“As he died to make men holy, let us die to keep them free.” What a disgusting lyric. - ThreadSky | a Reddit-style client for Bluesky

peculiarpastor.bsky.social • 44 days ago

“As he died to make men holy, let us die to keep them free.”

What a disgusting lyric.

Comments

bringthehuman.bsky.social•42 days ago

The #mormon hymnal changes it to "let us live to make men free."

Although, I am hearing some grumbling that people don't like it because it is too "nationalist," as if it weren't a call for the abolition of slavery. Historical context is everything.

peculiarpastor.bsky.social•42 days ago

See? I was one of those people and I had no idea that it was about slavery. Hashtag “plot twist”!

bringthehuman.bsky.social•42 days ago

To your point, also... the Methodist Conference in 1933 created a hymnal that also has "let us live to make men free." https://hymnary.org/text/mine_eyes_have_seen_the_glory/fulltexts

peculiarpastor.bsky.social•42 days ago

Yeah…. I like that a lot better. :)

I’m also a Methodist. Q

bringthehuman.bsky.social•42 days ago

The history of "Battle Hymn" is quite interesting. They were replacement lyrics for the folk song "John Brown's Body," as a minister who was essentially a chaplain didn't want his men singing about a vigilante abolitionist.

Side note: Julia Howe's husband funded John Brown's activities.

bringthehuman.bsky.social•42 days ago

"John Brown" was in turn replacement lyrics for another folk hymn, "Canaan's Happy Shore." https://hymnary.org/text/say_brothers_will_you_meet_us

bringthehuman.bsky.social•42 days ago

If you will permit me to go on a tangent of mine own:

Howe, in addition to being an abolitionist, was also one of the strongest members of her area's Anti-Polygamy Society, as was Harriet Beecher Stowe. Mormons love the works of both women today, which shows the effects of historical detachment.

chrisnmccreary.bsky.social•44 days ago

False equivalency and propaganda in the hymnals.

peculiarpastor.bsky.social•44 days ago

Can we petition to fix the problem?

chrisnmccreary.bsky.social•44 days ago

You mean to take it out of the UMC hymnal? Yeah, one could at general conference.

peculiarpastor.bsky.social•44 days ago

In fact, come along. You’re still a Methodist minister, as far as I’m concerned. :)

peculiarpastor.bsky.social•44 days ago

Let me have Misti for the project and her friends (and yours!), and we’ll get it done. I’d totally die on that hill. Pun intended.

chrisnmccreary.bsky.social•43 days ago

She almost got elected to go to the last one. But it was the eventual GMC folks doing it pre-split because they thought we were conservative.