Slavery in the Christian Bible

videos! http://www.youtube.com/user/Discern4

The Bible and Slavery: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bible_and_slavery
A few choice bible quotes: http://www.evilbible.com/Slavery.htm

Links to pro-slavery arguments from southern Christians:
Pastor Thorton Stringfellow: http://docsouth.unc.edu/church/string/string.html
E.W. Warren: http://docsouth.unc.edu/imls/warren/warren.html
George Fitzhugh: http://docsouth.unc.edu/southlit/fitzhughcan/fitzcan.html

'Slavery was established by decree of Almighty God...it is sanctioned in the Bible, in both Testaments, from Genesis to Revelation...it has existed in all ages, has been found among the people of the highest civilization, and in nations of the highest proficiency in the arts.' Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America.

'There is not one verse in the Bible inhibiting slavery, but many regulating it. It is not then, we conclude, immoral.' Rev. Alexander Campbell

'The right of holding slaves is clearly established in the Holy Scriptures, both by precept and example.' Rev. R. Furman, D.D., Baptist, of South Carolina

'The doom of Ham has been branded on the form and features of his African descendants. The hand of fate has united his color and destiny. Man cannot separate what God hath joined.' United States Senator James Henry Hammond.

Quotation from the 21st century:

'If we apply sola scriptura to slavery, I'm afraid the abolitionists are on relatively weak ground. Nowhere is slavery in the Bible lambasted as an oppressive and evil institution: Vaughn Roste, United Church of Canada.

The quotation by Jefferson Davis, listed above, reflected the beliefs of many Americans in the 19th century. Slavery was seen as having been 'sanctioned in the Bible.' They argued that:

1. Biblical passages recognized, controlled, and regulated the practice.

2. The Bible permitted owners to beat their slaves severely, even to the point of killing them. However, as long as the slave lingered longer than 24 hours before dying of the abuse, the owner was not regarded as having committed a crime, because -- after all -- the slave was his property.

3. Paul had every opportunity to write in one of his Epistles that human slavery -- the owning of one person as a piece of property by another -- is profoundly evil. His letter to Philemon would have been an ideal opportunity to vilify slavery. But he wrote not one word of criticism.

4. Jesus could have condemned the practice. He might have done so in one of his many parables mentioning slaves. But there is no record of him having said anything negative about the institution.

Eventually, the abolitionists gained sufficient power to eradicate slavery in most areas of the world by the end of the 19th century. Slavery was eventually recognized as an extreme evil. But this paradigm shift in understanding came at a cost. Christians wondered why the Bible was so supportive of such an immoral practice. They questioned whether the Bible was entirely reliable. Perhaps there were other practices that it accepted as normal which were profoundly evil -- like genocide, torturing prisoners, raping female prisoners of war, forcing rape victims to marry their rapists, executing religious minorities, burning some prostitiutes alive, etc. The innocent faith that Christians had in 'the Good Book' was lost -- never to be fully regained.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/sla_bibl.htm

Music by Derek Oldman - Venus Opposite Mars (Chillish 303 Mix)
http://www.jamendo.com/en/album/15520
Prophecy - http://www.jamendo.com/en/album/15520

Also be sure to check out an excellent series called 'The Slavery Dialogs' by Discovering Religion: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLABDCAD2EB0C22A53&feature=plcp

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