Let’s try this again Christians: God and Slavery?

Question

When I and other non-believers have questioned Christians about why it is that God endorses slavery in the Bible, the most common Christian response has been that slavery was such a way of life for the people of that time that God had to speak to them in a way that they could understand and/or relate to. In other words, as one Christian said, “God had to work with what he had. He wasn’t endorsing slavery.” My question is: Why then, as man morally/socially evolved to the point where slavery became a controversial and debated issue, to the point that a massive war was fought (Civil War) about it, did God not update the Bible or speak to man to straighten out the issue? Even though things ended up working out in the end and slavery is now illegal, thousands of men died horrible deaths fighting for/against the cause and generations of black people were whipped, raped, and mistreated before the issue was somewhat resolved. Somewhere around 1600, could God not have somehow made it clear that slavery was evil? To this day, each of us could pull out the Bible and use it to make a sound religious argument that slavery is okay. Luckily, we have rational minds that tell us otherwise.

pufferoo: No one answered the question the first time. A few people tried, but they did read the question properly. They seemed to think that I was trying to say slavery is good.

Answer 1

The Bible is a collection of 66 different books, some history, some poetry, some songs, some letters, as well as the rules of an ancient religion . . . written over the span of thousands of years. Problems arise when people can't tell one from another, and confuse them into each other.

Problems arise when you try to take a rule written for and by a certain group of people, and apply it to your life today (taking your disobedient child to the gates of the city to stone him, for example).

Or, this for example: "If a man beats his male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies as a direct result, he must be punished, 21: but he is not to be punished if the slave gets up after a day or two, since the slave is his property.” ---- Exodus 21:20-21

God isn't in that rule, because most of Exodus and Numbers are rules written by, about, and for a certain people, not rules written by God.

(And slavery is man-made, not God-made. God's let us know we have to generally work our own problems out ourselves.)

People tend to focus on the words in the Bible, and miss the message behind the story. The creation story of Genesis 1 and 2, for example, are poetry, the message is that God is powerful, neither of which is a history lesson.

Adam and Eve is a metaphor -- not literal history. It's poetic parable -- not the literal story of two people, for example.

The Bible is a fantastic collection of stories written by, about, and for the followers of the God of Abraham, and the followers of Christ.

Of course the Bible isn’t THE WORD OF GOD . . . it’s translated into a language we can understand – Jesus didn’t speak English, for example.

But the Bible is God’s Word . . . meaning the message, not the medium or the method, is what God tries to tell us.

The message of all of the books of the Bible is that God wants to be in relationship with God's creation, each of us.

Being a follower of Christ is about having a personal relationship with a risen Savior, not about a book. The Bible is important, but God speak to us in many different ways, not just through the Bible.


I'm a pastor in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ.). Most churches with a pastor who attended seminary can explain this to you in person.

Godspeed.

Answer 2

Honestly, I'm not Christian but I worship in Spirit and Truth. I don't believe that God endorsed slavery. Slavery was an evil choice that humanity made. I have been raised to understand that the Creator gave us free will and choice. Some people lie on God and hid behind God to do evil things in the name of God. I'm part Native American Indian and I will include a video that might help you understand what I'm saying. And from my understanding once a person sends an intent into the universe if it is good or evil that intent runs it's course. I've always been taught that only the Creator has power but the Creator gives us abilities and skills. And usually evil people seek power and power in the wrong hands creates chaos and destruction.

Answer 3

There may have been provision to deal with slaves in the Old Testament, when God had to deal with the Israelites taking account of their benightedness.

Notice in the New Testament it says a slave should pursue lawful means to get free of slavery (which was a very widespread state of affairs in the Roman Empire - espape and capture would normally lead to severe punishment), as slaves could purchase freedom sometimes. Also it says that slavetraders are the most despicable of people - an example of an unsaved persons way of life a christian should shun.

