Religion

Since the world now realizes that it is wrong, there are some who would have us believe that slavery is condemned by the Bible and Christianity. Unfortunately its quite the opposite. No where in the Bible is slavery, as in owning other human beings, ever condemned. The closest it comes is when it asserts that Israeli (Hebrew or Israelite) slaves will have to freed after seven years (Exodus 21:2), a rule that does not apply to the non-Israeli slaves. Of course, if the Hebrew slave verbally says that he would like to serve the master, then he would become a slave for life (Exodus 21:5). Here it will be shown that slavery was practiced by the Biblical people and was condoned by the Bible and that the Bible believers and the Church supported it until only the last few centuries. (The Catholic Church only reversed its stance in 1888, of course, the catholic encyclopedia tries to cover up and paint a different picture.)

The Old Testament or the Hebrew Scriptures are extremely important to the Jews and Christians. In fact, Jesus gets his validation from the Old Testament (OT). It is clear from many OT verses, where slavery is mentioned, that it was a common practice of the time. The Egyptians, Jews, Babylonians and others in the OT all practiced slavery.

A quick sampling of a few OT references

Genesis 9:25: Noah curses his grandson, Canaan to be a slave as punishment for a trivial incident which involves his son Ham and not Cannan. Many Christians later called the Africans the descendants of Ham to justify their enslavement.

Genesis 15:3: Abraham owns slaves.

Genesis 16: Abraham sleeps with his Egyptian slave, Hagar, who bears a child.

Genesis 17: Abraham circumcizes (a painful and life threatening procedure) slave son and other slaves. (Gen 17:23)

Genesis 20: Abraham is appeased by Abim'elech with male and female slaves. (Gen 20:14)

Genesis 30:3-4 : Jacob is given wife's slave to sleep with.

Genesis 43, Proverbs 22:7 : Slavery for debt. (Gen 43:18)

Genesis 47: People sell themselves as slaves for food.

Genesis 44:10: Slavery as punishment for stealing.

Leviticus 22:11 Even Priests had slaves.

Proverbs 30:22: It indicates slaves should not become kings

Numbers 31: God commands Moses to kill all the male, and every non-virgin women Midanites that they defeated and take the young virgin females for themselves (slaves).

Instead of condemning slavery the old testament records it as a normal affair and gives detailed instructions regulating slavery, especially in Exodus. It teaches how to treat slaves slaves (Ex.21:20-21). Here in a brutal example, the Bible teaches that a slave can be beaten by a master as long as the slave does not die within two days of the beating, since the slave is his property.

The old Testament also condones sex with female slaves, as seen in the case of Abraham (Genesis 16:1-2). Leviticus 19:20-22, however, gives a rule about the sexual engagement with a female slave. A master could do as he pleased sexually with a female slave. He had a slight problem only if the slave was engaged to be married. Then it was considered a sin but one which was easily forgiven by the a gift of sacrificing a ram for a priest and the whipping of the slave!

Exodus 21 discusses rules of freeing slaves. This rule applying only to Hebrew slaves states that a Hebrew slave shall be freed on the 7th year unless the slave says he chooses to stay on, in which case he becomes a slave for life. A non-Israelite slave (taking non-Israelite slaves seems to be encouraged in the Bible) was a slave for life (Leviticus 25:44-46) and could be freed if the master wished it. His freedom could also be bought by his family or even by himself . The Bible also regulated the price of freedom (Leviticus 25:48-53).

Exodus 21:26-27 says if a man destroys the eye or a tooth of a slave, then the slave is to be freed. Deuteronomy 24:7 forbids the selling of kidnapped Israelites but indicates that selling daughters as slaves was alright (Exodus 21), and a female slave might not be freed on the seventh year but remain enslaved for life depending on which of passage was followed. There is also some special rules about the female slaves. A Hebrew (Israelite) female slave could not be sold to a foreign owner and if was married to the son, then would be treated as a daughter in law.

