“Religion!” said St. Clare, in a tone that made both ladies look at him. “Religion! Is what you hear at church, religion? Is that which can bend and turn, and descend and ascend, to fit every crooked phase of selfish, worldly society, religion? Is that religion which is less scrupulous, less generous, less just, less considerate for man, than even my own ungodly, worldly, blinded nature? No! When I look for a religion, I must look for something above me, and not something beneath.”
Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe
I’ve been positively blazing through Uncle Tom’s Cabin, that great American classic work by Beecher Stowe over the past few days, and I don’t think I’ve ever been more moved. It’s been a long time since I’ve been this touched by a novel, in no part due, of course, to its theme of slavery that Beecher Stowe speaks against so strongly through her characters and the morals expounded by the author as well.
I’m amazed by this Christian woman, who lived so many centuries before us, who made such an impact. In fact, this novel has been particularly described as almost reading like a sermon, due to her many reflective interjections in between narration. The injustice of slavery and push for abolitionism in nineteenth century America had reached a new high, and Beecher Stowe addresses this so eloquently, weaving a rich tale around characters that will either endear themselves to you, or repulse you.
The quote I’ve taken from the novel above seems to me the epitomization of the morally (and immorally) driven characters, Christian or not; and in this fiction, the truth in her words resonate so deeply within me – words that still ring true well into the 21st century.
(Thank God for the invention of technology! – in spite of certain inane applications that we can certainly do without! ;p)