I get this question more times than not, so here's an attempt to explain why slavery is a sin, by Biblical standards....
http://dougwadedesign.wordpress.com/2009/09/28/the-bible-and-slavery/
The Bible and Slavery
(212 posts) (25 voices)-
Ty
ModeratorDoesn't really explain why god actually told his people to take slaves, most especially young virgins that would then become concubines, which meant raped.
Or did you think they killed all the men and kept all the virgin women for some other reason?
You can dance and handwave all you want, won't change the fact that the biblical god is a vile creature that no one in their right mind would look to as a source of morality.
Posted 10 months ago # -
Elemenope
ModeratorFrom your article:
"Christian nations (those based upon Biblical principles) have led the way in the abolition of slavery. America was at the forefront of this fight. After independence, great steps were taken down the path of ending slavery – probably more than had been done by any other nation up until that time in history (though certainly more could have been done)."
I read this, and knowing what I know about history, I know that you are not to be taken seriously. America was nearly *last* among civilized nations in ending slavery (we beat only Brazil and Cuba). After independence, slavery was *codified into law* and attacking it was *forbidden by the Constitution* for nearly four decades.
Posted 10 months ago # -
vorjack
ModeratorUnfortunately, the generations following the Founders did not continue to move forward in a united fashion.
That's putting it far too mildly. The American South had actually become more entrenched by the time of the Civil War. While it's possible that they would have been forced to give up on slavery for economic reasons, that is by no means a settled question.
Posted 10 months ago # -
cnocspeireag
MemberCrossroad, I'm sure Ty did read the post and found it it absolute dross. You insult those here. It's much easier to dump such a load of sewage than to clean it up, but examine almost any part of the post. The nadir must be:
'slavery was a part of the world, and so the law of God recognized slavery'
So, your eternal, omnipotent, imaginary friend saw the evil of slavery, but went with it anyway, presumably to save himself trouble. Perhaps he was still tired after creating the cosmos. Keep drinking the Kool Aid, Crossroad.
Posted 10 months ago # -
Ty
ModeratorI enjoy a good whisky, though I admit that I've co-opted my mother's Hispanic heritage and become much more of a tequila enthusiast. ;)
I do have one bottle of 30 year old scotch that my wife brought back from Scotland for me that's probably the most expensive thing in my liquor cabinet. I plan to open it when my wife receives her masters degree. By then it will be about 40 years old. Should be good stuff.
Posted 10 months ago # -
bondgrrl
Member"When God gave the law to Moses, slavery was a part of the world, and so the law of God recognized slavery. But this does not mean that slavery was God’s original intention. "
I call bullshit. I agree with Daniel Dennett that it's important for atheists to stop discussing anything with anyone who thinks they have an inside track on the mind of god. Here are two of the biggest flaws in this "argument". If god created us, then he *already knew* we were going to screw up and invent slavery. Also, your veiled assertion that you KNOW what god intended is as ludicrous as Chopra deconstructing Luke 14:26 (If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple) and insisting that "hate" actually means "love". No Deepak, "hate" means "hate". This kind of scripture-mangling by apologetics is one of the reasons we all put the bible down and backed away so as not to get any of it on us.
Posted 10 months ago # -
James G
MemberYou wrote:
"America was at the forefront of this fight. After independence, great steps were taken down the path of ending slavery – probably more than had been done by any other nation up until that time in history".Let's have a look at the facts, shall we:
1723 Russia abolishes slavery.
1761 Portugal abolishes slavery in mainland Portugal and possessions in India.
1772 Practice of slavery declared illegal in England.
1777 Slavery abolished in Madeira, Portugal.
1777 Slavery abolished in Vermont Republic.
1783 Russia abolishes slavery in Crimean Khanate.
1783 Massachusetts rules slavery illegal based on 1780 constitution.
1783 Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor issued an order abolishing slavery in Czernowitz.
1792 Denmark-Norway declared transatlantic slave trade illegal after 1802.
1793 Upper Canada abolishes slavery.
1799 Scotland abolishes slavery.
1803 Denmark-Norway abolishes transatlantic slave trade.
1803 Lower Canada abolishes slavery.
1804 Haiti abolishes slavery
1807 Slave trading abolished in British Empire.
1807 Slavery abolished in Prussia.
1811 Spain abolishes slavery at home and in all colonies except Cuba, Puerto Rico and Santo Domingo.
1813 Argentina abolishes slavery.
1814 Dutch outlaw slave trade.
1815 Portuguese cease slave trade.
1817 Spain cease slave trade in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Santo Domingo.
1821 Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela abolish slavery.
1822 Greece abolishes slavery.
1823 Chile abolishes slavery.
1824 The Federal Republic of Central America abolishes slavery.
1829 Mexico abolishes slavery.
1831 Bolivia abolishes slavery.
1834 Britain abolishes slavery throughout most of the British Empire, except territories controlled by the Honourable East India Company and the islands of Ceylon and St Helena.
1834 Jamaica abolishes slavery.
1836 Portugal abolishes transatlantic slave trade.
1842 Uruguay abolishes slavery.
1843 Honourable East India Company abolishes slavery.
1846 Tunisia abolishes slavery.
1847 Sweden abolishes slavery.
1848 Denmark abolishes slavery.
1848 Slavery abolished in all French and Danish colonies.
1854 Peru abolishes slavery.
1854 Venezuela abolishes slavery.
1855 Moldavia abolishes slavery.
1856 Wallachia abolishes slavery.
1860 Indenture system abolished in British occupied India.
1862 Cuba abolishes slave trade.
1863 Slavery abolished in Dutch colonies.
1863 United States: Emancipation Proclamation declares those slaves in Confederate-controlled areas to be freed.
1865 United States abolishes slavery.As you may have noticed, quite a lot of countries banned slavery before the United States and most of those countries didn't need to go to war for four years to do it. Even Mexico beat you by over 35 years.
Posted 10 months ago # -
Daniel Florien
Key MasterStop trying to confuse him with facts. It won't work.
Posted 10 months ago # -
CompGuy
MemberCrossroad--Let me see if I understand. While giving the law to Moses, the Lord figured that the Israelites needed all sorts of instructions about not having sex with menstruating women, not rounding the corners of their beards, not using animals that have crushed testicles for sacrifices, not letting men who have crushed testicles or defective eyesight approach the Holy of Holies, not wearing clothing made of two fibers, not keeping mildewed clothing, not eating rabbits or shellfish, and so on and so forth, on and on and on and on through Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy (one imagines poor Moses with a stenographer's pad, frantically taking shorthand while God dictates), but the Lord never once thought that maybe He should say, "Oh, Moe, before we knock off for the day, take this down: You're not allowed to own other human beings. Got it? No slavery."
Is that it? God takes the time to forbid the trimming of beards, but He doesn't take the time to forbid the buying and selling of children.
But you say that the Bible still regards slavery as a sin--even though God never bothers to say, "You can't own people" anywhere in all the dreary law-giving in Leviticus.
Do I understand correctly?
Posted 10 months ago # -
Ty
ModeratorHe also fails to condemn rape.
Rape is only a crime when it interferes with another man's rights. Rape a married woman, get stoned because you were abusing another man's property. Rape a virgin, and you have to marry her because you are interfering with her father's rights over her.
No rules about not raping slaves.
Posted 10 months ago # -
Jabster
MemberPittyvaich, I had never heard of but having had a quick look into them it looks as though once it's gone, it's gone as they haven't distilled any whisky since 1993. Then again there's no point in having something like this if you don't drink it! Hope you enjoy it when you finally open it.
Posted 10 months ago #
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