I heard it does, in about a dozen passages.
2006-09-11 20:22:42 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Yes,
Check out items 10 and 17 below which both mention the keeping of slaves as though it is quite commonplace and acceptable.
Text of the commandments
The following is the text of the commonly accepted (by Christian and Jewish authorities) commandments as found in the book of Exodus 20:1-17, New Revised Standard Version. Because Jewish, Protestant, Orthodox, and Catholic traditions divide the commandments in different fashions, they are presented below without itemization.
(1) Then God spoke all these words: (2) I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; (3) you shall have no other gods before me. (4) You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. (5) You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, (6) but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments. (7) You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name. (8) Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. (9) Six days you shall labor and do all your work. (10) But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. (11) For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it. (12) Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. (13) You shall not murder. (14) You shall not commit adultery. (15) You shall not steal. (16) You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. (17) You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
2006-09-11 21:27:36 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
No. There was slavery in the Old Testament but thats not to say the Bible condoned it. Look at the Hebrews led out of Egypt by Moses. They were led to freedom and out of slavery.
Its even in the old Levitical law that anyone who "steals" a man and then sells him could be punished by death.
Most "slavery" talked about in the Old Testament is actually a self indentured type of slavery where it only lasted for a set amount of time, other than when a nation would defeat another nation and took the population at large as a slave class.
Exodus 21:16
He that shall steal a man, and sell him, being convicted of guilt, shall be put to death.
The Catholic Church has always taken a stand against slavery as well. A parish priest in Louisiana during the American Civil War (1861-1865) wrote a homily supporting the position of his parishoners. Rome quickly censured him and he had to modify his statement and position.
A priest in Birmingham Alabama officiated the marriage between a white girl and Puerto Rican dark skinned man in 1920. The girl's father, a Methodist minister, walked over to the rectory late in the afternoon and shot the priest in the head, killing him, as he sat on the porch. Father Coyle became a martyr for the Catholic Faith and racial equality. Father Coyle himself was a white Irishman.
A final note: not to bash anyone, but the historical fact is...the Southern Baptist denomination was born out of the Civil War when there was a disagreement inside the Baptist denomination on whether to support slavery or not. The Southern Baptist Convention and Southern Baptist denomination came to be to stay in the south and support the Confederacy's Pro-Slavery stance.
2006-09-12 03:24:28 · answer #2 · answered by Augustine 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It does.
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)
Whitefield – Evangelist for Jesus and Slavery!
English-born George Whitefield, was the father of American Evangelicalism. He campaigned not only for Jesus but for the legalization of slavery in Georgia in the 1740s (it was made legal in 1751).
Seraph has missed the passage: 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).
2006-09-12 04:05:04 · answer #3 · answered by February Rain 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
To done means to overlook or forgive bad behaviour, or to treat it as unimportant. So no, the Bible does not condone slavery. In fact a lot of passages has to do with how to treat slaves justly. The Bible recognises it as a human institution. If what comes to your mind concerning slavery is blacks being enslaved and treated cruelly and inhumanely, then the Bible speaks against that. But if slavery means voluntary subjection to work for another (like the way we have maids in Singapore), then that is another different thing altogether. So your DEFINITION of slavery is important, what do you mean by that? If you are referring to the oppressive and inhumane aspect of slavery, or the forceful subjugation of a group of people and denying them their rights, then I will need you to provide evidence that the Bible advocates this.
2006-09-12 03:39:16 · answer #4 · answered by Seraph 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
The Bible does not condone slavery, but it recognized that slavery existed-- and it gave special instructions on how slave-owners were to treat their slaves. It's an unfortunate measure of humanity that we enslave each other-- but the Bible is realistic, and doesn't close its eyes to this fact.
However, there's many scriptures in the Bible that says that there's no slavery in Christianity-- there's "neither bondwoman nor free" in Christianity-- all are the same, no seperatism.
2006-09-12 03:27:40 · answer #5 · answered by retro 3 · 2⤊ 2⤋
It does not preach against it and tells those who are slaves how to act. This is not the same as condoning it. Also slavery at that time was in someways better than working for minimum wage today. Owners were expected to give health care to their slaves as well as nutritios food. It just was not the same as what you might imagen.
2006-09-12 03:31:17 · answer #6 · answered by icheeknows 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Know that slavery back in the day of Jesus was different from what we know of from more recent history. When slaves were bought, there were not only servants, but most often part of the family. And it was not unusual for a slave to by his freedom by working. Sometimes they stayed after freedom was made, sometimes they left. Some American slavery was treated just like this, but sadly most involved oppression. That's where the sin lies
2006-09-12 03:29:55 · answer #7 · answered by Coool 4 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Many Christians were instrumental in the abolition of slavery...
2006-09-12 03:25:32 · answer #8 · answered by Adyghe Ha'Yapheh-Phiyah 6 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Yes It is called marriage
2006-09-12 03:26:19 · answer #9 · answered by Pauline 5 · 0⤊ 3⤋
No it doesnt HOWEVER Father is a realist and knows how cruel His children can get OK all cultures done it.
2006-09-12 03:27:00 · answer #10 · answered by jas3tm 3 · 1⤊ 3⤋