[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

You assume I'm arguing for slavery, I'm not. I am merely describing what in fact was going on. The books of Moses set forth rules on treating “servants”(the biblical word for slave)_ The Bible does not condemn slavery per see it is condemning man stealing which involved a raid into a peaceful community and forcibly taking individuals. That is an act of war. Ancient war, in general, either involved the total annihilation of the defeated or their enslavement. It was an act of mercy to take slaves instead of killing all. Indeed the Romans put forward that argument; I.e. "We defeated you in battle. Therefore your total being belongs to us. We are merciful, therefore we will spare your lives in return for your lifelong service."

All ancient warrior tribes followed the same theory. Look at Moses and Joshua in their battles against the neighboring tribes it was ANNIHILATION. Whole tribes disappeared under assault by the Jews.

You are interpreting; as the Jews owned slaves that is fact. They were instructed how to deal with them and were not condemned for owning them.

[donmeaker]

I submit that when you conflate the Jewish term for servant in the Bible with the practice of slavery in the antebellum south you may be making a theological error.

[donmeaker]

The Bible does not condemn slavery per see it is condemning man stealing which involved a raid into a peaceful community and forcibly taking individuals.

that is what you said.
Now compare that with what the confederate cavalry did during Lee’s invasion of PA.

[EternalVigilance]

There are lots of things that Moses allowed that weren’t part of God’s original intent for mankind. Like divorce, for example. Jesus tells us in the gospels that Moses allowed it because of the hardness of their hearts. But He also said that from the beginning that wasn’t what God intended.

Yes, there are rules laid out for slaveholders in the law of Moses. There is even a book in the New Testament telling slaves and slaveholders how they should behave.

But God intended men to be free. Period.

To enslave a man is to violate the Golden Rule in one of the worst ways possible.