Escape from Enslavement

Pentecostalism is a unique religion that has taken shape due to the prevailing influence of its origins. Some of these origins consist of African slaves and camp meetings. I found it very interesting that African slaves were drawn to these camp meetings. These meetings were characterized by a spontaneous, informal, unrehearsed, fluid, and open experience rather than one that contained traditional rituals and an organized structure. With these qualities, the camp meetings seemed to emphasize the importance of freedom, expression, and independence. All of this was appealing to slaves because they were used to and irritated with the structure and predictability of their everyday lives, which consisted of forced labor and an inability to freely express themselves. These meetings provided them with an opportunity to escape the harsh realities of their lives so that they could worship and revere God freely and openly. The meetings'  lack of structure in addition to the opportunity that they provided the slaves to worship without having to follow any expected norm provided a nice contrast to the slaves’ fixed days of grueling labor and obeying their masters' commands. Slaves were controlled and confined, but the meetings enabled them to express themselves and their faith in an accepting atmosphere, which was vital for their sanity and for maintaining a relationship with God. These meetings served as a way for the slaves to escape the harsh reality of their lives and enabled them to seek liberty spiritually, physically, and mentally.