Would you think of this as strange?

Question

At the same time slaves were praying to God for their freedom, their masters were thanking God for blessing them with slaves.

Who's prayers do you think God was more interested in granting.

Do you think he made up the 3/5ths thing as a compromise?

Answer 1

This an article that I am copying from a website. But, you have to differentiate between the original Torah and Injil, what became the Bible of today, and the original Scriptures, which has delibrately been lost and corrupt by early jews and christians. As you can see from the text, it is clear, the languge and the level of barbarity can't be attributed to a Merciful Compassionate God. The link below may answer your questions with regards to Islam. Peace.
http://www.understanding-islam.org/related/search.asp?searchstr=Slavery&lookin=1&x=0&y=0

Text: Slavery in the Bible

Except for murder, slavery has got to be one of the most immoral things a person can do. Yet slavery is rampant throughout the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments. The Bible clearly approves of slavery in many passages, and it goes so far as to tell how to obtain slaves, how hard you can beat them, and when you can have sex with the female slaves.

Many Jews and Christians will try to ignore the moral problems of slavery by saying that these slaves were actually servants or indentured servants. Many translations of the Bible use the word "servant", "bondservant", or "manservant" instead of "slave" to make the Bible seem less immoral than it really is. While many slaves may have worked as household servants, that doesn't mean that they were not slaves who were bought, sold, and treated worse than livestock.

The following passage shows that slaves are clearly property to be bought and sold like livestock.

However, you may purchase male or female slaves from among the foreigners who live among you. You may also purchase the children of such resident foreigners, including those who have been born in your land. You may treat them as your property, passing them on to your children as a permanent inheritance. You may treat your slaves like this, but the people of Israel, your relatives, must never be treated this way. (Leviticus 25:44-46 NLT)

The following passage describes how the Hebrew slaves are to be treated.

If you buy a Hebrew slave, he is to serve for only six years. Set him free in the seventh year, and he will owe you nothing for his freedom. If he was single when he became your slave and then married afterward, only he will go free in the seventh year. But if he was married before he became a slave, then his wife will be freed with him. If his master gave him a wife while he was a slave, and they had sons or daughters, then the man will be free in the seventh year, but his wife and children will still belong to his master. But the slave may plainly declare, 'I love my master, my wife, and my children. I would rather not go free.' If he does this, his master must present him before God. Then his master must take him to the door and publicly pierce his ear with an awl. After that, the slave will belong to his master forever. (Exodus 21:2-6 NLT)

Notice how they can get a male Hebrew slave to become a permanent slave by keeping his wife and children hostage until he says he wants to become a permanent slave. What kind of family values are these?

The following passage describes the sickening practice of sex slavery. How can anyone think it is moral to sell your own daughter as a sex slave?

When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she will not be freed at the end of six years as the men are. If she does not please the man who bought her, he may allow her to be bought back again. But he is not allowed to sell her to foreigners, since he is the one who broke the contract with her. And if the slave girl's owner arranges for her to marry his son, he may no longer treat her as a slave girl, but he must treat her as his daughter. If he himself marries her and then takes another wife, he may not reduce her food or clothing or fail to sleep with her as his wife. If he fails in any of these three ways, she may leave as a free woman without making any payment. (Exodus 21:7-11 NLT)

So these are the Bible family values! A man can buy as many sex slaves as he wants as long as he feeds them, clothes them, and screws them!

What does the Bible say about beating slaves? It says you can beat both male and female slaves with a rod so hard that as long as they don't die right away you are cleared of any wrong doing.

When a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod so hard that the slave dies under his hand, he shall be punished. If, however, the slave survives for a day or two, he is not to be punished, since the slave is his own property. (Exodus 21:20-21 NAB)

You would think that Jesus and the New Testament would have a different view of slavery, but slavery is still approved of in the New Testament, as the following passages show.

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. (Ephesians 6:5 NLT)

Christians who are slaves should give their masters full respect so that the name of God and his teaching will not be shamed. If your master is a Christian, that is no excuse for being disrespectful. You should work all the harder because you are helping another believer by your efforts. Teach these truths, Timothy, and encourage everyone to obey them. (1 Timothy 6:1-2 NLT)

In the following parable, Jesus clearly approves of beating slaves even if they didn't know they were doing anything wrong.

The servant will be severely punished, for though he knew his duty, he refused to do it. "But people who are not aware that they are doing wrong will be punished only lightly. Much is required from those to whom much is given, and much more is required from those to whom much more is given." (Luke 12:47-48 NLT)

Answer 2

Believe it or not God heard all of the prayers. Just because we do not see how they were answered does not mean that they were not. Sometimes a prayer does not get answer for a purpose that will serve later in life.

Answer 3

It's not strange. There is a formula to life. Those who were the slave owners are cursing themselves for their actions right now, and those forced into slavery are in a better position I believe. God is the Most Just and One.

Answer 4

God's not a genie. He let slaves suffer in an effort to bring about sweeping change for all people. He let the Jews suffer in Israel as they were meant to. I am not Black, but the philosophies, speakers, movement leaders, and histories of the people that lived it inspire me.

Answer 5

I'm greatful God didn't give me everything I ever prayed for and I believe I am a wage slave.

Answer 6

God weighed the meditations of their hearts compared to God will. Freedom won. well almost we still live in an opressive world we just don't use as many whips and chains.

Answer 7

Praying to god is just as effective as praying to a goldfish, assuming you believe the goldfish has magic powers.

The only effect prayer has is psychological.

Answer 8

he heard everyones prayer. but he was telling the slaves that he will grant them happiness while the masters would be rotting away in the flaming pits of hell HAHAHA

Answer 9

Just because you pray does not mean God will fulfill your wishes.

For your answer, I would look towards the teachings of the Bible, the Koran and the Kitab-I-Aqdas.

Answer 10

God answers all prayers in one way or another.