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What About Slavery?

aineo

aineo

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The topic of slavery came up in another thread, and I thought it deserved a thread of its own.

I feel a disclaimer is appropriate - I am NOT talking about slavery as most of us have been taught to define it. There have been terrible abuses of human beings, treating them as if they are animals in the name of slavery. Slaves of the Israelites described in the Old Testament was a different thing altogether, more in line with indentured servitude.

This is going to be a bit long, but I think the place to start is the slavery laws from the Bible (all taken from the WEB version):

Exodus 20:10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahweh your God. You shall not do any work in it, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your man-servant, nor your maid-servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates

Exodus 21:2-11 If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years and in the seventh he shall go out free without paying anything. If he comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself. If he is married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself. But if the servant shall plainly say, 'I love my master, my wife, and my children. I will not go out free;' then his master shall bring him to God, and shall bring him to the door or to the door-post, and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall serve him for ever. "If a man sells his daughter to be a maid-servant, she shall not go out as the men-servants do. If she doesn't please her master, who has married her to himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, seeing he has dealt deceitfully with her. If he marries her to his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters. If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, and her marital rights. If he doesn't do these three things for her, she may go free without paying any money.

Exodos 21:20-21 If a man strikes his servant or his maid with a rod, and he dies under his hand, he shall surely be punished. Notwithstanding, if he gets up after a day or two, he shall not be punished, for he is his property.

Exodus 21:26-27 If a man strikes his servant's eye, or his maid's eye, and destroys it, he shall let him go free for his eye's sake. If he strikes out his man-servant's tooth, or his maid-servant's tooth, he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.

Exodus 21:32 If the bull gores a man-servant or a maid-servant, thirty shekels of silver shall be given to their master, and the ox shall be stoned.

Exodus 22:1-3 If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it, or sells it; he shall pay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. If the thief is found breaking in, and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt of bloodshed for him. If the sun has risen on him, there shall be guilt of bloodshed for him; he shall make restitution. If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.

Exodus 23:12 Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your handmaid, and the alien may be refreshed.

Leviticus 19:20-22 If a man lies carnally with a woman who is a slave girl, pledged to be married to another man, and not ransomed, or given her freedom; they shall be punished. They shall not be put to death, because she was not free. He shall bring his trespass offering to Yahweh, to the door of the Tent of Meeting, even a ram for a trespass offering.

Leviticus 25:39-55 If your brother has grown poor among you, and sells himself to you; you shall not make him to serve as a slave. As a hired servant, and as a sojourner, he shall be with you; he shall serve with you until the Year of Jubilee: then he shall go out from you, he and his children with him, and shall return to his own family, and to the possession of his fathers. For they are my servants, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt. They shall not be sold as slaves. You shall not rule over him with harshness, but shall fear your God. "'As for your male and your female slaves, whom you may have; of the nations that are around you, from them you may buy male and female slaves. Moreover of the children of the strangers who sojourn among you, of them you may buy, and of their families who are with you, which they have conceived in your land; and they will be your property. You may make them an inheritance for your children after you, to hold for a possession; of them may you take your slaves forever: but over your brothers the children of Israel you shall not rule, one over another, with harshness. "'If a stranger or sojourner with you becomes rich, and your brother beside him has grown poor, and sells himself to the stranger or foreigner living among you, or to a member of the stranger's family; after he is sold he may be redeemed. One of his brothers may redeem him; or his uncle, or his uncle's son, may redeem him, or any who is a close relative to him of his family may redeem him; or if he has grown rich, he may redeem himself. He shall reckon with him who bought him from the year that he sold himself to him to the Year of Jubilee: and the price of his sale shall be according to the number of years; according to the time of a hired servant shall he be with him. If there are yet many years, according to them he shall give back the price of his redemption out of the money that he was bought for. If there remain but a few years to the year of jubilee, then he shall reckon with him; according to his years of service he shall give back the price of his redemption. As a servant hired year by year shall he be with him: he shall not rule with harshness over him in your sight. "'If he isn't redeemed by these means, then he shall be released in the Year of Jubilee, he, and his children with him. For to me the children of Israel are servants; they are my servants whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt. I am Yahweh your God.