The Bible also gives instructions on what to do with slaves who escape. Deuteronomy 23:15-16 asks that a runaway slave not be mistreated or sent back to his master. (Of course, Paul, the apostle of Jesus, sends back a slave to his master in Philemon 1:12).

On Sabath Day, it seems the Bible commands to give the slaves (maids and servants) a day off (Exodus:20-10).

The OT is riddled with references to slavery and gives us rules to regulate it. By Old Testament standards (and its God) slavery is not wrong. Today, many Christians ask us to look at the New Testament as a better and more Godly source of Biblical information. Many, when confronted with Old Testament problems, simply make it apparent that they do not hold the OT as sacred as the NT, which is rather strange since they claim both as being from their God.

Some think there is not much mentioned in the New testament about slavery because it was not prevalent at the time of Jesus. That is a myth and Mathew 18:25 clearly shows that slavery was very much alive and debtors could sell slaves or their children to pay debts. In Matthew 8:9, Luke 7:8, when a man says to Jesus that he has slaves, Jesus does not even notice it as anything out of the ordinary or wrong. Instead he is pleased by the man's devotion to him. Matthew 26:51, Mark 14:47, Luke 22:50, John 18:10, Mark 14:66 tells us that even priests had slaves. It is notable that Jesus of the gospels does not condemn slavery and that neither does his appostles.

Paul instead of condemning slavery gives instructions to slaves to obey their masters fully, and he does this invoking Jesus (Ephesians 6:5-6 and 1 Timothy 6:1-3). In Philemon 1:12, Paul does a noble thing, even though he breaks an Old Testament law. He met a slave while in jail, who became friends with him. Paul sent him back to his master, saying, "I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart... (he will return now) no longer as a slave but more than a slave, as a beloved brother... welcome him as you would welcome me" (Philemon 1). He also does call upon the masters of slaves to treat them gently, "Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven." (Colossians 4:1 ). As noble as it might be, this is not, of course, a condemnation of slavery, but its very acceptance and only asking for better treatment of slaves. Also notable here are two things. First we should remember that even though he calls this slave a son or brother, he still regards the slave as a slave who will be of use to him and his master with no thought of his freedom. Second, this slave had become close to him (sending my very heart) and might have been only an exception.

Peter the most important apostle and acording to the Catholic Church, the first pope, also condones slavery. 1 Peter 2:18 : "Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh."

It is apparent that instead of condemning slavery, the Old Testament actually regulates it. The New Testament is just as guilty as the Old in condoning rather than condemning slavery. Any claim that the Bible, OT or NT condemns slavery is made out of ignorance.

"[Slavery] was established by decree of Almighty God...it is sanctioned in the Bible, in both Testaments, from Genesis to Revelation...it has existed in all ages, has been found among the people of the highest civilization, and in nations of the highest proficiency in the arts." Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America

"There is not one verse in the Bible inhibiting slavery, but many regulating it. It is not then, we conclude, immoral." Rev. Alexander Campbell

"The right of holding slaves is clearly established in the Holy Scriptures, both by precept and example." Rev. R. Furman, D.D., Baptist, of South Carolina

Rabbi M.J. Raphall (Jewish) (circa 1861) commented that the 10^th commandment places slaves "under the same protection as any other species of lawful property...That the Ten Commandments are the word of G-d, and as such, of the very highest authority, is acknowledged by Christians as well as by Jews...How dare you, in the face of the sanction and protection afforded to slave property in the Ten Commandments--how dare you denounce slaveholding as a sin? When you remember that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Job--the men with whom the Almighty conversed, with whose names he emphatically connects his own most holy name, and to whom He vouchsafed to give the character of 'perfect, upright, fearing G-d and eschewing evil' (Job 1:8)--that all these men were slaveholders, does it not strike you that you are guilty of something very little short of blasphemy?"

