Right, I've put the MEAT prefix on this one as it might strike a nerve for some.
And yes, it may have been discussed before, I know.
But I wanted to discuss slavery. Particularly Biblical slavery, but not indentured slavery which was only one form of slavery in the Bible.
We know that slavery in ancient Jewish culture was highly regulated. Slaves owned by Jewish people had quite a few rights protecting them from abuse and mistreatment. This is already a stark contrast with other forms of slavery at the time and even more modern slavery.
Now, Hebrew men were allowed to take female slaves after a war as many women of the enemy's side would have been left widowed. This, I understand, was to protect the women as they would have fallen into disrepute if no man took them. Many of these men may have already been married so this again would have been a situation where polygamous marriages would have occurred by the taking of these slaves. This is intertwined with concubinage, although not exactly the same.
One might think this is useless to mention as we live in modern times, but not all places are "modern". Many areas, especially in the east, still practice similar forms of slavery, some forms malicious and some more benign.
Now I would like to pose the question, albeit hypothetical in many ways, does anyone here think that this system may still be relevant today for Christians? Or does anyone think otherwise? Please know, I am not going to judge either reply. If there's one thing I've learned about the Bible is that it's neither left nor right about these issues, and some things we agree with today, the Bible may not agree with, and vice versa.
For those that are accepting of this practice, your motivations are either to care for the woman or to have her to satisfy desires. Again, either or both are fine, hence concubinage being accepted on a similar basis. To the women in such marriages, how would you feel if your husband took a wife under such circumstances?
Furthermore, if such a patriarchal system was instituted again, does one not think it would help the rampant problem of prostitution in war-torn places? Given slavery is usually negative across cultures and times, I don't think this would ever be instituted again. But I do think it's interesting to view our modern world in the lense of the old and perhaps see how the ancients may have solved these problems.
I humbly ask that if you're here to judge me or tell me that this has already been discussed, then please don't comment here. I've opened this for those who want to talk about it, not those who don't want to.
With peace and love
And yes, it may have been discussed before, I know.
But I wanted to discuss slavery. Particularly Biblical slavery, but not indentured slavery which was only one form of slavery in the Bible.
We know that slavery in ancient Jewish culture was highly regulated. Slaves owned by Jewish people had quite a few rights protecting them from abuse and mistreatment. This is already a stark contrast with other forms of slavery at the time and even more modern slavery.
Now, Hebrew men were allowed to take female slaves after a war as many women of the enemy's side would have been left widowed. This, I understand, was to protect the women as they would have fallen into disrepute if no man took them. Many of these men may have already been married so this again would have been a situation where polygamous marriages would have occurred by the taking of these slaves. This is intertwined with concubinage, although not exactly the same.
One might think this is useless to mention as we live in modern times, but not all places are "modern". Many areas, especially in the east, still practice similar forms of slavery, some forms malicious and some more benign.
Now I would like to pose the question, albeit hypothetical in many ways, does anyone here think that this system may still be relevant today for Christians? Or does anyone think otherwise? Please know, I am not going to judge either reply. If there's one thing I've learned about the Bible is that it's neither left nor right about these issues, and some things we agree with today, the Bible may not agree with, and vice versa.
For those that are accepting of this practice, your motivations are either to care for the woman or to have her to satisfy desires. Again, either or both are fine, hence concubinage being accepted on a similar basis. To the women in such marriages, how would you feel if your husband took a wife under such circumstances?
Furthermore, if such a patriarchal system was instituted again, does one not think it would help the rampant problem of prostitution in war-torn places? Given slavery is usually negative across cultures and times, I don't think this would ever be instituted again. But I do think it's interesting to view our modern world in the lense of the old and perhaps see how the ancients may have solved these problems.
I humbly ask that if you're here to judge me or tell me that this has already been discussed, then please don't comment here. I've opened this for those who want to talk about it, not those who don't want to.
With peace and love
