What Kind Of Family Values Are These?

Question

Exodus 21:2-6 NLT

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.

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.

Answer 1

talking about double standards:
they say that God allowed Solomon to have hundreds of wives and hundreds of concubines because it was a mark of man's wealth and influence, and when it comes to prophet Muhammad ,they say that he had 9 wives because he was a lustful man.
also they say that God allowed certain things because it was the custom at that time , and when it comes to Qur'an they say it allowed certain things because it is retarded.

Answer 2

People who are not within the realms of Christian faith will always remain awed by what is written. True Christians doesn't practice what has been taught from the Old Testament because Christianity is actually solely based on the New Testament though Christians will not usually say that in public that's why they always miss to see the fact that the Old has become New. Christ teachings is what made the Christian religion and not from the wars, enslavery and killings from the Old testament that even the Torah and Qur'an are not innocent of, but there are still those who will not be able to comprehend.

Other Holy Books have not separated what is barbaric from what is not, the reason why there are still those who resort to extreme ways of dealing with the world's problems just because God allegely said so and yet they claim that God is not a cruel but loving God. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth is still being practice by others and still claims that it comes from God the reason why it is easy to see that their wars will never stop because DIPLOMACY is never written in their Holy Books.

Christians go to wars when every peaceful means have been exhausted and the wars that involves Christians are usually decisive and ends in a matter of time. But look at the wars of the Jews and Muslims, it started since time immemorial and still is going on until now. Can anyone explain why this is so? Such a long and protracted war with the use of all extreme means of killing each other and yet no solution has been found. Jesus has revealed everything but we have to accept that there will still be blind men.

If people will continue to muddle up the OT (Old Testament) with The NT (New Testament), the message will be meaningless and becomes MT (empty) because the old will remain old but will only be refurbished and be restored to become New with the ressurection of every life on earth by way of the Christ who have conquered death.

Answer 3

For the time period, that was a step forward in human rights. Other countries sold a debtor into slavery for life with no hope of release. Also notice that in the Law of Moses, slaves actually had the right to fair and humane treatment (almost unheard of in the ancient world -- other countries considered slaves property to be treated however the owner wished).

From what Paul & Jesus taught, it appears that this part of the Law of Moses no longer applies under the New Testament. However, it appears that the English used this general principle of "indentured servant" to populate the english colonies in North America.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

"An indentured servant is a labourer under contract (an indenture--explained below) to work (for a specified amount of time) for another person or a company/corporation, often without any monetary pay, but in exchange for accommodation, food, other essentials, training, or passage to a new country. After working for the term of the contract (traditionally seven years) the servant was then free to farm or take up trade of his own. The term comes from the medieval English "indenture of retainer" — a contract written in duplicate on the same sheet, with the copies separated by cutting along a jagged (toothed, hence the term "indenture") line so that the teeth of the two parts could later be refitted to confirm authenticity. They were also used to make the labour-intensive cash crop tobacco in the 17th century.

It was the legal basis of the apprenticeship system by which skilled trades were learned.

Indentured servitude is not identical with involuntary servitude and slavery.

There have been multiple occasions where the indentured servitude has been abused. For example, indentured servants need goods or services not available or supplied at a cost within the terms of the indenture and find obtaining such goods or services requires an extension to the period of their indenture. In these circumstances, the system can represent a form of unfree labour."

Answer 4

I don't see anything in there about hostages. But I will tell you this, slaves back then were treated a lot better than they were in our country and still are where slavery is still happening.

Plus the servant may not even have gotten married and still wants to stay with his master.

So to say what you said is showing nothing more than the hate and ignorance of one who is trying to tear down someone elses belief so you don't have to feel bad about yourself or your religion.

Answer 5

Why do those that wish to attack Christianity and the Jewish faith waste their time with such dribble.
God allowed certain things because it was the custom at the time.
he allowed Solomon to have many different wife's because it was a mark of a mans wealth and influence.
If you wish to begin an intelligent debate why not do so.
We are living under Grace and Mercy not the LAW>

Answer 6

I wouldn't take it to be literal in today's standards. It was something that happened back then. And I don't think they treated their servants horribly, but I can see your point about having them get married during the six years to have them stay longer.

Answer 7

What you are quoting is the Old Testament recording of old Jewish law. It is hardly applicable today and the examples you have quoted are most certainly not 'family values'

Answer 8

So I need a hebrew slave?

Answer 9

That sounds a lot like the job market now with all these dead end jobs.

Answer 10

Did anyone tell Abraham Lincoln about this?