Why do people not see the concept of slavery being wrong?

Question

We were created to whorship somone else, and follow their rules. And there are severe punishments for not believing in them and not following their rules. But we didn't choose to exist, or sign a contract before we were born that said we would follow the rules. So it seems unfair to punish those people who simply don't agree with the thing that created them.
( it also seems wrong to force your kids to live by your beliefs instead of theirs. It's not their fault they exist, so they shouldn't have to follow arbritary rules that go beyond keeping them safe. )

Yes, actually, I do. My parents, among many other people are proud of me.

ok, so it's in some peoples beliefs to force others to live by their beliefs, so takeing away their control over other people by their beliefs must be wrong. So then we are wrong no matter what wether we are controlling people, or stopping others from controlling people.

Answer 1

Hi, Slee, you've definitely thought through this and come up with a really good question. I guess you mean to tie "slavery" into this because if God forces people to suffer ramifications for a situation they didn't ask for, that would be slavery....

Well, there are different ways to approach it.

You could say that God isn't "punishing" people per se, unlike the vindictive nature many people have attributed to Him.

Let's talk about the "parent" example you brought up. You didn't ask to be conceived and born, but you were. And now you have parents, whether you wanted the ones you got or not.

Like it or not, your parents are foundational in your growth as a person, who you do and do not become, where you end up, and whatever else -- a bad parent can damage you, a missing parent (who doesn't interact with you) still damages you, and a good parent shapes you in good ways.

You don't get a choice. You're stuck with parents and their influence, or you're stuck with their absence and that impact on you. It's simply part of reality: Relationships matter, and relationships impact who you become.

The situation with God is similar. You didn't ask to be created, but you were, and God happens to be who He is, and you happen to be who you are. You are free to choose to love God or to reject Him -- and depending on what you choose, that will impact who you become and what happens to you. There's nothing that can be done about it, it's simply part of existing.

And it's not even like God himself is "punishing" you for rejecting Him. There are natural ramifications to denying the Definer of the Universe. Since he's defined everything, anything you choose that is different will ultimately be a lie. It will also be harmful and detrimental to your growth as a spiritual being. He will let you reject him, but there are simply natural consequences towards rejecting the most "healthy" way to live spiritually.

(With your physical body, you are free to eat poison, for example. The poison, however, will kill you. You can't avoid that outcome. Your only choice is not whether poison kills, but whether you will eat it.)

So God permits people to choose. The sign of his goodness is that he allows people to do things and believe things that will ultimately be destructive to themselves and their relationships with other people -- and yet he refuses to make the choice FOR them. (And he can't change the impact of their choices; the impact is built into the fabric of how people interrelate. )

So he's given us a lot of power to choose our own outcome, at least in terms of spiritually who we become.

To me, that is not slavery, it's the opposite: Empowerment.

My choices matter.

I know that's probably not satisfying yet, but good questions always reverberate and must be grappled with for a long time. You asked a very honest and deep question, and I think that level of honesty is important to God and will take you very far.

Answer 2

I think you have it backwards. Life, as you put it, can be a condemnation to slavery and not a freedom.

This is not only anti Christian it is anti-human and illogical. Without a life you have no freedom. With a life you have free will to choose as you wish.

The 'rules' and 'worship' though you don't agree are there to make your life freer.

You don't believe it cause it seems like a paradox. But if I hand you a football and tell you to play yet you have no idea what the rules are then you are not free to play football.

Same with life. There are rules which when abided by you will be able to enjoy and be free to live life. You can be creative and do a spin move with the football or be free enough to be the master of your actions and not the other way around.

You argument, frankly, though you may laugh, is a destructive and abominable argument. You have been persuaded by philosophies that do not promote liberation and truth however much its facade suggests.

But don't believe me. The wages of sin is death. In this life, your fulfillment will most likely only come from making money and getting a nice car. Really too bad....

