During the prohibition period in America, the ideals of individual freedoms and spaces conflicted with the greater good. The issue of the role of the American church during Prohibition demonstrates the origins of some prohibitions in law based on a historical perspective. Faith has informed policy and decision making for centuries, and as this paper intends to demonstrate, religion had a more significant role in alcohol prohibition in America. Those prohibitions, nevertheless, have undergone changes, which have made them different from what religious leaders desired. The impact of the church on Prohibition was great of course (with consequences), but other factors such as medicine also helped in rethinking the initial positions of faith-based institutions.
The present paper traces the role of the American church on Prohibition, the impact of the church on Prohibition, and why Prohibition is related to history and religion.
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The American church and Prohibition of the 20th century was championed mostly by Protestants in the Southern States of America which was highly dominated by socially conservative evangelical Protestants. These Evangelical Protestants encouraged Prohibition, while the Mainline Protestant denominations opposed Prohibition. The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, nevertheless, opposed Prohibition even though it was an evangelical Protestant church (Kee et al., 1998, p.486). Two of the Federal Council of Churches that supported Prohibition and the 18th Amendment testified before the Committee on the Judiciary of the United States Senate around 1926 to justify the national Prohibition (the Ohio State University, 2019). The Federal Council of the Churches considered four fundamental points for their justification. First, they argued that the public good took precedence when significant events or social evils such as disease or crime became a threat. Secondly, they argued that liquor traffic was an unquestionable evil. They also stated that the demerits of sin were so dire that only Prohibition can offer a solution. Lastly, they suggested that Prohibition was considered historically to be the best liquor trafficking remedy compared to other attempted solution means despite its few itches. Foster (2002) argues that shortly after America won the battle against slavery, Mormon polygamy, the temperance movement and Prohibition was at the centre of moralists’ interests. American churches, thus, played a greater role during the Prohibition by demonstrating the problems that society suffered due to alcohol consumption. They also influenced the passage of laws that prohibited the sale of alcohol.
The church also influenced Prohibition through the temperance movement. According to The Ohio State University (2019), the temperament movement supported the idea that individual freedom should be limited in matters affecting the larger society in any civilization. In turn, this rendered personal freedoms null and void to curtail actions that opposed the welfare of the rest of the citizens and society. The democratic principles and sound public policies also reflected progressive faith as they did not allow the existence of detrimental profit-cantered private businesses, which was the practice in narcotics that could be replicated in liquor traffic (Foster, 2002). The national policy of Prohibition was, thus, based on religious principles that ensured social protection to counter irresponsible alcohol consumption (Kee et al., 1998, p.486). The history of prohibition policy adoption was gradual. The policy was first voted in by individual States before it moved to the national level after the conviction that the liquor traffic was a societal evil that needed strict laws (The Ohio State University, 2019). The eighteenth Amendment, which represented progressive faith, was also incorporated in the Constitution and paved the way for Prohibition. The influence of the church during the Prohibition was based on the inclusion of progressive faith elements in several laws that supported prohibition. These regulations were based on the progressive reform movements that also influenced the abolishment of slavery and championed for women’s rights.
Prohibition is related to history and religion as it borrowed from the experiences of other nations and daily experiences. For instance, the societal consequences of alcohol abuse threatened harmony in society since crime, gambling, political corruption, and prostitution emerged due to liquor traffic (Foster, 2002). These evils were destroying men and families, which prompted social workers and church ministers to deal with them regularly. Besides, industries suffered damages too due to lack of efficiency that emerged due to these social evils. Taxation, regulations, and other state methods for controlling the liquor menace were ineffective. At some point, it was proposed that the Volstead Act be modified to allow the sale of wines and beer, but this too was objected since this would make it challenging to enforce Prohibition (The Ohio State University, 2019). Thus, Prohibition is related to history and religion as it was based on the religiously motivated temperance campaign to transform society through influencing laws that dealt with societal issues. Different significant and historical regulations were also passed to support prohibition.
The present paper traced the American church’s role in Prohibition. Research shows that Protestant churches in the Southern states of America encouraged Prohibition, while the Mainline Protestant denominations opposed it. Regarding the influence of the church on Prohibition, the democratic principles and sound public policies reflected various aspects of the church, such as the argument that public good takes precedence during significant social evils. Prohibition is also related to religion and history as it borrowed religious elements such as the need for sobriety and led to the passage of vital prohibition laws.
References
Foster, G. M. (2002). Moral Reconstruction: Christian Lobbyists and the Federal Legislation of Morality, 1865-1920 . Univ of North Carolina Press.
Kee, H. C., Albu, E., Lindberg, C., Frost, J. W., & Robert, D. L. (1998). Christianity: A Social and Cultural History (second ed.). Prentice Hall.
The Ohio State University. (2019). Temperance & Prohibition. Retrieved 24, 2019 from https://prohibition.osu.edu/american-prohibition-1920/federal-council-churches