Answer 4

The fact is, everyone on Earth is a slave to something. The whole human race is in a master/servant relationship to each other. I, as a Christian, am a "slave" of Jesus Christ, and I couldn't be happier. He is my Good Master. Although there were many people in times past who mistreated their slaves badly, there were also some "good" masters. If I were a slave living 200 years ago, I would have followed the Bible instructions that said to obey your master, just your master obeys HIS master, Jesus Christ. However, if I were a slaveowner, I would have followed the Bible instructions that they must be released after 7 years.
Before you get your panties in a bunch, keep in mind that slavery is still around. It still exists in parts of the U.S. and in most of the world. One of these days, U.N. soldiers are going to come into your home and force you and your family to do their bidding. What will you do then? How will you deal with your slavery? Christianity tells me to take my lickin's and stay humble. Those who are proud don't understand this viewpoint.
Slavery will continue to exist as long as sin exists, which won't be much longer. Christ will come soon and wipe out all sin, including slavery.

Answer 5

A) The civil war was not about slavery it was about a state's right to make it's own laws. Read a book.
B) In the Bible it says "one man shall not own another" to me, that sounds like it is against slavery.
C)The Bible is a fictional book written by a prophet. It is not fact.
D) If you are going to USE the bible as fact, use all of it, not just certain passages which apply to your argument.
E) Despite what they believe, blacks were not the only people subjected to slavery. There were Jewish slaves, Chinese and Mongolian slaves, Indian slaves, white slaves...it's wrong no matter who it is.
F) If you depend on a book to tell you what is right or wrong, perhaps it is YOU who should be questioned. Think for yourself.

Answer 6

1. American slavery of blacks was much more brutal than in other societies, where people were prisoners of war that were then made slaves.
2. The God of Abraham is an unchanging God; he will not change.
3. The God of Abraham gives rules on how to treat your slaves in the Old Testament -- if He's giving rules on it, then how do we know He thinks it's wrong?

The rules that the God of Abraham put forth in reference to slavery were not followed by the Americans who enslaved black people. Beating, raping, lynching people as means of "discipline" is not part of God's laws on slavery.
If you did it God's way, you freed your slaves after seven years. If the slave loved you so much he did not want to leave (this did indeed happen) and wanted to be your slave for life, you pierced his ear. He was then your slave for life.
Slaves in God's eyes are human beings, no less than, and are cared for and loved. Slaves, in God's eyes, are allowed to marry into a family if they intend to be Torah Observant as well.
What happened to Blacks here in America is an unspeakable act of cruelty. Not all slavery is like that so not all slavery is evil.

Answer 7

Slaves were treated in an evil way and were set free,
including the Hebrew tribes in Egypt and the slaves of the southern USA.

You have to realize that being a slave in the Hebrew culture
did not necessarily mean someone captured to be
a slave, it often meant someone who was homeless
and in debt and chose to be a slave rather than starve
to death or be killed! If one is in that situation, it
makes sense that Ephesians speaks of the master
being just to a slave and a slave being obedient.
Also, the Hebrews, as a part of the law, released
slaves at the year of Jubilee (I think it was every 7 years) but
if the slave desired to stay, the slave could stay and
become a permanent household servant. The slave would
have his or her ear pierced to indicate it.
So, it is better to be a slave than homeless.
Not everyone could be employed independently.
Back then, a servant was possibly more like an
employee of today in the economic system.
You either had a family trade, begged, or became
a slave!

Answer 8

You are blind. The civil war was planned from the beginning. Why do you think the north and the south were divided along the Mason Dixon line?

The civil war wasn't about slavery, it was about dividing and conquering, leading up to the world wars that would follow in less than one hundred years, and the subsequent establishment of the United Nations.

If you think that slavery doesn't exist, and that it's not part of the world system that you know today and the one that is emerging, then keep your eyes shut. That's the best way, some believe, to cope with the truth.

Answer 9

God never did condone slavery. Man did. if God had said do not have slaves, do you think they would have paid any more attention than they did when he said, do not kill, lie, or steal? think about it? Man was going to do what his evil heart wanted to do, and he did.

That is why God gave certain "laws" for the treatment of slaves. That does not condon, anymore than Moses giving people a divorce paper condoned divorces by God either. People will do what they want. Please don't blame that on God.

Answer 10

For a little more on slavery and christians look up the (Know-Nothings) A political party during the civil war .