Answer on Charge of Salvery and Bible

from CARM board (atheist)

Originally Posted by Phyrexicaid

Here's the setup: You are eavesdropping on a conversation between two men, Bob and Hank.Bob: So, Hank, I own a couple of slavesHank: Really?Bob: Yup. I was thinking of buying some more too.Hank: Well, if you're thinking of buying more, you should get them from the immigrants in your neighbourhood. If you can, offer to buy their kids.Bob: Cool, never thought of that, I'll give it a shot, thanks! I was wondering what to do with my slaves when I die, maybe I should just set them free?Hank: No! You should treat them as your property, pass them on to your children as a permanent inheritance.Bob: Ok, sounds good to me, no sense in letting them go to waste. But shouldn't I be worrying that my neighbour might enslave my kids?Hank: Don't worry about it, I've already spoken to him, and told him that neighbours don't enslave neighbours, unless they're immigrants of course. But if he does happen to enslave your kids, they'll be set free in the seventh year. Best not let them get married during the six years though.Bob: I'll mention it to them. Listen up, I beat one of my slaves, does that make me a bad person?Hank: Of course not, they're your property! Did he die?Bob: Yeah, he did. But he lingered for about a day before he died.Hank: Well, that's ok then, if he'd died straight away it would be a different story!So, do you think Hank is condoning slavery? Or is he merely providing Bob with "guidelines" on slavery? Surely if this were an actual conversation between two men, the one who is providing "guidelines" is implicitly promoting slavery. He has every opportunity to say, "Hey Bobbo, I don't think owning slaves is a nice thing to do."when Lincolin freed the slaves there were suddenly thouands of unemloyed homeless poor people wondering the roads. Those who feared them,because they had been cruel to them and because they had lost everythnig banded together and created an orgnaiztion to kill and torture them. no provision was made for their education, job triaing or to help them. For a brief period some of them got into governemental power. But when they were turned out of government their presence as rulers had created even more fear and hatred on the part of their enemies.The Hebrews had slaves because no one had ever heard of a society that did not. The idea of masses of people being free was not known to anyone in that day. They had no concept of being individuals. The ideas of doing what you want with your own life was foeign to them as the idea of being loyal to an unrseen reality is to you.God did not say "it good have slaves keep slaves."(1) God in OT sets regulations to protect slaves.(2) God in the NT condmens slave traders and supports the values of freedom,thought he pen of Paul.(3) God in history freed slaves and created an eovltuionary force that led to an ideology of equlaity and justice for all, mainly working through Christians who manned the underground rail roads, fought for aboltion of slavery, stopped the slave trade and eventually started the civil rights movement.