Answer 3

It appears these are the very same people that have no type of understanding, openmindedness, or willingness. Even worse, being forced to follow a religious doctrine when you don't even know where your nature will direct you. Worse still, forcing a relatively new doctrine down people's throats when religious doctrine already existed centuries before this so called Christianity and the Roman Catholic Church. At the cost of offending christians and catholics, I'm sorry to say that I observe them breaking the Commandments left and right. By the way, I believe in God, it's just that I'm practical and very observant but I won't go into a long and drawn out explanation at the risk of getting bashed later on.

Answer 4

At the time of the American Civil War (The War between the States, as southerners would say) slavery was argued for from I Cor. 12:13 "For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body - whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free ..." Using the "we are one body of many parts" analogy, slavers said that some people were meant to be the "hands" which do what the brains tell them to do.

It has taken a while, for a different meaning of that text to be seen. i.e. we all have different skills, and the abilities of one person are not greater than the abilities of another.

Answer 5

Interesting and thought provoking questions!

Actually, some theories exist that we do in fact, decide to exist while we are still in the spiritual realm, prior to our physical incarnations in this world AND some also theorize that we design our own life "contracts" while still on the other side. Interesting stuff.

As far as following "the rules" these were made up by man and misinterpreted by man in the mistranslated mess that is the current bible.

Answer 6

You obviously cannot recognize life itself as a blessing to begin with. And if you only had a real realtionsip with God, you would see that living the life He outlines for us is far better than what we can do on our own. He is not a curel God, but lets say you have children of your own, and they want to do what ever they want, no matter the danger or the concquences, yet you are the parent, and are responsible for them. Are you actually going to not have rules in your home and guidlines for them to follow. Now remember that "your children" did not ask for you to have them. ( I am risking this question with you becuse you are probably still a rebellious child yourself) You have to have rules and guidelines in life to keep things right and safe and good. God is a good loving God, and since obviously you do not know Him personally, and until you do give HIm a chance for you to get to know Him on a personal lever, You have no right to criticize someone you do not know yet.

Answer 7

Your whole outlook on Faith is completely backwards. You sound cynical and whiney. As a christian it is your duty to teach your children the right path, whether or not they take that path is up to them. Just your parents make you follow "arbitrary" rules and beliefs does not mean that they have to when their adults. You either accept and believe in your Faith or you don't. It's not something that can be forced. As far as keeping them safe, they are. Aside from your physical safety, you also need to keep your soul safe. You never know when your last minute on earth will be. Please reevaluate your thinking and try to be more open to Faith.

Answer 8

no killing people not stealing not having sex with your mother are pretty good rules so are most of the other rules they help us live with freedom comes responsibilty
You do exist and you do live in a society with other people whether you like it or not thats life and thats the way it is
here is the golden rule
Those who have the gold make the rules. thats just the way it is.
trust me you dont want life to be fair if life was fair everyone would be punished for every single rule they ever broke if you ever got away with something dont ask for life to be fair.

Answer 9

The strong make the rules and the weak must follow them. It's human nature and natural order. First off, ain't no punk kid which I DECIDED TO CREATE gonna tell me what to do! As far as I'm concerned, as long as he lives in my house, he has to play by MY rules. Besides, without slavery the blacks would have no purpose in life and we wouldn't have the pyramids or any of the slave-built wonders.

Answer 10

Implicit in your question is that not only should we not be forced to do anything (in a moral sense) but that we have authority because of our birth to do whatever we want. This lacks credibility, evidence, and reasoning. To propose that because we exist we should live by our own moral beliefs, whatever they may be, is implausible at best because people are different. As to slavery being wrong, I have yet to meet anyone who thinks it is a good idea. Also, other people besides yourself have not opted to be born; should they be forced to abide by your rules? You have said, "it is wrong to force your kids to live by your beliefs?" But if you are correct, you are appealing to a standardized moral law. If that is the case, are you not, in effect, forcing them to now live by your beliefs instead of their own? This defies logic.