Slavery and the Bible?

Question

Now before I say anything I am not for slavery whatsoever anywhere but I did some research and found that Noah had three sons who were the father of three races Ham who was the father of the African race, Shem who was the father of the Asain races, and one who's name I can't remember (if you know please remind me) but was father of the caucasain race now there was an incedent in the bible (not going to go into details but it is in Genisis just after the flood) where Ham brought shame unto Noah but his other brothers did not. Noah then prayed to curse his son Ham along with all of his descendents and said he would be a servent unto his brothers. God then did what Noah asked. so my question is, was slavery biblical? where we doing God's work?

Once again I am not nor have I ever been for slavery but this research turned up some odd results.

just for the record I do believe in the Bible and I am a strong Christian just this part confuses me. Mainly becuase around the civil war period they were saying that the Bible said slavery was wrong but according to this it says it is right. any other answers would be apreciated. (and thanks to the ones who have answered)

I am really wondering about this. no one has answers?

Answer 1

The slavery in the Bible is not what the US did to the African Americans...big difference.
Slavery in the Bible was usually to pay a debt and was limited to a time frame. It was not supposed to be for a lifetime. If a slave chose to be a permanent "indentured servant" then he or she would have the ear pierced and remain. Those slaves were treated as family members.
The Bible said Ham's offspring would serve Japheth and Shem's offspring, not be slaves to them. The Israelites enslaved their own people.

Answer 2

The fact that Noah cursed Ham into slavery was a consequence of Ham's actions. The Bible teaches consequences for one's actions, and just punishment. Just like death is the consequence of man's sin. The Hebrews were enslaved by the Egyptians, and God did not condone that, although they were in bondage for a long time. He delivered them. But, when they disobeyed Him, they had to pay consequences. Others had slaves, but they were treated well. I don't think having slaves was a bad thing, but the bad treatment of them was.

Answer 3

Slavery is a byproduct of capitalism, invented as a byproduct of the late Greeks experimentation into freedom, and the unrestricted rights to 'ownership'. A slave, in the simplest definition, is a person who works or toils for the profits or benefits of another person. The Romans developed human slavery into the basis for their whole social system. After a series of conflicts during the time when 100% of the worker population of the Roman Empire was inducted into slavery, the Romans invented christinity to control these slaves, protect the wealth of the Roman nobility from them, and make the slaves more profitable. Thus the present confusion between the christian church doctrine and human slavery. The greatest success of the christian church is in preventing the 'serfs' (slaves) from knowing that they were slaves. Even today, the church functions to assure capitalist's profits from their 'wage earners', a little understood function.

Answer 4

Early in the Bible it talks about slavery.
Abraham had "employees" or servants that were treated well.
The Israelites were in forced slaves of the Egyptians.

In Eph 6:5 It talk about slavery when you cant pay off your debt. It work better in that time than any other system because they slaves obeyed their masters and the masters where ,for the most part, kind(were commanded to be kind) and was not based on racial things like my like it was in the mid-east and America slavery.Slayer was CREATED by God as a way to pay off money when their was no other option and they were only a slave for 7 years but could stay on as a slave if they agreed.If a master hurt his slave he was by law free.

Answer 5

Many times the Bible talks about things not that God condoned but that were still the way the people acted in the society. You will notice that the care for a slave was much better amongst the Jews by law than amongst other coubtries. With higher human value and respect given to them.

Answer 6

Noah was asleep in his tent, Ham and perhaps his son Canaan, somehow became disrespectful for Noah. "Finally Noah awoke from his wine and got to know what his youngest son had done to him."Sometimes in the Bible youngest son refers to Grandson. Yet Canaan's father Ham went telling it to his two brothers INSTEAD OF himself covering Noah up as his brothers did. On learing of the episode, Noah cursed Canaan and blessed Shem's God Jehovah.- gen 9:20-27..........he was curseed for his behavior.Also the word slave or servent is not limited to persons OWNED by others! it can apply to persons in royal service , or worshipers of Jehovah, or special representatives of God, or ones used by God, or an attendent,,devoted servents, .....