Manichean Christians had been inciting slaves of the Roman Empire to take charge of their destiny and emancipate themselves. (Manichaeism was a Christian heresy based upon the teachings of a 3rd century Persian philosopher, Mani.) In response, the Christian Council (Synod) of Gangra issued a statement supporting slavery: "If anyone, on the pretext of religion, teaches another man's slave to despise his master and to withdraw from his service, and not serve his master with good will and all respect, let him be anathema." This resolution became part of the Catholic church's canon law and was quoted as an authoritative source until the middle of the 18th century.

Pope Gregory dispatched a priest to Britain to purchase Pagan boys to work as slaves on church estates.

Pope Gregory I wrote, in Pastoral Rule: "Slaves should be told...not [to] despise their masters and recognize that they are only slaves."

In an attempt to persuade priests to remain celibate, the 9th Council of Toledo ruled that all children of clerics were to be automatically enslaved. This ruling was later incorporated into the canon law of the church.

Pope Nicholas V wrote Dum Diversas which granted to the kings of Spain and Portugal the right to reduce any "Saracens [Muslims] and pagans and any other unbelievers" to perpetual slavery.

Bartholomew De Las Casas, a Dominican, argued against slavery. "No one may be deprived of his liberty nor may any person be enslaved" He was ridiculed, silenced and ignored.

Pope Paul III wrote in Sublimis Deus that Native Americans were not to be enslaved. Only hostile non-Christians, captured in just wars could become slaves. However, in later years, the enslavement of Native people became quite common. The founder of the Hotel Dieu hospital in Montreal, Quebec owned one of the largest group of slaves. Almost all were Natives.

Pope Paul III confirmed that any individual may freely buy, sell and own slaves. Runaway slaves were to be returned to their owners for punishment.

Charles II of Britain urged the Council for Foreign Plantations to teach Christianity to slaves.

Pope Urban VIII in 1629, Pope Innocent X in 1645 and Pope Alexander VII in 1661 were all personally involved in the purchase of Muslim slaves.

The institution of slavery was a integral part of many societies worldwide. The Roman Catholic church only placed two restrictions on the purchase and owning of slaves:

The Virginia Assembly passes a bill which denied that a Christian baptism grants freedom to slaves.

"Throughout most of the colonial period, opposition to slavery among white Americans was virtually nonexistent. Settlers in the 17th and early 18th centuries came from sharply stratified societies in which the wealthy savagely exploited members of the lower classes. Lacking a later generation’s belief in natural human equality, they saw little reason to question the enslavement of Africans."

The "most abominable aspect of the slave trade, was fueled by the idea that Africans, even children, were better off Christianized under a system of European slavery than left in Africa amid tribal wars, famines and paganism"

1665: Richard Baxter, an ordained priest of the Church of England, criticized those who: "catch up poor Negroes...and...make them slaves and sell them...[This is] one of the worst kinds of thefts in the world...such persons are to be taken as the common enemies of mankind." He, and a very few others who spoke out, had essentially no influence and were ignored by governments and the public alike.

The first religious group in the U.S. to raise objections to slavery were Mennonites, a Christian group which descended from the Anabaptists.

A "Germantown Protest" pamphlet was printed by Mennonites in Pennsylvania. (Some sources say Quakers; others say Mennonite Quakers). It said, in part: "Now, tho' they are black, we cannot conceive there is more liberty to have them slaves, as it is to have other white ones...And those who steal or rob men, and those who buy or purchase them, are they not all alike?" The document was not well received by the rich slave owners in the region. The Mennonites found themselves rejected and isolated by the rest of Christian society for their radical views. "They got little help from outsiders. Their deprivation was such that Germantown was nicknamed 'Armentown' or Poortown."

1694: A group of Christian clergy petitioned the Massachusetts government to pass a bill which would allow slave owners to retain their slaves after the latter were baptized.

The Society of Friends (the Quakers) is a second faith group with Anabaptist roots. They threatened any of their members who imported slaves with expulsion from the denomination.

