Is slavery wrong?

Question

a) If the Bible is such a great moral book way does it sanction slavery?

b) Why didn’t god have the intestinal fortitude to come out and say slavery is wrong?

Or

Is it just wrong to keep Israelites as slaves and it is okay for the Israelites to enslave others?

Answer 1

a) the Bible nowhere sanctions slavery. It gives guidelines for living as a slave or a master, if that is the condition at the time.

b) God did and is saying it is wrong in a multitude of verses. One is to love your neighbor (everyone) as yourself. You cannot do this and keep someone as a slave.

c) God has allowed nations to be held in slavery as punishment for their sins against Him, because they would listen to Him in no other way.

Answer 2

Many people are unaware of the different types of slavery. There is slavery based on ethnicity, then there is slavery based on repaying a debt. In bible times if you owed money you worked it off by working for the person until the debt was repaid or untill the year of jubilee. Every 50th year and all slaves were freed. It is quite easy to come to premture conclusions before considering all facts. If you are simply looking for excuses not to believe you will find an abundancy of them. But if you try to have an open mind and not be so eager to acccuse you may arrive at a more balanced conclusion.

Answer 3

The Bible tells of slavery, it doesn't sanction slavery.

In most cultures of that time, including Greek and Roman, it was considered the prerogative of the conquering nation to enslave the nation that they conquered.

Caesar brought back slaves from Germany and England.

The Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals and others sent to concentration camps in WWII were essentially slaves. They did slave labor for which they were paid nothing.

Israel kept slaves, and they also were slaves. But in Ancient Israel slavery was a punishment for crime, probably because there were no prisons, except perhaps the prison of the King.
Exodus 22:3 ~ "A thief must certainly make restitution, but if he has nothing, he must be sold to pay for his theft."
As for God condoning slavery, in Deuteronomy 23:15 He says:
"If a slave has taken refuge with you, do not hand him over to his master." That really doesn't sound like condoning.

Answer 4

I don't believe slavery is necessarily wrong. Let's say that you were an ancient nation, and you captured some few thousand enemies. Your choices are: execute them, or put them into slavery. I think even they would be glad to live as slaves.

Certainly slavery as practiced in the US was wrong, where slavers captured innocent people for the sole purpose of selling them. You just have to remember that in ancient time things weren't as nice and civilized as they are now. What would you do with thousands of prisoners that would just attack your people again if you let them free?

Answer 5

a. The Bible sanctions many things. Sacrificing your child for a greater good, for example. Try that in today's society.

b. In my opinion...there is no God. Since the entity cannot be proven, it therefore, as of now, does not exist. How can a nonexistant particle/person/animal issue orders orders or express a perspective.

c. It is NOT okay to enslave ANYBODY (immoral, unethical, villainous, wicked, etc).

Answer 6

It neither sanctions or condemns slavery, perse. First off, what does it say? In the New Testament, in speaking to Christians it speaks to both slaves and slave owners....whichever one you are, you are to serve God first by His precepts and to honor your owner or to honor your slave. A Christian owner has no right to mistreat a slave, and a christian slave has no right to dishonor his/her owner.

Now, before you think God is supporting slavery, take the WHOLE picture into perspective. Slaves of the days of Israel and the early church were NOT slaves like what WE know of from our history and our past here in the USA. People could actually indenture or sell themselves into slavery for a price. When their period of slavery was over, they were free. All slaves were set free every so many years anyway, along with all debt being forgiven and all property returned to the original owners every 50 or so years.

Now, one more principle. Do unto others as you would have them to do unto you. You can be a slave owner if you are willing to be enslaved yourself. You can beat and sell off the children of your slave if you are willing to be beaten and have your own children sold off. EVERYTHING a Christian does he/she must first measure it to "Do unto others as you would have them do unto YOU." It is the first principle of Christianity and IT overshadows all other principles and precepts, even those of being a good owner and/or a good slave.

Hope this helps.

Answer 7

Slavery is not wrong - in our society or in our era. Just because God tolerated certain things to go on does not mean that He sanctioned it.

Answer 8

Of course slavery is wrong and is one of the hundreds of problems associated with the Bible and it's so-called God.

Answer 9

People chose to be independent from God, when adam and eve ate the forbidden fruit they no longer follow God's word.

they're like saying hey God, we can live without you we dont need you, we can govern ourself!!

so God let them be, only time can tell...so here we are seeing and suffering the consequences of adam and eve's rebellion.

what im trying to say is, God did not promote slavery!

if u need someone to blame, do not blame the bible/God but the humanity who started and practice slavery.

Answer 10

You asked a bunch of very good questions. Slavery is wrong no matter who is enslaving who.