The Society for the Conversion of Negro Slaves was a British missionary organization established in the late 18th century, under the leadership of Anglican Bishop Beilby Porteus. Its primary aim was to replace African spiritual beliefs with Christian doctrines that promoted obedience to slave masters, using the Slave Bible, a heavily edited version of scripture designed to suppress thoughts of liberation.
During the Transatlantic Slave Trade, millions of Africans were forcibly taken from their homelands and shipped across the Atlantic to the Americas and the Caribbean. These enslaved men and women carried with them not just their physical strength but also their rich cultural heritage, languages, and traditional religions. These religions, deeply rooted in concepts of community, resistance, and spiritual empowerment, posed a significant threat to the colonial system of oppression.
The traditional belief systems of enslaved Africans included powerful elements of ancestral worship, spirit communication, and communal rituals that fostered unity and resistance. Religions like Yoruba (Ifa), Vodun (Voodoo), Akan spirituality, and others instilled in them a deep sense of identity and collective strength.
Colonial masters soon realized that these religious practices encouraged rebellion. Spiritual gatherings were often used to plan escapes and uprisings, as they provided secretive ways to communicate and strategize. The infamous Haitian Revolution of 1791, the only successful slave revolt in history, was sparked during a Vodun ceremony led by the priest Dutty Boukman. This event not only terrified plantation owners in the West, but also solidified their belief that African religions were dangerous to the status quo.
To break the spirit of resistance, they launched aggressive campaigns to suppress these spiritual practices and replace them with Christianity which encourages docility.
The Society for the Conversion and Religious Instruction and Education of the Negro Slaves in the British West India Islands became a central instrument in this campaign. Established in 1794 and later incorporated in 1823, the Society aimed to forcefully convert enslaved Africans in the British West Indies, including regions like Guyana, Grenada, Barbados, and Jamaica, to Christianity.
This conversion process was not just about spiritual education; it was a deliberate attempt to erase African traditional beliefs and replace them with religious doctrines that emphasized obedience and submission to slave masters.
Any form of communal worship that did not align with Christianity was aggressively suppressed. Enslaved Africans caught practicing their ancestral faiths faced severe punishments, as the Society viewed these spiritual practices as dangerous expressions of unity and resistance. Missionaries were instructed to replace traditional rituals with church services that reinforced servitude, teaching that loyalty to one’s master was a divine command.
To further this agenda, the Society published the notorious Slave Bible in 1807. This version of the Holy Scriptures was heavily edited to remove any passages that might inspire freedom, justice, or rebellion, while passages encouraging obedience and submission were emphasized. Nearly 90% of the Old Testament and 50% of the New Testament were omitted.
Excluded Passages:
In the slave bible, the Book of Exodus, which narrates the liberation of the Israelites from Egypt, was almost entirely removed. The famous verse, “Let my people go” (Exodus 9:1), was considered too powerful for enslaved Africans to read.
Jeremiah 22:3, which states, “Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed,” was intentionally left out.
Emphasized Passages:
Ephesians 6:5 — “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.”
Colossians 3:22 — “Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.”
Ephesians 6:5 — “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.”
These verses were drilled into enslaved Africans during sermons and religious classes, turning Christianity into a weapon of mental enslavement.
The strategic use of the Slave Bible and missionary teachings helped to suppress the rebellious spirit rooted in African traditional religions. Enslaved Africans were conditioned to believe that obedience to their masters was a path to divine favour, and resistance was equated with sin which would ultimately lead them to Hell fire.
This spiritual reprogramming was meant to break the communal and rebellious spirit that African religions inspired, replacing it with blind obedience, individualism and docility.
Despite these efforts, African spiritual traditions were not entirely erased. Many enslaved Africans secretly held on to their beliefs, blending them with Christianity to create new forms of worship such as Spiritual baptist, Santería, and Candomblé.
Following the abolition of the British slave trade in 1807 and the eventual emancipation of enslaved Africans in the British Empire in 1833, the Society’s influence waned. Its mission became less important as the moral and legal foundations of slavery were dismantled. Today, the legacy of the Society for the Conversion of Negro Slaves stands as a powerful reminder of the complicity of some religious institutions in maintaining oppressive systems.
Source:
https://collections.britishart.yale.edu/catalog/orbis:16077970
https://jude3project.org/blog/2021/9/24/wrongfully-dividing-the-word-of-truth-the-history-and-impact-of-the-negro-slave-bible-part-1
