why does the bible encourage slavery?

Question

Leviticus 25:44-46 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.
Exodus 21:2-6 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.

Answer 1

It was written during a time period in which slavery was the norm, by people who considered slavery not only normal but perfectly morally acceptable.

Answer 2

Practically every society in the world at this time practised slavery. The Old Testament is clearly a product of its times, for example it also deals with animal sacrifices which are not practised now. Christianity was actually very popular amongst slaves and women, oppressed groups in society, because the New Testament says that all Christians are spiritually equal. Note however that it does not actively condemn slavery, because it was the status quo in society. The writers just could not imagine an (earthly) world where slavery did not exist.

Should also add that not all slavery fits our mental image of people in chains, being mercilessly beaten. Some obviously were, but often a slave was the equivalent of a servant - some were even adopted by their masters. Life was harsh and cruel in those days, for freemen as well as slaves. And slaves could usually buy back their freedom, unlike many modern slaves, e.g. women forced to work as sex slaves in europe.

Answer 3

You variety of have the verses blended jointly, yet enable me handle the two themes separately. Slavery - The passages which relate specifically to this are not meant to sell slavery. What you have quoted is a mix of rules and non secular suggestion that became meant extra to make the final of a bad situation. A return to the unique regulation--love--on the instant negates any attempt to apply the Bible to safeguard slavery. Racism - The passage you have quoted from Jeremiah has not something in any respect to do with race. on a similar time, there are unquestionably passages of the previous testomony that smack of ethnocentrism or perhaps genocide. yet comprehend that the human beings being singled out for this violent reaction weren't basically human beings of a extremely different subculture who have been minding their own employer. They have been people who have been slowed down in some behaviors that make any contemporary subculture look easily monastic. They posed a rapidly danger to the human beings God became addressing. They posed an prolonged-term danger to civilization. And there became no thank you to reform them. How could you have dealt with it?

Answer 4

In Biblical times, slavery was allowed as an alternative to killing all of the people you conquered. It was a custom and practice that was in place long before the Bible was written.

The Bible commanded that slaves be treated with respect. In the verses you quoted from Exodus, you will read that a person was not to be a slave for his or her entire life, but was to be set free after six years.

Customs and traditions no longer allow for slavery and the Bible cannot be used to justify slavery. The Bible set to make a practice that already was in practice more humane.

Answer 5

Did you ever read 1st Timothy 1:1-10? Pharoah and not one person in either old or New Testament had the right to keep and hold slaves. Since they did, God did lay down a few rules, which also applies to employers in how they treat their employees! Colossians 2:17, Psalm 1:1-3, Colosians 4:1, Deuteronomy 28:1-14..It still applies.

Answer 6

For their own good.

Alien residents, not having any land inheritance, might be merchants or hired laborers. Some were slaves. (Le 25:44-46) There was a possibility of their becoming wealthy. (Le 25:47; De 28:43) Generally, however, the Law classified them as among the poor and outlined arrangements for protecting and providing for them. The alien resident could share in the tithes provided every third year. (De 14:28, 29; 26:12) Gleanings of the field and of the vineyard were to be left for him. (Le 19:9, 10; 23:22; De 24:19-21) He could receive the benefits of what grew during Sabbath years. (Le 25:6) He was given equal protection with a native Israelite as a hired laborer. A poor Israelite might sell himself to a wealthy alien resident, in which case the Israelite was to be treated kindly, like a hired laborer, and could be repurchased at any time by himself or by a kinsman or, at the latest, was released on the seventh year of his service or at the Jubilee.—Le 25:39-54; Ex 21:2; De 15:12.

Answer 7

The slavery of that time is not the same as what you see in the movie "Roots" for example. It was more of an indentured servitude, and if you do your historical research you will find that slavery was an economic necessity in the ancient world. Not for the slave owners, for the slaves. You couldn't just go to the local Wal-Mart and apply for a job, and not every body had a skill that they could use on the open market. You have to eat somehow right? So the Bible does not condone what we think of as slavery.

Answer 8

In that society, many thousands of years ago, slavery was allowed. It was NOT ENCORAGED. Note that it say "you MAY purchase".

In the New Testament, slaves are still allowed but they are not to be treated like all other nations treated them. They were to be respected:

Philem 14-16
15 Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back for good- 16 no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.
(from New International Version)



SLAVE TRADERS WERE CONDEMNED!

1 Tim 1:8-11
8 We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. 9 We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10 for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers-and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine 11 that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.

Answer 9

You have to take into consideration the age and time. Nowadays, if you can't pay your bills, you either get sued or you file bankruptcy.
Back then, if you couldn't pay your bills, your BODY - as slave labor paid your debt.
When you read the Bible, you need to know what time/age you are reading in, understand the culture of the people of those days, and adapt it to today's experiences.

Example: In 1 and 2 Corinthians, Paul speaks to them on several issues, one is not letting the women cut their hair. If you research the time and place, you would find out that women in the City of Corinth who had short hair were Greek temple prostitutes. Paul was instructing the women to let their hair grow long so they wouldn't be mistaken for temple prostitutes. That doesn't mean that women today, living under different circumstances should never cut their hair.

Answer 10

The bible is a reflection of society during the time the events took place. The old testament has the reoccurring theme... We are God's chosen ones. They are not. Treat people within our sect with these rules, but if they are not one of us... anything goes. The justification of the double standard.

The New Testament, Jesus, makes a lot of effort to say that we are all equal in God's eyes.... In other words, the concept of God playing favorite is false. He also preaches that if the laws that govern treating our neighbors in our sect is the way we should behave, then we should apply it to all others....

Jesus was a radical and a subversive when it came to the status quo.

Answer 11

"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. "

Reading that statement one would think it was a good thing back then. Or, why the hell would they want to stay.