Deuteronomy 5:14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahweh your God: [in it] you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your man-servant, nor your maid-servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates; that your man-servant and your maid-servant may rest as well as you.

Deuteronomy 15:12-18 If your brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, be sold to you, and serve you six years; then in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. When you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty: you shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, and out of your threshing floor, and out of your winepress; as Yahweh your God has blessed you, you shall give to him. You shall remember that you were a bondservant in the land of Egypt, and Yahweh your God redeemed you: therefore I command you this thing today. It shall be, if he tell you, I will not go out from you; because he loves you and your house, because he is well with you; then you shall take an awl, and thrust it through his ear to the door, and he shall be your servant forever. Also to your maid-servant you shall do likewise. It shall not seem hard to you, when you let him go free from you; for to the double of the hire of a hireling has he served you six years: and Yahweh your God will bless you in all that you do.

Deuteronomy 21:10-14 When you go forth to battle against your enemies, and Yahweh your God delivers them into your hands, and you carry them away captive, and see among the captives a beautiful woman, and you have a desire to her, and would take her to you as wife; then you shall bring her home to your house; and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails; and she shall put the clothing of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in your house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month: and after that you shall go in to her, and be her husband, and she shall be your wife. It shall be, if you have no delight in her, then you shall let her go where she will; but you shall not sell her at all for money, you shall not deal with her as a slave, because you have humbled her.

Deuteronomy 23:15-16 You shall not deliver to his master a servant who is escaped from his master to you: he shall dwell with you, in the midst of you, in the place which he shall choose within one of your gates, where it pleases him best: you shall not oppress him.

Deuteronomy 24:7 If a man be found stealing any of his brothers of the children of Israel, and he deal with him as a slave, or sell him; then that thief shall die: so shall you put away the evil from the midst of you.

Of course, we also have verses we could list from the writings of the apostles, particularly Philemon, Ephesians 6, and Colossians 3-4, but I'm not going to list those verses or others from the New Testament in this initial post.

As I have read of biblical slavery, I will be the first to admit that there was a time in my life where I would have considered this for myself. I made some really big mistakes financially when I was younger, and selling myself into slavery to another Christian for six years would have seemed to me to be a fair bargain in return for paying my debt. I've worked my way out of those financial mistakes since then, but I paid a big price for many years.

Slavery is such a tense topic, particularly here in the United States, but I personally think slavery as described in the law would be an option many would take if given the chance.
 
Whether we admit it or not we are all the servant/slave to something. Historically, there was never an issue with the biblical or historical example of slavery EXCEPT where it was abused and turned into something never intended: Involuntary servitude for life for no cause and with no recourse. Every place in history that these abuses have occurred they have been thoroughly renounced and rectified. The only exception that I'm aware of happened in the 1800's and it was renounced but never rectified.
Just like the law of the handmaiden, it was intended to be utilized for an incredible good for an underprivileged girl.
Servitude was intended to be utilized for incredible good for those who had made mistakes financially to be punished for them while at the same time being put under another who was perhaps more financially astute for the purpose of learning the benefits of and the methods for being fiscally responsible.
How many people today would give the half of their meager kingdom (and 6 years) to be "servant" to someone like Warren Buffet or Steve Jobs IF they were mentored and taught how to manage their own business or finances from successful men like these.
 
Is there a higher authority who can:
  • Order you to leave your own wife and children to go and fight their wars?
  • Require you to register the birth of your children, so they can be accounted for among the higher authority's assets?
  • Remove your children and take them to a different household?
  • Define what areas of business you may work within, and under what terms?
  • Require you to account for all your earnings and pay them whatever proportion of it they desire?
Was slavery truly abolished? Or was it simply nationalised, with private-sector slavery being forbidden but public-sector slavery becoming mandatory?

