Saturday 10 April 2010

Amazing Grace

I enjoyed viewing the movie, Amazing Grace immensely. It was very well done and I felt provided incredible insight into both the time period and the reality of what William Wilberforce and his companions were working so hard to accomplish. One thing that especially struck me was how young Wilberforce and his friend, William Pitt the Younger, were. Pitt, at age twenty-four, became the youngest individual ever to have been elected as Britain’s Prime Minister. It is often said that the old are wise. While there is a lot of truth to this statement, it is also true that there is wisdom in youth. The problem is human nature likes to reside its comfort zone. Individuals grow up accustomed to certain socially acceptable beliefs, behaviors, and ideas. Although creativity and innovation should be encouraged, it is sometimes fought against as rebellious because it deters from the norm. It is therefore sometimes necessary for young, inexperienced minds to bring about necessary changes in a society as they are as of yet uncorrupted by the stubborn “wisdom” of conformist society.

Such seems to have especially been the case with the slave trade. The slave trade was a socioeconomic tradition that had been practiced for hundreds of years. Unlike slavery in biblical and medieval times, the system had become rooted in racism due to ethnicity. It had become socially acceptable in society, and was just the norm. To question or speak out against the institution was preposterous. Most significantly, England and America had come to completely rely on the slave trade as a large part of their economy. It financially benefitted their societies too much for them to even consider eliminating the slave trade. Furthermore, white supremacy had dehumanized Africans in the minds of society, to the point where the trade not even considered by many as a question of ethics.

Looking back on history, the question becomes, why did it take so long to abolish the slave trade? The slave trade was a fundamental component of both British and American society. At the time of the American Revolution, it was felt by many slave owners that to require them to give up slavery, which they considered to be property, would be severely leading their own freedom. Because Africans were considered ethically inferior, raising the slave trade issue as a moral question proved to be very ineffective. What, then could men like William Wilberforce, do to effect change in such a stubborn society? In such a society, top priority was given to promoting economic prosperity, and little else truly mattered.

William Wilberforce was elected to the House of Commons in Britain’s Parliament at the age of only twenty-one, and incredible feat. He was extremely bright, and held very strong political and ethical opinions which he stood for. Through his journey of a political career, he dedicated two decades of his life to work tirelessly on bringing about successful abolition of the slave trade. His task may seem to have been relatively straight forward: put an end to the slave trade by persuading those in power. Because of how driven they were by the importance of the slave trade to the economy, however, persuading him to see the inhumanity of the institution proved to be impossible.

For example, in the movie I was moved by Wilberforce’s desperate attempt to awake an awareness of the inhumanity of the slave trade by forcibly showing it first-hand to members of the elite in positions of power, and their wives. They were simply enjoying their afternoon tea on a fine vessel, when Wilberforce has it arranged for an actual slave ship to pull up right next to them. He and his companions show these individuals what the slave trade really is from a moral and not just economic standpoint. The stench was unbearable, and many of these elitists were shocked. Yet, no moral argument seemed to make any difference.

Thus, the fight to abolish the slave trade was a long, grueling process that seemed at times to make progress, but became more and more of an impossible dream for men like William Wilberforce. In the end, these inspired individuals had to accomplish their goal from a political back road. They decided the way to end the slave trade would be to create laws that made the slave trade economically unprofitable. They would accomplish this by dropping the issue of slavery all together. So as not to arouse the suspicion of their opponents, Wilberforce and his colleagues had an unsuspecting member of the House of Commons introduce a bill to Parliament that made it a law to fly the British flag on all slave ships. Because of the current national conflicts with the Americans and the French, Wilberforce knew that many of these ships would be captured by enemy ships because the flag would make them easily identifiable as British ships. The enormous financial loss caused by this action made the slave trade less and less economically beneficial. Acting on what was economically best for the economy, Parliament had little choice than to accept the need to abolish the slave trade.

