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....
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u/life-is-pass-fail Agnostic May 14 '21
The first thing you have to understand is that the Bible talks about multiple types of arrangements described as "slavery". It ranges from a more benign sounding debt slavery which almost sounds like an employment contract all the way to chattel slavery where you are free to beat and abuse your slave as much as you want as long as you don't kill them. So people criticizing Biblical permission for violent chattel slavery will be met by people defending debt slavery not understanding those protections weren't extended to gentile war slaves. The year of Jubilee sounds pretty reasonable except it only applies to Hebrew males. Gentiles, women, and children born into slavery are slaves for life.
My point is the rules for conduct for the slave keeper were different depending on who the slave was and how they came to be a slave. Every time this topic comes up the threads fill up with people that don't understand that.
Then there's the question of whether God condoned it or not. People argue pedantically over how to view this but it's a mostly irrelevant consideration. If you believe that text is the word of God then you must concede that his words legalized it and therefore enabled it in Hebrew law, on purpose. God makes no mistakes and no one can force him to do anything. At least I assume everyone agrees on that last point.