And, if we are slaves to the government, must we obey our masters in all matters as we would obey Christ (Ephesians 6:5-8, Colossians 3:22-25), even if they are unjust towards us (1 Peter 2:18)? Have they seized that authority illegitimately, and does this factor give us the freedom to rebel or are we still required to obey? How does 1 Corinthians 7:21 apply - should we just not worry about this at all, or strive to obtain freedom?
 
And here I was thinking of suggesting that taxes aren't necessarily a form of slavery. However, there are many other forms of slavery that are alive and well in the world as well. A couple off the top of my head:

- The prison system, and especially penal labor, is probably the closest to actual slavery. In fact, I didn't realize until just now, but this is actually written into the 13th Amendment of the US Constitution, as a permissible exception to the prohibition on slavery: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." Given our over-crowded prison system, I've occasionally wondered whether we might not be better off allowing some crimes to be punished via corporal punishment (e.g. beating, whipping) rather than incarceration.

- Financial Debt, in general, but especially:
--- Mortgages
--- Alimony: men in servitude to their ex's for years.
--- Student debt: let's face it, lots of folks won't ever pay off their student loans.

- Possibly so-called "Wage slavery", though this is usually viewed as a voluntary transaction. I work for a large corporation, and several years ago, they decided to sell the project I was working on, along with all of the employees working on it, to a subsidiary company. There was limited chance for us to transition to a different project beforehand, so those who weren't able to (and who weren't eligible for retirement) were basically forced to go to the subsidiary, or resign and find a new job. It definitely felt a bit like I was a slave being sold. After a few years, I was able to rehire with the parent company, on a different project, but part of me wondered if I was acting like a wife returning to an abusive husband (things have worked out pretty good so far).

- Sex trafficking

- And, of course, there is also real, no-kidding slavery: Migrants from west Africa being 'sold in Libyan slave markets'
 
Oh there's real slaves in the world, as the western mind views the word 'slavery'. It's just in other countries so we can forget it's happening. We have a store here that has things so cheap and so much junk, that it must be made by little child slaves in China, and in reality most of it probably is.
Also, have a look online for a documentary on how your fancy jeans get made.
Just because we don't see it anymore doesn't mean it's not happening. Instead of having a system where we can have slaves in our country and be required to legally look after them properly, we let them do it over seas where they are treated terribly, and we just buy the products they produce.
 
I don't have anything to add to this right now but just wanted to say I really appreciate what everyone else wrote! Thanks for giving me something to think about!
 
FollowingHim said:
Is there a higher authority who can:
  • Order you to leave your own wife and children to go and fight their wars?
  • Require you to register the birth of your children, so they can be accounted for among the higher authority's assets?
  • Remove your children and take them to a different household?
  • Define what areas of business you may work within, and under what terms?
  • Require you to account for all your earnings and pay them whatever proportion of it they desire?
Was slavery truly abolished? Or was it simply nationalised, with private-sector slavery being forbidden but public-sector slavery becoming mandatory?

And, if we are slaves to the government, must we obey our masters in all matters as we would obey Christ (Ephesians 6:5-8, Colossians 3:22-25), even if they are unjust towards us (1 Peter 2:18)? Have they seized that authority illegitimately, and does this factor give us the freedom to rebel or are we still required to obey? How does 1 Corinthians 7:21 apply - should we just not worry about this at all, or strive to obtain freedom?
Click to expand...
Yes as long as we obey and pay massa beastie we are "free". Morbidly funny..
 
Also, when we depend on the system for provisions or travel freedoms, we are not free. People want more beast control and dependence because they cant see it. Beast has become a defacto god, daddy and husband. But we are comfy...
 
Shibboleth said:
And here I was thinking of suggesting that taxes aren't necessarily a form of slavery. However, there are many other forms of slavery that are alive and well in the world as well. A couple off the top of my head:

- The prison system, and especially penal labor, is probably the closest to actual slavery. In fact, I didn't realize until just now, but this is actually written into the 13th Amendment of the US Constitution, as a permissible exception to the prohibition on slavery: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." Given our over-crowded prison system, I've occasionally wondered whether we might not be better off allowing some crimes to be punished via corporal punishment (e.g. beating, whipping) rather than incarceration.

