Thursday, February 28, 2013

The Bible on Slavery


This came up in a recent discussion I had with a couple of believers.  They asserted the bible does not endorse slavery.  I asked which bible they were reading.  This is from my bible:

A few Bible verses about slavery:

Ex 21:2  “If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.”

Ex 21:20-21  “And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished.  Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money.”

Lev 25:44-46 “Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids.  Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they begat in your land: and they shall be your possession.  And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a possession; they shall be your bondmen for ever: but over your brethren the children of Israel, ye shall not rule one over another with rigour.”

1 Tim 6:1 “Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed.”

Col 3:22  “Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God.”

How does someone read these passages and not think the bible endorses slavery?  It DOES!!  Nowhere in the bible is slavery condemned.  Why not a commandment?  Where is the commandment that says, “Thou shalt not own slaves”?  It’s not there because the bible LIKES slavery!  If we follow the bible, we not only own slaves, but regard ourselves as slaves to god.  How abhorrent!!  How vile!!  Your god is a slave-owner?!  Ew!

None for me thanks.  I, for one, am glad this god is imaginary.  How fortunate we are to be the ones who control our morality, not this monster.  How wonderful it is that all believers are so much better than the book they call holy.

3 comments:

  1. A friend of mine has a blog where he goes through the bible and sums up what it says. Here's his post on what the New Testament says about slavery. http://hausdorffbb.blogspot.com/2013/02/what-does-new-testament-say-about.html

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  2. Andrew .... kind of disingenuous .... The Bible does not condone slavery .... none of the passages you referenced addresses slavery .... what is referenced here is Bond Servitude .... the individual makes a choice to enter into this type of service for a payment .... to equate this with slavery is to be in error ....

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  3. PROVE! TO! ME!
    anyone! anytime!
    A N Y W H E R E!!
    this finite existence
    is more XX-citing
    than eternal
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    and I'll gitcha
    a pitcher-O-beer
    Upstairs, bro.
    No charge!
    Im buds withe Owner...

    ReplyDelete