If the Bible is a source of our morality.....

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Meghan54

Lifer
Oct 18, 2009
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why was slavery of humans never condemned but instead condoned? Throughout the Bible, instructions/guidance is given about how to treat slaves, when and/or if to free them, etc. But nowhere is slavery ever condemned.

Is this due to the fact that when the books/writings were done, slavery was a cultural norm and that norm is reflected in the writings?

And if the Bible is the inspired Word of God, then it only follows that God ultimately condones slavery as no writer was inspired by God to provide any sort of condemnation of slavery.

I just find this odd......amongst other weird things about the Bible.

Considering the number of times you've already posted this same question and your demeanor in those threads, I consider this a troll thread.
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Pardus

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Jun 29, 2000
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Quotes from George Carlin
When it comes to BULLSHIT...BIG-TIME, MAJOR LEAGUE BULLSHIT... you have to stand IN AWE, IN AWE of the all time champion of false promises and exaggerated claims, religion."
 

Newbian

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Aug 24, 2008
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advice-god-meme-generator-ban-incest-adam-and-eve-have-two-sons-rest-of-humanity-comes-from-where-87ba12.jpg
 

Broheim

Diamond Member
Feb 17, 2011
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isn't the story of Adam and Eve the ultimate example of incest? having children with yourself...
 

Caveman

Platinum Member
Nov 18, 1999
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why was slavery of humans never condemned but instead condoned? Throughout the Bible, instructions/guidance is given about how to treat slaves, when and/or if to free them, etc. But nowhere is slavery ever condemned.

Is this due to the fact that when the books/writings were done, slavery was a cultural norm and that norm is reflected in the writings?

And if the Bible is the inspired Word of God, then it only follows that God ultimately condones slavery as no writer was inspired by God to provide any sort of condemnation of slavery.

I just find this odd......amongst other weird things about the Bible.

Historically, the type of slavery spoken of in the bible was nothing like you are probably imagining (maybe Roots, etc...)... The best way to explain it might be to think of today's social welfare programs administered on a very local level where a person that could afford to take someone who was "down and out" into their home, would reabilitate them into functioning people, and return them into society as a benefit to themsleves and society. Those that needed this help would work off their debts and then be "freed". It's basically like foodstamps with a condition that you were responsible for paying back your benefits with work. Note that the owner had many conditions that had to be met for proper care of the person being helped (and would be executed for any abuse of a "slave"). Slavery is really a misnomer and poor translation into our modern vernacular of what we'd typically imagine slavery to be.

At the time, there were other cultures outside of ancient Israel that DID have the type of slavery that is oppressive and used for nothing more than to control another human as leverage for self gain, much like what happened in the US with African Americans.

On your final comment... do some more research.

In general, if you're looking for legitimate answers to bible questions, AT is not a good place for finding that. Most often you'll just see the same classic talking points used ad naseum here with not much "fact" to base those emotional arguments. Most of the people here are technical folks fueled by arrogance in "understanding things"... While that usually drives excellence in things like memory timings and CPU architecture, it translates poorly into getting anything unbiased and logical on a bible discussion... It usually just devolves into pointless, never ending rants of people who know nothing about the bible (and that includes "right wing" evangelicals), making emotional arguments about things that have not researched with an open mind.
 

sandorski

No Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
70,291
5,867
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Historically, the type of slavery spoken of in the bible was nothing like you are probably imagining (maybe Roots, etc...)... The best way to explain it might be to think of today's social welfare programs administered on a very local level where a person that could afford to take someone who was "down and out" into their home, would reabilitate them into functioning people, and return them into society as a benefit to themsleves and society. Those that needed this help would work off their debts and then be "freed". It's basically like foodstamps with a condition that you were responsible for paying back your benefits with work. Note that the owner had many conditions that had to be met for proper care of the person being helped (and would be executed for any abuse of a "slave"). Slavery is really a misnomer and poor translation into our modern vernacular of what we'd typically imagine slavery to be.

At the time, there were other cultures outside of ancient Israel that DID have the type of slavery that is oppressive and used for nothing more than to control another human as leverage for self gain, much like what happened in the US with African Americans.

On your final comment... do some more research.

In general, if you're looking for legitimate answers to bible questions, AT is not a good place for finding that. Most often you'll just see the same classic talking points used ad naseum here with not much "fact" to base those emotional arguments. Most of the people here are technical folks fueled by arrogance in "understanding things"... While that usually drives excellence in things like memory timings and CPU architecture, it translates poorly into getting anything unbiased and logical on a bible discussion... It usually just devolves into pointless, never ending rants of people who know nothing about the bible (and that includes "right wing" evangelicals), making emotional arguments about things that have not researched with an open mind.

Read your Bible again, cause what you just posted is not true. There were 2 types of slavery in Ancient Israel, 1 was similar to what you are thinking, the other was similar to "Roots".
 

yhelothar

Lifer
Dec 11, 2002
18,407
39
91
why was slavery of humans never condemned but instead condoned? Throughout the Bible, instructions/guidance is given about how to treat slaves, when and/or if to free them, etc. But nowhere is slavery ever condemned.

Is this due to the fact that when the books/writings were done, slavery was a cultural norm and that norm is reflected in the writings?

And if the Bible is the inspired Word of God, then it only follows that God ultimately condones slavery as no writer was inspired by God to provide any sort of condemnation of slavery.

I just find this odd......amongst other weird things about the Bible.

Well you have to consider the subjective nature of morality. Morality when the bible was written is certainly going to be different than morality today.

Morality is indisputably a goal of the Bible.
 

Charles Kozierok

Elite Member
May 14, 2012
6,762
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Historically, the type of slavery spoken of in the bible was nothing like you are probably imagining (maybe Roots, etc...)... The best way to explain it might be to think of today's social welfare programs administered on a very local level where a person that could afford to take someone who was "down and out" into their home, would reabilitate them into functioning people, and return them into society as a benefit to themsleves and society. Those that needed this help would work off their debts and then be "freed". It's basically like foodstamps with a condition that you were responsible for paying back your benefits with work. Note that the owner had many conditions that had to be met for proper care of the person being helped (and would be executed for any abuse of a "slave"). Slavery is really a misnomer and poor translation into our modern vernacular of what we'd typically imagine slavery to be.

Yeah, for fellow Israelites.

Other people? They got this:

Numbers

31:17 Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him.

31:18 But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.
Woot, morality.

Well you have to consider the subjective nature of morality. Morality when the bible was written is certainly going to be different than morality today.

If all it does is reflect the morality standards of the time, who needs it?
 
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