During the late 17^thcentury and early 18th century, slavery became a growing concern among the Quakers. Meanwhile, the vast majority of Christian denominations (those which were not Anabaptist) were not troubled by slavery; they continued to view and teach it as a spiritually and morally acceptable institution fully supported by the Bible.

British Quakers were the first organized religious group to both repudiate slavery and to forbid slave owning among their membership. They provided much of the leadership of the abolitionist movement, both in Britain and North America. However, their influence was limited by their small numerical strength. It was John Wesley (1703-1791), founder of the Methodist movement, who was able to convert the small Quaker protest into a mass movement.

Methodists in the state of Georgia followed John Wesley's lead and condemned slavery. During the early 19th century, Wesleyans "learned to subdue their critique, in order to grow in membership...Unlike Calvinist intellectuals such as Charles Colcock Jones, Methodists rarely used the Old Testament patriarchs and their hierarchical values to buttress the pro-slavery case. Relying mainly on the letters attributed to Paul, Georgia Wesleyans argued that slavery was scripturally allowable, but not necessarily ideal.In the ante-bellum era their theoretical position was neither proslavery nor antislavery, but neutrality. Christians lived in an imperfect world where slavery was sanctioned by law; therefore, the church should coexist with slavery, just as it did in Paul's day."

In the 18th century, anti-slavery groups, many christians, became more active and slavery started dying. These christians did so with deep religious convictions of humanity. During this period, however, Baptist and other churches grew in membership, by welcoming African Americans. The Catholic Church, the largest sect of christianity, was late in abandoning slavery. Even until 1888, it was openly in support of slavery. In 1888, in a move that is almost funny, the pope changed the Church's stance to condemnation of slavery, in a letter where he lies. And there were still a lot of opposition from some other christian groups and believers to anti-slavery movements.

The Roman Catholic church's Sacred Congregation of the Index continued to place many anti-slavery tracts on their Index of Forbidden Books in order to prevent the public from reading them.

Nat Turner, a Baptist slave pastor, led a major sustained slave revolt in Virginia. He was inspired by the messages of the Old Testament prophets and their calls for justice. "...the notion that slavery was God's will gained momentum after the Nat Turner slave rebellion of 1831. In hundreds of pamphlets, written from 1836 to 1866, Southern slaveholders were provided a host of religious reasons to justify the social caste system they had created."

Pope Gregory XVI wrote in Supremo Apostolatus that he admonishes and adjures "in the Lord all believers in Christ, of whatsoever condition, that no one hereafter may dare unjustly to molest Indians, Negroes, or other men of this sort;...or to reduce them to slavery..." The operative word is unjustly. The Pope did not condemn slavery if the slaves had been captured justly. Roman Catholic Bishops in the Southern U.S. determined that this prohibition did not apply to slavery in the U.S. To their credit, various other popes did order or otherwise influence the emancipation of slaves that they considered to be unjustly enslaved.

The Baptist movement in the U.S. had maintained a strained peace by carefully avoiding discussion of the topic. The American Baptist Foreign Mission Board took neither a pro nor anti-slavery position. An American Baptist Anti-Slavery Convention in 1840 brought the issue into the open. Southern delegates to the 1841 Triennial Convention of the Board "protested the abolitionist agitation and argued that, while slavery was a calamity and a great evil, it was not a sin according to the Bible." The Board later denied a request by the Alabama Convention that slave owners be eligible to become missionaries. In a test case, the Georgia Baptist nominated a slave owner as a missionary and asked asked the Home Missions Society to approve their choice. No decision was made. Finally, a Baptist Free Mission Society was formed; "it refused 'tainted' Southern money." The Southern members withdrew and formed the Southern Baptist Convention, which eventually grew to become the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S.

"In 1843, 1,200 Methodist ministers owned 1,500 slaves, and 25,000 members owned 208,000 slaves...the Methodist Church as a whole remained silent and neutral on the issue of slavery."