- Financial Debt, in general, but especially:
--- Mortgages
--- Alimony: men in servitude to their ex's for years.
--- Student debt: let's face it, lots of folks won't ever pay off their student loans.

- Possibly so-called "Wage slavery", though this is usually viewed as a voluntary transaction. I work for a large corporation, and several years ago, they decided to sell the project I was working on, along with all of the employees working on it, to a subsidiary company. There was limited chance for us to transition to a different project beforehand, so those who weren't able to (and who weren't eligible for retirement) were basically forced to go to the subsidiary, or resign and find a new job. It definitely felt a bit like I was a slave being sold. After a few years, I was able to rehire with the parent company, on a different project, but part of me wondered if I was acting like a wife returning to an abusive husband (things have worked out pretty good so far).

- Sex trafficking

- And, of course, there is also real, no-kidding slavery: Migrants from west Africa being 'sold in Libyan slave markets'
Click to expand...
I guess real slavery would be the physical compulsive, mental, spiritual slavery is the modern one we defend. Looks more civilized. Lol. I prefer the 39 fast whips over 39 years of captivity serving a nasty beast. Hell is captivity.
 
cubanito said:
We are a more free range slave model now.
Click to expand...
Free range slaves! That's such a great way of putting it.

Animal rights activists get all up in arms about caged indoor chooks, and manage to force regulatory changes that push free-range chook production. So the chooks are released to have access to the entire shed and a yard outside. They are now "free". Except they are still behind a fence, and still being used for someone else's gain, the freedom is an illusion. And most of the time they choose to stay inside the shed because it's more comfortable than even the illusion of freedom outside.

This is a great illustration of the way we live with an illusion of freedom, but are truly enslaved, and even choose to voluntarily submit to more slavery for the sake of temporary comfort.
 
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Chooks get broody. Women get clucky.
It's the same desire for offspring, except the resultant fertilised eggs get incubated in a different place.

This principle is well illustrated in this woodcut from 1642.
 
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FollowingHim said:
Free range slaves! That's such a great way of putting it.

Animal rights activists get all up in arms about caged indoor chooks, and manage to force regulatory changes that push free-range chook production. So the chooks are released to have access to the entire shed and a yard outside. They are now "free". Except they are still behind a fence, and still being used for someone else's gain, the freedom is an illusion. And most of the time they choose to stay inside the shed because it's more comfortable than even the illusion of freedom outside.

This is a great illustration of the way we live with an illusion of freedom, but are truly enslaved, and even choose to voluntarily submit to more slavery for the sake of temporary comfort.
Click to expand...
Yes we are free range human resources. A resource is something that gets used, exploited, servitude. So we are mentally caged and are just given a bigger fence. We are kept fat dumb and ignorant. We are supposed to be afraid to cross the fence. Massa's news made us very afraid.
In other farms they can use hunger plus fear. Here is mostly fear of beastie's enforcers with the hard boots, boom sticks and small cages. It works well..
We obey and pay tribute. Some of us even offer up our kids to his service.
I hear massa's CEO rooster wants a bigger fence for the free range sheeple. We are free as long as we obey and pay I keep hearing. Master beastie has enforcers standing by with extra large snouts and ears.
When you can, look up. The jones plantation in youtube.
 
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That woodcut is hilarious, FH.

A couple things to bear in mind: "Beastie" (assuming you mean government) is still a servant of God. An oftentimes wicked, disobedient, and rebellious servant to be sure, but a servant nonetheless, and one that we are to obey when we can. We must not forget that we are children of the King, but the King has left us in the stewardship of this servant until he returns. The steward will be accountable to his Master at that time. It is not the child's job to punish the babysitter for bad behavior.

Second point is that, while liberty is a virtue, even it can be a slave-master, and a false god, when its pursuit is placed above the pursuit of Yahweh. In fact, I'd say Liberty is one of the most common false gods in the Western world today, not just among the secular world, but even among some who proclaim to follow Christ. Her Roman name was Libertas, and her idol is a tall, green statue in New York harbor.
 
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