tells you what to about slavery. Karma is a bad thing and if the people that owned the slaves thought that they were doing right by having them I believe that they should be thinking about karma quite frequently after doing this. Nothing is right by owning a slave, nothing is okay by thinking you own someone, how would they feel if they were the one being pushed, abused, and told what to do? I think that slavery wasn't something that people thought about thoroughly, they didn't consider everyone's well being, and about who would be affected. I don't see how owning a slave would be a "good christian" like way.
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lovin
2/19/2016 09:33:37 am
In the bible it does talk about servants which would also be slaves but in the way they used them in the bible to the way they were used by many slave owners during the raping and beating, i feel like the bad slave holders doing wrong against the slaves were not good christens and the good ones weren't very good christens either do to god belives everyone should be treated equal
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