The General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church split into two conferences because of tensions over slavery and the power of bishops in the denomination. The two General Conferences, the Methodist Episcopal Church (North) and Methodist Episcopal church, South remained separate until a merger in 1939 created the Methodist Church. The latter became the present United Methodist Church as a result of additional mergers.

Ministers and laity of the Methodist Episcopal Church's Genesee Conference in western New York state were expelled from the church for insubordination. They left to form the Free Methodist Church of North America. They split over a variety of factors, including theological disagreements, the perceived worldliness of the original church, and slavery. Their leader "...Roberts and most of his followers were radical abolitionists in the years immediately prior to the Civil War, at a time when many within the Methodist Episcopal church were hesitant in their condemnation of the practice of slavery." The denomination continues today in the U.S., Canada and in countries around the world.

The Presbyterians were able to remain united in spite of tensions created by the slavery issue. Shortly after the Civil War began, the Southern presbyteries of the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America withdrew and organized the Presbyterian Church in the Confederate States (later renamed the Presbyterian Church in the United States). The split was healed in 1983 with the merger of these two bodies and the creation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

The Holy Office of the Vatican issued a statement in support of slavery. It was apparently triggered by the passage of the 13th Amendment. It said that "Slavery itself...is not at all contrary to the natural and divine law...The purchaser [of the slave] should carefully examine whether the slave who is put up for sale has been justly or unjustly deprived of his liberty, and that the vendor should do nothing which might endanger the life, virtue, or Catholic faith of the slave."

Pope Pius IX was concerned about the "wreched Ethopians in Central Africa." He prayed that "Almighty God may at length remove the curse of Cham [Ham] from their hearts." God's curse on Ham was that the Canaanite people would be forever enslaved. Some theologians had long used this Biblical passage to justify enslavement of Africans.

Brazil became the last country in the Western hemisphere to abolish slavery. The Roman Catholic Church reversed its stance "from the affirmation to the condemnation of slavery." Pope Leo XIII sent a letter to the Brazilian Bishops saying that "from the beginning, almost nothing was more venerated in the Catholic Church...that the fact that she looked to see a slavery eased and abolished...Many of our predecessors...made every effort to ensure that the institution of slavery should be abolished where it existed and that its roots should not revive where it had been destroyed." This statement does not agree with the historical record. Previous church documents clearly stated that slavery was quite permissible, as long as the slave was a non-Christian and the slave's captors were fighting in a just war.

The Roman Catholic church's Canon Law is expanded to declare a that "selling a human being into slavery or for any other evil purpose" is a crime.

The Vatican II document "Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World" stated "Whatever violates the integrity of the human person, such as mutilation, torture...whatever insults human dignity, such as...slavery, prostitution and selling of women and children...all these things and others like them are infamous...Human institutions...should be bulwarks against any kind of political or social slavery and guardians of basic rights under any kind of government."

The rejection of slavery as a profoundly immoral practice became gradually accepted by Christians throughout Western countries. This had a serious negative effect on the Christian faith. By rejecting the validity of the pro-slavery passages in the Bible, they were forced to accept that the Bible could not be considered a totally reliable guide on civil and moral topics. This created a serious disillusionment among 19^th century Christians. The authority of the Bible became suspect for the first time. In the intervening years, the slavery passages became almost entirely ignored. Some translations of the Bible softened the verses by replacing "slave" with "servant." However, the Bible could no longer be fully accepted as a guide for public and personal morality, equally applicable for all societies and all eras. Some Biblical moral truths became widely accepted as true only for a specific group or for a specific time in history.

The Bible supports slavery and regulates it instead of condemning it. The Church supported it fully until 1500s with the exception of the Manichean Christians who were heretics to the Church. In the 18th century some smaller christian sects started to realize the evil of slavery but it was in 1888 that the catholic church, the long standing, strong supporter of slavery, finally condemned it. Today the Catholic Church is trying to hide its past by lying that it had always been anti-slavery.