The Influence Of Religion On The Abolition Of Contagious Diseases Acts Movement

The three Contagious Diseasests Acts which were enacted between 1864 and 1869,in order to deal with venereal disease transmission in British military,the laws required mandatory inspections of women who were suspected of prostitutes in towns close to the army.By these regulations they determined whether these women had sexually transmitted diseases,so that they can provide safe and clean sex to men.Such inhumane regulations quickly triggered opposition from people from all walks of life,and the vigorous abolition of law movement began.Religious forces had played an important role in this movement.The original literature mainly includes Shield newspaper which was published by the abolition organization and the Parliament of the House of Commons on the Contagious Diseases Acts.Based on the literature research method and the case study method,this paper takes the abolition of law movement as an example,and puts the abolition of law movement under the background of moral reform,and cuts it from a religious perspective.The full text is divided into three parts:introduction,body and conclusion.Around the control of prostitutes,the law had been revised step by step,and its implementation areas had been further expanded.However,it was not until the end of the 1860s that the abolition of law movement was gradually carried out,and forces from all walks of life were involved.According to the Contagious Diseases Acts,male sexual ethics was too indulgent,and the intention was to legalize the safety of prostitution.Religious people were also actively involved in the abolition of law movement,and they were deeply worried about the moral reforms triggered by the abolition of law movement.In order to obtain the success of the abolition of law movement,various self-help organizations and many famous leaders sprang up.They all raised the banner of religion and used it as a theoretical weapon to attack the Contagious Diseases Acts.In her childhood,Josephine Butler was influenced by many sects and formed the most extensive and profound understanding of Christianity.Her impassioned speech at the public meeting made the issue of the Contagious Diseases Acts more open.She welcomed support from any region,regardless of the sect they belonged to.Josephine's husband,George Butler,as an Anglican,was actively working to promote the Anglican to join the abolitionist movement.He hoped to solve this problem from the root of evil,rather than unilaterally supervising the underlying women of vulnerable groups.Pastor Thomas Guthrie strongly condemned the regulatory principles behind the Contagious Diseases Acts and worried about the moral hazard of the management system established by such evil principles to the entire British society.Mr.Guthrie launched petitions by publishing an article,hoping that more religious people could stand up and speak out for the disadvantaged women.Pastor Alexander Duff called on the Christian Church and all those who loved the country to walk in the forefront of the path of responsibility toward God and to actively promote the abolition of law movementThe Anglican Church showed a hesitant posture in the movement,and did not quickly commit itself to the movement.In comparison,the Quakers first responded positively to the movement,and focused on strengthening solidarity and cooperation among the various denominations and working together in the movement.Taking into account the nature of the law,the Methodist Church almost unanimously opposed the Contagious Diseases Act.At the same time,they founded magazines,made speeches,and attacked the laws.The Presbyterian Church also performed prominently in the abolitionist movement,and many Presbyterian sects actively convened meetings and petitioned the House of Representatives.In a word,the nonconformist gives the abolitionist movement a strong supportive force.The Anglican and nonconformist showed significant differences in their attitude towards prostitutes.The Anglican Church believed that prostitutes were sinners and that serious punishment was deserving of sin.Although the nonconformist also believed that prostitution was sinful,they showed more sympathy and tolerance for prostitutes.Religious language had responded strongly to the obvious dual sexual morality revealed by the Contagious Diseases Acts.Such double standards were a serious disobedience to the law of God.The promulgation of the Contagious Diseases Acts also triggered a fierce battle between regulationism and abolitionists.The regulationism used medical discourse as a package to support state compulsory intervention.The regulationism believe that prostitution is necessary social evil and cannot be completely eliminated.Compulsory intervention should be carried out.The abolitionists used the nonconformist language against state intervention,and appealed to social moral forces to protect citizens' rights.The abolitionist movement was finally victorious,and religion played an important role in it.The main leaders of the abolitionists used religion to strengthen the moral color of the movement,thus mastering the dominance of public opinion.The nonconformist actively participated in the abolitionist movement,for example,they established organizations,gave speeches,signed petitions and so on.The appeal of religion to the moral color of the abolitionist movement promoted the process of moral reform in the British society.