Has it not been the Unionist claim that the American Civil War was a "Holy" War to correct the immoral wrong of slavery? What is the theme of the most famous song even sung in Churches today, to come from that War "The Battle Hymn of the Republic"? Why did not southern christians, like what became the Southern Baptist, NOT see slavery as necessarily an immoral thing? Are southerners even today not condeamed and berated even on this board, because their ancestors fought to preserve "slavery" and not because their homes were being invaded and destroyed?

Our perspective of Religion is the 800 pound Gorilla in the room of any Civil War discussion.

The American Civil War was as much a "religious" war as it was a "poltical" war.

Just some observations, but the the teachings of John Calvin, the founder of the Calvanist doctrine, which was the total depravity of man and that only certain people were given a special calling, was very popular in England and that transferred to Virginia and south.

Where as the Quaker belief of Unitarism, all men being created of God and therefore equal, remembering that Thomas Jefferson was NOT the only writer to contribute ideas that was included in the Declaration of Independence, was predominate in Pennsylvania and spread throughtout the north.

Two different prespectives of the same Bible. Is Religious differences a dangerous and uncomfortable subject to discuss? No Doubt it is. That is because we hold our religious beliefs with such passion and believe that our belief is the only correct religion.

This the the reason why so passionate in their stance is because when all other arguments are exhausted they are still secure in their religious beliefs, acknowledged or not, that their position is correct because they "freed the slaves".

In My post, which Jim has singled out, if you will read the post that I responded to you will see this very conflict of bibical interpretation displayed on this board. All men are religious at their very core even if they claim not to be and to not believe in a God. They are religious because they believe in some form of value judgement of what is Right and what is Wrong.

Just my opinion.