After so many years and years of so much effort, planning, and work, the slave trade was at last abolished. Accomplishing this task took such a long time, primarily because of the economic dependence Britain had come to place upon the slave trade. It was a way of life the members of society had grown up with, and they resisted change like the plague. As clearly portrayed in the movie, Amazing Grace, society was very economically driven. As such, a successful end could not be put to the slave trade until it was made a financially unprofitable institution. I feel that men like William Wilberforce and William Pitt were truly inspired. We owe so much to them and their dedication to what they knew to be right. They stood for freedom and equality and dedicated their lives to the cause. It is men with such vision and drive that truly change the world.

Lincoln's Second Inaugral Address

I loved the opportunity to read and study Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address this past week. Abraham Lincoln has always been one of my greatest role models. He was not only an incredible president and leader, but also a phenomenal man. According to Philip Schaff, Lincoln was one of the rare men that actually understood what the Civil War was really about. Other historians note that through his leadership, Lincoln was trying to see what God intended, and act accordingly. I wish we always had such God-fearing men of strength and unmatched integrity to lead this great nation.

I was impressed to learn why Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address was so short. I always just used to think it was because all of his speeches were short and succinct, but that was definitely not all. In giving this speech, he felt that the nation already knew how things stood with the war. They knew the issue, and what was presently at stake, so he didn’t feel the need to use redundancy. The power of his speeches never ceases to amaze me.

From Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, I learned that there are several conclusions the revered president wanted to drive home. First was that the Civil War was God’s War. I thought it was insightful how he noted that both sides had prayed for the defeat of the other side. Brothers, enemies, were uttering the same prayers to the same God and hoping for the same results. Lincoln also established that this war was the result of the Nation’s sin; not the North or South alone. This is significant that he did not place blame on one side or the other. He truly saw the need for working together in both unity and love if this great Nation was to be rebuilt. Liberty, he said, must be re-founded based on charity and love.

I am so grateful for incredible men like Abraham Lincoln, who have led our great nation through some of its darkest hours. One of the most important things to recognize, however, is the role of religion in his life. As is especially seen through his Second Inaugural Address, Lincoln acknowledged the hand of God in all things. He was a man of humility, integrity, and charity. I really feel that Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address provides us with a unique window to the past. It allows us to see and truly understand the environment, facts, and impact of our great nation’s Civil War. May we always learn from the past, live in the present, and look to the future.

Tuesday 6 April 2010

Joseph Smith's First Vision and the Second Great Awakening

I have been taught about Joseph Smith’s First Vision for as long as I can remember. It’s a story I’ve grown up with and know by heart. That is why I was shocked to hear during lecture of our last class period that Joseph Smith’s first recorded account of the First Vision is actually different than the one we are so familiar with, recorded in the Joseph Smith History. It is true that an individual’s account of an event changes slightly with each retelling, but how could something so important, so true, be at all different?

Learning about the Second Great Awakening helped me gain a new perspective and understanding of Joseph Smith’s First Vision. The Second Great Awakening was an immense religious fervor that swept across the young nation of the United States in the early nineteenth century. As observed by our textbook, this religious movement “stressed the right of private judgment in spiritual matters and the possibility of universal salvation through faith and good works.” The role of the individual in religion was redefined, opening a whole new realm of ideas and possibilities. Especially significant was the growing trend that ministers needn’t attend a prestigious educational institution and earn a degree to preach religion. Any individual had the right to speak and believe as they felt and to establish their own religious and moral universe.

I am in awe of the connection this has to our beliefs. Because of this trend, this time period of religious excitement provided the absolute best possible opportunity for the Restoration of the Gospel. Joseph Smith at this time resided in New York in what came to be known throughout the Second Great Awakening as the “burned-over district.” Joseph Smith was obviously affected by the movement’s emphasis on the right of private judgment in spiritual matters. He had the right to question which of all the churches he was to join.

What I found extremely interesting was his first recorded account of the First Vision. It differs from the account we read in the Joseph Smith History, because we are only told what pertains to us as a church. In addition to receiving an answer to this question, Joseph Smith received personal revelation from the Savior. In the account we are familiar with, we are told Heavenly Father introduced His son, but not told what Christ said to Joseph. That the timing of the Second Great Awakening and the First Vision coincide is definitely not a coincidence. I am so eternally grateful that Joseph Smith felt the need to discover what spiritual beliefs really were right for him and to question. This new perspective provided me with an even greater appreciation of the First Vision.