A speech from the Hon. A. H. Stephens, Vice-President of the Confederate States of America spells out institutional racism, and the use of religion to justify it.
[T]he first government ever instituted upon the principles in strict conformity to nature, and the ordination of Providence, in furnishing the materials of human society … With us, all of the white race, however high or low, rich or poor, are equal in the eye of the law. Not so with the negro. Subordination is his place. He, by nature, or by the curse against Canaan, is fitted for that condition which he occupies in our system. The architect, in the construction of buildings, lays the foundation with the proper material-the granite; then comes the brick or the marble. The substratum of our society is made of the material fitted by nature for it, and by experience we know that it is best, not only for the superior, but for the inferior race, that it should be so.
It is, indeed, in conformity with the ordinance of the Creator. It is not for us to inquire into the wisdom of His ordinances, or to question them. For His own purposes, He has made one race to differ from another, as He has made “one star to differ from another star in glory.” The great objects of humanity are best attained when there is conformity to His laws and decrees, in the formation of governments as well as in all things else. Our confederacy is founded upon principles in strict conformity with these laws.
Bishop Michael Rinehart 
February 6, 2015 at 3:27 pm
Frightening that he wrote and believed it, and that many others also believed it. Frightening also because his justification of subordination based on race (or sex, orientation, religion, etc…..) is not the first time such thinking has occurred in history. Frightening again because given human nature and human history, it won’t be the last…
February 6, 2015 at 3:58 pm
Whenever we make a race or an individual human being to be substandard whether it be a colleague, subordinate, coworker, pastor, or a parishioner we can find ways to justify how we treat them. In whatever way we judge them in our minds and hearts as substandard justifies our unfair actions and inactions toward them. Slavery and Hitler’s persecution of Jews are classic examples. And of course, judging the poor as lazy justifies our ignoring them. But, our miss treatment of individuals based on our judging them as being substandard is in the same category. That’s one of the best things I ever learned at a Theological Conference. Somewhere I read judge not lest you be judged. Oh yes, that’s what Jesus said. Oh,how quickly we can abandon the ways of Jesus for the ways of self-righteousness and condemnation.
February 6, 2015 at 5:52 pm
The use of such words to justify institutionalized racism is contrary to the word of God, and since millions of Christians in America supported abolition, we must conclude that people disagreed with the Confederate point of view and died to end slavery.
March 4, 2015 at 1:06 pm
WOW. Thank you for this window into how far we have come, even though we have much work to do over 150 + years later.
I echo and heartily agree with what all above commenters say. Also bone chilling besides the “not like us” is the “invisibility” of ALL other races even though they are mentioned, I.e., “he has made one race to differ from another”
“Us” = white people. Equal. “Them” = Negro. Not like us, fit only to be less than us by design.
Other races? (Native Americans to name one prevalent here in the U.S. at the time).
Not even mentioned though they were being run off the land they lived one and killed as well.
And then seen as “brutes” or “savages” when they either defended themselves or counter-attacked. They don’t even rate a mention since this piece was only about defending the institution of slavery.