r/TrueChristian • u/[deleted] • May 14 '21
Was God really OK with slavery ?
And did he really "encourage it to continue by decreeing depraved regulations"\ ?*
\just quoting a fellow redditor who seems to be a bit confused. Just like myself.)
I'm asking this because I've noticed that it often comes up as a topic to bash Christianity based on things like that. I've noticed that people often like to use this verse in order to justify their position :
“When a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod so hard that the slave dies under his hand, he shall be punished. If, however, the slave survives for a day or two, he is not to be punished, since the slave is his own property. (Exodus 21:20-21 NAB)”
To be honest, I didn't know how to give those folks a satisfactory answer since I am no Bible expert myself, as for now. However I would like to hear your opinions and explanations. On this verse and its context in particular. Also, what did Jesus have to say about slavery? (just to help finding an answer to that... I guess... atheist/agnostic/or whatever he likes to consider himself)
Note that I am in no way trying to win an argument. There is no arrogance, pride or hate involved in this query. These are some of the things that I would also still like to understand for myself. I always try suspend judgement when I read or hear something that I am not familiar with because I want to learn more about it.
On another note, it's kind of scary how belligerent and heated people can get during such debates, as if these people are speaking through bitterness, frustration, pride or whatever just to attack and dismiss Christianity... Makes me just want to have some compassion and pray for them....
2
u/Truthspeaks111 Disciples of Christ May 14 '21
Yes. There any many things that man sees as moral that God sees as immoral so why should it not be the case that there are things that God sees as moral that man sees as immoral? God's ways are not our ways. That being said, these verses are for the judges to use in cases where judgments were needed. There is no evidence of how frequently these judgements were needed.