It was a core belief of many in the South that slavery was a divinely ordained institution, sanctioned in the Bible and beneficent to all involved. So abolitionists, especially those who were religiously motivated, were often seen as undermining proper Biblical morality and being downright anti-Christian. Since slavery was a central feature of Southern society those trying to abolish it were seen as attacking the basis of Southern civilization itself. Violence against known abolitionists was not unheard of and many states had laws restricting or effectively banning abolitionism.