The American Civil War was fought between the year 1861 to 1865, and was a war fought to abolish slavery in America. There were Bible believing Christians on both sides of the war who genuinely believed that God was on their side, and that they were fighting for God. The southern states known as the Confederacy was deeply religious, and they fought to preserve the practice of slavery, claiming that God allowed it in the Bible. The northern states, known as the Union had mixed feelings about the war early on, but eventually viewed slavery was an evil that had to be ended.
From a theological viewpoint, there are Bible verses that can be used to support or oppose the practice of slavery. The Southern States had many Baptist preachers who preached that God endorsed slavery, and therefore it's their God given right to protect slavery. They used Bible verses like Ephesians 6:5 "Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ." Another Bible verse Colossians 3:22 "Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord." Furthermore, there are verses in Exodus and Leviticus, where God gave detailed instructions to the Israelites about owning slaves, after God delivered them out of slavery in Egypt.
When you read only these passages, it seems like God is endorsing slavery. The Confederates strongly believed that God was for slavery, that they were willing to fight and die for their beliefs. Some of top Confederate generals like Thomas Stonewall Jackson, J.E.B. Stuart, and Robert E. Lee were devout Bible believing Christians and men who prayed often to God. They thought of themselves as being on the right side of history. Many Christians in the Confederate states, prayed that God would give them victory, and when they won some of the battles, they thought it was a sign of God's approval. They believed that they were fighting for God's will to be done and they fought with so much conviction, that they experienced stunning success in the early years of the war.
On the Union side, there was some doubts and reluctance to be fighting to end slavery, because of what the Bible says. Ironically, even though the Union eventually won the war, most of the top generals were not hardcore abolitionists. For the Union, the main objective in the war was simply to preserve the Union and to punish the rebel states for succeeding. Even Abraham Lincoln wasn't so sure if he was doing God's will in the early years of the war. Lincoln wasn't a very religious man before he became president. One of the main Union generals George B. Mcclellan actively voiced his disdain for abolitionists. He was described as being soft on slavery and appointed officers who shared similar viewpoints.
It had to take some signs and a significant victory to finally convince Lincoln to make the war about freeing the slaves.
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