Answer 7

Slavery is opposed to the Beatitudes and"Do to others" in the NT and "You shall not steal" in the OT. However,if we go by the letter of Bible Alone without the Oral Tradition of Christ's teaching and that of the Apostles passed down through the Church, we will not find anything but approval of slavery (not murderous slavery though) in the Bible.

Answer 8

lots of interesting answers above... trying not to be redundant is difficult, but not impossible.

the bible documents the history of Yisrael, but saying that it explicitly condones 'slavery' is an egregious error.

from an etymological perspective, abd (whence abdul... servant/slave of, in arabic) connotes servant, slave, and also is the root of worship in semetic languages.

people enslave themselves through idolatry, debt, etc.
it is not 'good', and the bible does not 'condone' it -
however, many times it is the consequence of sin; whether individual, corporate, self-inflicted, or tyranny of others.

G-d will judge all in the end, and those who have oppressed others (including enslaving them) will have to answer for it.

How we individually deal with our own 'enslavement' is a different issue and that the bible deals with a lot. i.e. our attitudes, reactions, and ways of seeking freedom.

If we submit (become an 'abed' doing 'avodah') to Elohim, then we are able to be transferred to the 'spiritual' authority of His kingdom, rather than having to be under 'spiritual' dominion of the prince(s) of this world. We still have to live here, but our chain of authority is different; and in many ways that will affect our attitude and understanding for the better. Which is why simply being a 'student' of Yeshua is so threatening to those civil/religious authorities of our world. Because we have been freed inside from their enslavement.

Answer 9

Jā´pheth was the third one.
That is a tough passage. I believe Noah's nakedness was his wife: Ham's mother; definitely not nice; and Noah cursed Canaan, Ham's son not Ham; whoa, wonder what that is all about. Can't believe I figured that out. This is major.
Makes me forget all about your question.

Answer 10

I found this article for you: Did God Condone the Slave Trade?

http://www.watchtower.org/library/g/2001/9/8a/article_01.htm

Some highlights from it:

Jehovah did not approve of 'man dominating man' through abusive slavery. But did not God later allow slavery among his people? Yes, he did. However, the slavery that existed in Israel was vastly different from the tyrannical forms of slavery that have existed throughout history.

God's Law stated that kidnapping and selling a human was punishable by death. Furthermore, Jehovah provided guidelines to protect slaves. For example, a slave who was maimed by his master would be set free. If a slave died because his master beat him, the master could be punished with death. Women captives could become slaves, or they could be taken as wives. But they were not to be used for mere sexual gratification. The gist of the Law must have led righthearted Israelites to treat slaves with respect and kindness, as if these were hired laborers.—Exodus 20:10; 21:12, 16, 26, 27; Leviticus 22:10, 11; Deuteronomy 21:10-14.

Some Jews voluntarily became slaves to their fellow Jews in order to repay debts. This practice protected people from starvation and actually allowed many to recover from poverty. Furthermore, at key junctures in the Jewish calendar, slaves were to be released if they so desired.* (Exodus 21:2; Leviticus 25:10; Deuteronomy 15:12)

Slavery was part of the economic system of the Roman Empire, under which first-century Christians lived. Hence, some Christians were slaves, and others had slaves. (1 Corinthians 7:21, 22) But does this mean that disciples of Jesus were abusive slave owners? Hardly! Regardless of what Roman law permitted, we can be confident that Christians did not mistreat those under their authority. The apostle Paul even encouraged Philemon to treat his slave Onesimus, who had become a Christian, as "a brother."# —Philemon 10-17.

Clearly, the Bible does not condone the ill-treatment of others in any form. On the contrary, it encourages respect and equality among men. (Acts 10:34, 35) It exhorts humans to treat others the way that they would like to be treated. (Luke 6:31) Moreover, the Bible encourages Christians humbly to view others as superior, regardless of their social standing. (Philippians 2:3) These principles are totally incongruous with abusive forms of slavery practiced by many nations, especially in recent centuries.