Sunday, April 07, 2013

Sunday Sermon - Religious Slavery

Good Christians flourishing their Bible which declared all men are brothers are frequently credited with abolishing slavery and even civil rights leaders like the Martin Luther King Jr. were famous for their use of biblical language to demand liberty for all human beings. But most believers shy away from the stark fact that the Bible approved of slavery.
The so-called Good Book explicitly, repeatedly and unequivocally endorses slavery, presenting it as an institution directly sanctioned by God. Many Jews and Christians will try to ignore the problem of slavery in the Bible by saying that these slaves were actually servants or indentured servants. Many translations of the Bible use the word "servant", "bondservant", or "manservant" instead of "slave" to make the Bible seem less immoral than it really is. While many slaves may have worked as household servants, that doesn't mean that they were not slaves who were bought, sold, and treated little better than livestock.
Apparently, God never figured out that slavery was wrong. The Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the United States was formed expressly to defend the practice of slavery. Joseph Wilson in the First Presbyterian Church of Augusta, Georgia in January 1861 declared “He [God] has included slavery as an organizing element in that family order which lies at the very foundation of Church and State.” American Methodists at first followed John Wesley’s strong anti-slavery stance, denouncing participation in the slave trade and slaveholding, but later they yielded to economic and political pressures.In 1784, the Methodists voted to expel members who bought and sold slaves but they decided to give slaveholders a year to free their slaves on penalty of expulsion. Methodists found such statements unenforceable and they withdrew them. Early in American Methodism, free blacks and slaves participated in the societies and churches, although they were neither fully accepted nor treated equally. Two slaveholding states, Maryland and Louisiana, had large contingents of Catholic residents. Archbishop Carroll of Baltimore had two black servants - one free and one a slave. In 1820, the Jesuits had nearly 400 slaves on their Maryland plantations. The Society of Jesus owned a large number of slaves who worked on the community's farms. Realizing that their properties were more profitable if rented out to tenant farmers rather that worked by slaves, the Jesuits began selling off their slaves in 1837. Pope Gregory XVI admonished "all believers in Christ, of whatsoever condition, that no one hereafter may dare unjustly to molest Indians, Blacks, or other men of this sort;...or to reduce them to slavery...". Catholic bishops in the Southern U.S. focused on the word "unjustly". They argued that the Pope did not condemn slavery if the slaves had been captured justly—that is, they were either criminals or prisoners of war. The bishops determined that this prohibition did not apply to slavery in the US. Bishop England noted that Gregory XVI was condemning only the slave trade and not slavery itself, especially as it existed in the United States.

The Christian church's main justification of the concept of slavery is based on Genesis 9:25-27. "Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers. He also said, 'Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem. May God extend the territory of Japheth; may Japeth live in the tents of Shem and may Canaan be his slave'." Christians traditionally believed that Canaan had settled in Africa. The dark skin of Africans became associated with this "curse of Ham." Thus slavery of Africans became religiously justifiable. The American slave owner felt that he was carrying out God's plan by buying and using slaves.

In the era in which the Bible was written, slavery was a common and natural part of society.The institution of slavery permeated the Roman Empire. Italy alone had 3 million slaves in a population of 7 ½ million. But humanity has progressed and we now recognize that slavery is a cruel and inhumane institution that deserves only eradication. The idea that human beings can be bought and sold like possessions, and that this state should last in perpetuity is defended by Bible authority.

“However, you may purchase male or female slaves from among the foreigners who live among you. You may also purchase the children of such resident foreigners, including those who have been born in your land. You may treat them as your property, passing them on to your children as a permanent inheritance. You may treat your slaves like this, but the people of Israel, your relatives, must never be treated this way.” (Leviticus 25:44-46 NLT)— Leviticus 25:44-46

“He will owe you nothing for his freedom. If he was single when he became your slave and then married afterward, only he will go free in the seventh year. But if he was married before he became a slave, then his wife will be freed with him. If his master gave him a wife while he was a slave, and they had sons or daughters, then the man will be free in the seventh year, but his wife and children will still belong to his master. But the slave may plainly declare, 'I love my master, my wife, and my children. I would rather not go free.' If he does this, his master must present him before God. Then his master must take him to the door and publicly pierce his ear with an awl. After that, the slave will belong to his master forever.” (Exodus 21:2-6 )

Notice how they can get a male Hebrew slave to become a permanent slave by keeping his wife and children hostage until he says he wants to become a permanent slave.

Exodus 21:7-11 describes sex slavery “When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she will not be freed at the end of six years as the men are. If she does not please the man who bought her, he may allow her to be bought back again. But he is not allowed to sell her to foreigners, since he is the one who broke the contract with her. And if the slave girl's owner arranges for her to marry his son, he may no longer treat her as a slave girl, but he must treat her as his daughter. If he himself marries her and then takes another wife, he may not reduce her food or clothing or fail to sleep with her as his wife. If he fails in any of these three ways, she may leave as a free woman without making any payment."

