Spawn's Controversial Fact of The Day 9-19-08

[Afro-Ameri-Spawn]

I'm sorry Monkey, but this one has been on my mind all day since I heard about it in History class. So I would suggest you back out because this one will piss you off.

John Newton, the man who wrote the Christian hymm, "Amazing Grace", is one of the biggest religious hypocrites ever to have lived. STRONG FACT!

 

[BooCocky]

should have used spoiler tags

 

[Papa Shango]

This will probably be the closest me and Spawn come to agreeing on any of his controversial "facts", ever. And that's only because I have no opinion on this one.

 

[Monkey_Mania]

I have NO idea where you are going with this one. I would like to hear more. Because I am honestly intrigued.

 

[Steamboat Ricky]

He was a slave-ship captain (although he renounced the slave trade in approx 1754). I guess that makes him a hypocrite...esp. since it was early to mid 18th century.



P.S. All Christians, myself especially, are hypocrites. In fact, that's like the cornerstone of the faith.

 

[Afro-Ameri-Spawn]

I have NO idea where you are going with this one. I would like to hear more. Because I am honestly intrigued.

Steamboat Ricky hit the nail on the head. Mr. Newton wrote this song during the time that he was a slave ship captain, stealing the rhythms from the slaves that he eventually attempted to teach it to. Wow, isn't that great. That's like kidnapped someone else's kid and then teaching them that stealing is wrong. Sure, he eventually saw the err of his ways and renounced the slave trade.... after many verses were sung and thousands more of his "inspiration" were transported. And that's not counting any of the ones who became shark chum, which was a regular practice as they would roughly lose 15 to 23 percent of the cargo, which is why they would overpack to make up for the loses.

 

[Steamboat Ricky]

I think you might be reading into it a bit much, Spawn. Newton became an abolitionist. He became an abolitionist after he had spent much of his life in the slave trade of which is father was part and lived in a society that accepted and relied on slavery as a means of functioning. So, it seems as if he was overcoming a lot of systemic norms to have a realization. Why does that make him a hypocrite?