Does The Bible Condemn Slavery?

April 6, 2004 | comtedemaistre

[ComtedeMaistre]

I had an interesting debate yesterday with a group of pro-life activists, who are trying to make their case against abortion, by comparing our society's tolerance for abortion with the tolerance for slavery that existed in America in the 1800s.

I am pro-life, and I am supportive of the goals of the pro-life activists. And I also agree with them that slavery is an outdated practice, that goes against the declaration of independence, and the idea of liberty on which this country was founded.

But I was worried about attempts to misrepresent the teachings of the Bible, about what it designates as sinful or not. It is clear that the Bible prohibits abortion, because in the 10 Commandments, there is an explicit prohibition against killing. Murder was wrong 200 years ago, 500 years ago, or even 2000 years ago, and the Christian Church has always been consistent in its teaching against the taking of innocent human life.

But does the Bible have a similar prohibition against slavery? If it does, I am not aware of it. Perhaps some of you freepers who know your Bible well, can comment on this matter.

[VRWC_minion]

After understanding the issue of what a slave is you need to understand that the bible is first about saving souls, not about social justice. Jesus said let the dead bury their own dead. His mission was much more urgent than worrying about the economic systems, which would change once hearts and minds are changed.

The above on slavery in Galations should put Pauls views on slavery in perspective. Slavery was not prescribed but a sense of being a slave to sin was and still is vastly more important.

the argument in a sound bite is that a slave can know and love Christ in the world while an aborted baby cannot.

[twigs]

That's true of modern slavery, not so much of historic slavery. In the past, slaves had rights and many were able to work their way out of their status. American slavery was an abomination.

[orionblamblam]

> after becoming a Christian the slave owner will of his own accord give up on treating his fellow man as a slave.

Nice thought, but in practice, the North/South American slave owners simply saw their slaves as less than their fellow man.

[alancarp]

I yield that point (kill vs. murder) -- and this thread was started by one who pretty much stipulated the point about abortion and murder. The question here really is, then, whether slavery and abortion are topics that can be equated in debate. I think not.

[far sider]

For the most part Jesus addressed problems within the Jewish culture of his time, and did not mention problems of the Greco-Roman culture (such as slavery, homosexuality, and idolatry). As Paul and the apostles took the Gospel to the world, they addressed these "Gentile" issues based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Christ.

Read the book of Philemon in the New Testament, along with a good commentary. In this book (actually a letter written to a slave-owning, Greek named Philemon, who became a Christian under Paul's teaching), Paul says he has found Philemon's runaway slave (named Onesimus) and, praise the Lord, the slave has become a Christian. Paul sends the slave back, and says to Philemon "by the way, don't you dare punish him" (runways could be killed by their owners under Roman law), "in fact next time you have communion make sure you include Onesimus. I'll be by sometimne to make sure you treated him right." Can you imagine a slaveowner washing the feet of his own slave? That's what Paul was ordering Philemon to do.

Paul knew that slavery could not exist within a society that took Christianity seriously.

[twigs]

African slavery in this country gradually grew worse, particularly after the invention of the cotton gin, where their labor became an economic necessity for some (or so they thought). It didn't start out that way. A key factor in this creeping evil was the argument that Africans were not actually human. That is what is happening today in the debate regarding abortion. The pro-life forces hold that life begins at conception; pro-aborts do not. They are using the same argument that earlier generations of slave holders did--that the unborn are not yet human and do not possess souls, just as the earlier folks held that Africans did not posses them. We should see from our own history that that is extremely dangerous territory.

[spunkets]

It was always true. Slaves never had rights, only their coercive masters did. Slavery appeared to be tolerated in the Bible, but here's what God said about it: Matt 19:8 "Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning." The passage applies not only to divorce, but to slavery and other things. He is also not restricting His comment to Moses and his contemporaries.

[twigs]

I believe that social justice is the outgrowth of practicing what Jesus calls us to--belief in His saving grace. If social justice becomes the goal, then we lose sight of Him. OTOH, if our society is not just, I would respectfully submit that we are not following what Jesus calls us to.

[GraniteStateConservative]

Jews-- like Jesus-- viewed taking a man's unborn child as a crime, but not on par with murder.

[wtc911]

Leviticus 25, 44-46 defines how one may obtain a slave, that the slave may be left as an inheritance or may be sold, that Hebrew slaves are to be treated more kindly than other slaves.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

"the New Testament argues that all men, whether Jew or Greek, slave or free, are equal in the sight of God"

Actually, the NT says that all men are equal IN CHRIST - meaning all believers are equal with no distinctions.

In Philemon, a slave is urged to go back to his master.

ampu

[george wythe]

Doctor testifies in abortion case that fetuses feel pain after 20 weeks

[VRWC_minion]

Mary Visits Elizabeth

Luk 1:39 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;

Luk 1:40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.

Luk 1:41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:

Luk 1:42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

Luk 1:43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

Luk 1:44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.

Luk 1:45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.

[twigs]

The white supremacists are quite simply wrong to defend their beliefs with the Bible. People throughout history have boasted beliefs out of their own lusts, prejudices and hatreds and have sought to condone them with shaky appeals to scripture. God--and mature Christians--have never been fooled.

The Bible is not a science book. While science has a lot to offer us today, it is a method, not a source of truth. Only the Bible provides that. When man shifted his source of truth from God's spoken word and placed his faith in man, then, yes, our progress as a culture took a direct hit.

That is not to say that in our progress as a Christian culture that we have always gotten it right. Far from it, as your reference to the Inquisition indeed proves. But we continually try to improve our lives and to the extent that we acknowledge God for who He is, and obey His word, He grants us the means to continue our journey--in this life and throughout eternity.

[VRWC_minion]

If someone is ignorant enough to connect the bible to white supremists and/or the inquisition its hopeless to debate them in this forum. Better to ingore such who lack understanding.

[Mark in the Old South]

Anyone who buys or sells a slave fits that description. Not too many slave owners who never ever sold or bought a slave.

It is also interesting to note that pre-christian and Pagan Rome empire had lots and lots of slaves. However by the early dark ages, slavery had just about disappeared from Europe, except in Pagan Scandinavia.

Hummmm I wonder could there be a connection.

[Skooz]

Damned heretics and their beliefs that the Earth goes 'round the sun...

Actually, it was the "heretics," in the person of Ptolemy, who developed a consistent geocentric theory that was accepted throughout the West for 15 centuries.

Until a devout Christian named Copernicus proved "that the Earth goes 'round the sun."

[twigs]

except in Pagan Scandinavia

And what about Arabs beginning in the 4th decade of the seventh century?

[yankeedame]

The Catholic Church also came out strongly against slavery on the Canary Islands. I believe that was somewhere in the 13th or 14th centuries.

Oh, I have no doubt! But I was thinking more along the line of the early Church, say 6th c. till the time you mention. (Oh, and thanks for the link you listed in the other post. It looks interesting.)

[orionblamblam]

> a devout Christian named Copernicus proved "that the Earth goes 'round the sun."

Copernicus did not "prove" it, but put it forward as a theory. Galieleo did more to "prove" it, and was smacked by Da Church for his efforts.