The Bible explicitly allow beating your slaves, it allows you to beat them to death, just as long as the slave does not immediately expire from the beating but lingers for a few days before dying.

“When a man strikes his slave, male or female, with a rod and the slave dies under his hand, he shall be punished. But if the slave survives a day or two, he is not to be punished; for the slave is his money.” — Exodus 21:20-21

But that is Old Testament teachings, the New Testament and Jesus message of love is different some Christians will reply. Really? In the following parable, Jesus clearly approves of beating slaves even if they didn't know they were doing anything wrong.

“The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes .But people who are not aware that they are doing wrong will be punished only lightly.”— Luke 12:46-48

It was blasphemous for a slave to disobey or dishonor his owner and rebelling against slavery was sin against God.

“Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ.” (Ephesians 6:5 )

We read in Peter 2:15-20 . “Slaves, accept the authority of your masters with all deference, not only those who are kind and gentle but also those who are harsh. For it is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly. If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God’s approval...When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly.” In other words don’t rise up against your oppressors, remember that Jesus didn’t fight back at all

“Christians who are slaves should give their masters full respect so that the name of God and his teaching will not be shamed. If your master is a Christian, that is no excuse for being disrespectful. You should work all the harder because you are helping another believer by your efforts. Teach these truths, Timothy, and encourage everyone to obey them.” 1 Timothy 6:1-2

“Tell slaves to be submissive to their masters and to give satisfaction in every respect; they are not to talk back, not to pilfer, but to show complete and perfect fidelity, so that in everything they may be an ornament to the doctrine of God our Savior. … Declare these things; exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one look down on you.” - Titus 2:9-10,15

In Colossians 3:22-25 we have “Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not only while being watched and in order to please them, but wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord. Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters, since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for whatever wrong has been done, and there is no partiality."

Christian slaves, wholeheartedly obey your masters in everything. If they treat you badly, know that they will get punishment in the next life.

The closest thing to a verse in the bible that says slavery is wrong is Corinthians 7:20-2 "Let each of you remain in the condition in which you were called. Were you a slave when called? Do not be concerned about it. Even if you can gain your freedom, make use of your present condition now more than ever. For whoever was called in the Lord as a slave is a freed person belonging to the Lord, just as whoever was free when called is a slave of Christ. You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of human masters. In whatever condition you were called, brothers and sisters, there remain with God."

Nevertheless Paul says twice in those verses to remain in whatever condition you were called to Christ. If you're a slave, remain in that condition. Why? The one who was called in the Lord as a slave is a freed person belonging to the Lord. In God's eyes, that person is not a slave, but a freed person. Of course, every freed person when called is Christ's slave.This is clearly not a condemnation of slavery as an institution. Paul is writing to not become slaves of human beings in the same sense that Jesus says you can't serve two masters. Sure, be a human slave -- but you are truly a master to God. Remember that, and you a free.
In 340 the Synod of Gangra in Armenia, condemned certain Manicheans for urging that slaves should liberate themselves: "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." Augustine of Hippo argued that slavery was part of the mechanism to preserve the natural order of things.[John Chrysostom, regarded as a saint by Roman Catholicism, argued that slaves should be resigned to their fate, as by obeying his master he is obeying God. He argued that the institution of slavery derives from God and is beneficial to slaves and masters. However, he also characterized the granting of freedom to slaves as a great virtue. Augustine described slavery and private property not as the creations of God but of sin. Christianity could not save Rome, he wrote, because those with power, including Christian emperors, could not erase the taint of humanity's sin.

The Bible is simply a human creation, forged in the popular beliefs and prejudices of its time. Nevertheless some fundamentalist church ministers even to-day still describe the slavery system as a gentle and beneficial institution, and that most black people preferred being enslaved to being free. They say that the abolition of slavery was when society started going downhill; that ending slavery was what paved the way for a whole host of further sins, such as granting equal rights to women and gay people.

Even today we can find those who argue for the reinstitution of slavery – but slavery with safeguards. The idea is to: "solve…problems of long-term unemployment and socially excluded underclasses. Slave buyers would take people out of the welfare system and provide for their needs: The institution of slavery would help stem the tide of tax payer funded welfare payments. Needy people could then offer themselves as slaves for set periods such as ten years. The law would regulate types of work permitted and prevent maltreatment. An "Inspector of Slavery" would ensure no mistreatment occurs. Slave owners could not split up families. Such benign, voluntary slavery would be little different than being conscripted to the army.

God certainly works in mysterious ways...even he (she?) is confused.

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