Current Events > The Bible seems pro-slavery. Is this accurate?

(+) Yeah! (+)

It talks about how slaves should be happy to be with their masters, seemingly (in so many words); at one point, it says that if a master kills his slave, but the slave doesn't die right away, the master won't be punished...because the loss of his property was punishment enough. I think I'm getting this stuff right. Should I be interpreting things like this as a pro-slavery message form the Bible (which of course is extremely disturbing and offensive)?

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The Bible seems to be pro-a lot of things things that are considered offensive these days, especially in the Old Testament. One would almost think that just maybe what is good and bad can change and evolve, depending on the time and society, which would make many ancient religious texts mostly obsolete.

But nah, that's too complicated to think about, right? It's much easier to just cherry pick the parts that sound good.

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The book of Exodus is the go to for African American pastors - the Jewish people were slaves to the pharaoh in that book.

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Yes, the Bible was used to justify slavery back in the day.

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Slavery is s governmental institution, and Jesus said obey your government. Doesn't mean Jesus likes slavery.
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If the Bible was written today, it would be considered offensive

RoadsterUFO posted...

https://youtu.be/NVY6mruK_jk

This is what opened my eyes to it >_>.

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It was written during a time when slavery was the norm, therefore it discusses slavery in that context. To modern minds it thus appears to be pro-slavery. This is one of the many problems with the Bible, especially when it is interpreted literally. The authors did not have the foresight to consider future -- more civilized -- societies.

Bible says you have to treat your slave justly and fairly. No one did that in America.

Bible also says if you beat your slave or injure them in such a way you are going to have let them go.

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what they do to minimum wage people is practically slavery.

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I wouldn't say it's pro-slavery, but it's not anti-slavery either

It just seems to accept that slavery is something that exists

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RoadsterUFO posted...

https://youtu.be/NVY6mruK_jk

it's funny because isn't Mac gay now?

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Aressar posted...

The Bible seems to be pro-a lot of things things that are considered offensive these days, especially in the Old Testament. One would almost think that just maybe what is good and bad can change and evolve, depending on the time and society, which would make many ancient religious texts mostly obsolete.

But nah, that's too complicated to think about, right? It's much easier to just cherry pick the parts that sound good.

Dumbest post I've read in april so far.

Slavery was wrong then and it's still wrong now. You know the bible says you can beat your slave as long as they don't die within a couple of days. (If they die a week later, it's still ok according to the bible)

And even the new testament endorses slavery.

"But *context*!" no, there's no context where slavery is justified

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Wetterdew posted...

no, there's no context where slavery is justified

What if you consent to being a slave though? Is that justified?
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Consenting to enslavement is an oxymoron.

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Guaranteed there are things today that you consider acceptable that won't be considered acceptable in the future.

1500 years from now the way we treat prisoners will be considered entirely inhumane. And there is hardly a left-right dichotomy on that issue.

The Old Testament was objectively progressive for its time. The main comparable writing of the time to the Torah was Hammurabi's Code. Since then, to the times of Jesus to the modern day, different societies religious groups have all developed beyond just original religious texts.
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Well yes D_U, just like how America is currently a pro-retribution-imprisonment country, the Old Testament is a pro-slavery document.

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The Israelite kings like David and Solomon had slaves and God didnt seem to care at all so I guess that means the Bible really was pro slavery

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YookaLaylee posted...

The Israelite kings like David and Solomon had slaves and God didnt seem to care at all so I guess that means the Bible really was pro slavery

Solomon also had like a thousand wives & sex slaves (combined)

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Doe posted...

Well yes D_U, just like how America is currently a pro-retribution-imprisonment country, the Old Testament is a pro-slavery document.

When you say that you are ignoring all context, and you know it.

"The Old Testament is a pro-slavery document" is technically not untrue, but gives a different message than what reality is, but that is your intention. The same is true about the description of America. That system may change one day, but it is so ingrained in this country (and many others, let's not act like America is the worst offender here) that it would only change after multiple generations.

So should the people that don't live in a perfectly moral society be eternally damned? Of course not. But again, the door is very much open for inherently dishonest criticisms. In the current case, it is most likely because you and others dislike religion and this seems like an easy target.
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Jesus mentions that the Law of Moses was a concession because the people's hearts were hard.

Note also that this was a different kind of slavery than we're used to thinking about from a few centuries back.

Deuteronomy 15:12-19

If your fellow Hebrew[aa]whether male or female[ab]is sold to you and serves you for six years, then in the seventh year you must let that servant[ac] go free.[ad] 13 If you set them free, you must not send them away empty-handed. 14 You must supply them generously[ae] from your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepressas the Lord your God has blessed you, you must give to them. 15 Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore, I am commanding you to do this thing today. 16 However, if the servant[af] says to you, I do not want to leave[ag] you, because he loves you and your household, since he is well off with you, 17 you shall take an awl and pierce a hole through his ear to the door.[ah] Then he will become your servant permanently (this applies to your female servant as well). 18 You should not consider it difficult to let him go free, for he will have served you for six years, twice[ai] the time of a hired worker; the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.

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DevsBro posted...

Jesus mentions that the Law of Moses was a concession because the people's hearts were hard.

Like I said, the Bible isn't really pro or anti-slavery, it just acknowledges that slavery exists

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MFmC6BD1B4

Damn_Underscore posted...

"The Old Testament is a pro-slavery document" is technically not untrue, but gives a different message than what reality is, but that is your intention. The same is true about the description of America. That system may change one day, but it is so ingrained in this country (and many others, let's not act like America is the worst offender here) that it would only change after multiple generations.

What a bizarre word game. To get this clear, you are arguing that calling the Bible a "pro-slavery document" is too aggressive because everyone was more or less pro-slavery at the time? In the same way most non-US countries are also pro-retribution?

The bible is argued to be the divinely inspired word of God. People still believe in God. It's not as big a deal that Hamurabi's code is pro-slavery because nobody believe in that king's divine legitimacy anymore. America has "In God we Trust" on its currency and is constantly in debates about whether slavery was bad enough to warrant massive reparations to the victims, so it seems pretty relevant and ugly that the Bible is pro-slavery.

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I was brought up to be told it meant "servants", not "slaves" it was just a translation error or misinterpretation of the original text, but I'm starting to think that isn't true.

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Deuteronomy literally encodes a way for masters to retain their slaves by having them choose between freedom and their slave family

"A different kind of slavery" is always a really gross line of arguing. One person has near perfect control of another human being. Where on the sliding scale of house slavery vs tobacco plantation with 90% mortality rate is the slavery an acceptable form of slavery?

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Society and the religions themselves have naturally progressed beyond just what religious texts say. Religious texts are what they are and are obviously relevant to the time they were written. It is up to religious movements and individual people to develop their own religious beliefs beyond original texts.

Internet atheists argue that the Bible promotes or tolerates evil things while at the same time criticizing religious people for progressing their religious beliefs (or as they call it, "picking and choosing"). The irony is incredible.
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Doe posted...

Where on the sliding scale of house slavery vs tobacco plantation with 90% mortality rate is the slavery an acceptable form of slavery?

Nowhere. That was just a side note.

Like I said, Jesus said that the whole thing was a concession.

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Doe posted...

Consenting to enslavement is an oxymoron.

Don't kink shame bro
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