Slavery in the Bible
Slavery in the New World caused one of the greatest controversies of modern times. People have used the Bible to argue for and against this extremely inhumane practice. Few institutions in history have caused more suffering. A Slave is defined as "a human being who is the property of another and subject to compulsory labor, beyond the limits of the family" (Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics p.596). Slavery comes in different forms. Women in some societies are called slaves because they have almost no rights. People refer to whole nations of slaves living under totalitarian dictators or to the subjection of tribes or an entire peoples or to various forms of serfdom as enslavement but true slavery can only exist where there is freedom, where free men hold other men in bondage. Slavery has existed throughout known history and is still carried on today in parts of Africa and Asia. People have used the Bible to both support and condemn slavery. But what does the Bible really say about slavery? Parts of the Bible condone slavery while others show outright support for it; however these passages reflect the writings and customs of people, not of God. A true Christian would see the evils of slave
Martin Luther King, often quoted from the Bible in their struggle for equal rights. Paul returned a runaway slave to his master but it should be remembered that the early church is not synonymous with Jesus. The first reason is the "Common-sense factor". In the OAB it refers to a group of "fornicators, sodomites, slave traders, liars, perjurers. In Luke 16:18 He says that "Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and whoever marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery. This apparently means to control a person completely. He points out that Jesus was never a political activist. The Nuzi Tablets are ancient Middle East legal documents from Abraham's time that include many laws and regulations concerning slaves. Jefferson Davis (President of the CSA) said that slavery "was established by decree of Almighty God. In any case this passage is ambiguous. Raphall (circa 1861) gave an extremely convincing speech arguing that slavery is sanctioned by God. According to this verse, they were to be slaves forever.
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Acceptance Essays
