One's personal understanding of the Bible is the very heart of the discussion of the Civil War. The major problem encountered in defending the southern position is the religious conitation that Slavery was immoral. Take religion out of the the Northern argument and what do you have. The southerner has to fight the argument with one hand tied behind his back because of someone personal interpretation of the Bible and their moralist beliefs.
One of the great UNdiscussed part of the Civil War mental attitudes, of particularly the southern people, about slavery was their personal interpretation of the Bible. The Book of Philamon and Paul's actions regarding the runaway slave Onisimus and Philamon and the fact that the Bible does not specifically condeam slavery was part of their, the southern people's, justification for the institution of Slavery.
So when someone says that ending slavery was a JUST cause for GOD to be against the south according to the Bible, is not historically correct. The Abolishionist movement bloomed in northern churches particular the Quaker's church with a Unitarian belief, and differences of opinions over what was "Moral" and what was not. Morality is a Bibical concept. Not all people see the same thing even if they read the same book. Calvanism was very much a part of the southern viewpoint while Unitarism was the northern view.
Christianity is NOT a unitied belief outside of a central belief and the difference in doctrine within the Christian Comunity in 1860. It lead to the split of the Baptist Church in particular. While it is uncomfortable to discuss religion, like politics, the passion of a person's religions beliefs were a part of the division which caused this counties greatest failure.
If we do not understand ourselves, we will not understand them. "In God We Trust" vs "Deo Vindice". Any discussion of the causes of the Civil War, or of Sherman march through Georgia, or the fire bombings of Vicksburg and Charleston, is a moralist/religious discussion in its elemental basis.
In fact the whole Civil War was based on what a person believed to be right or wrong. Was it not? Where does mankind get such concepts and teachings?