The Bible Told Me So

[SeaPriestess]

How did the Southern Baptists who instituted, maintained and perpetuated slavery in the American South keep a clear conscience as Christians? And mind you, from 1882 to 1968 they were lynching on Saturday night and praising God on Sunday morning? Really? Yes, really.

Eph 6:5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear and sincerity of heart, just as you would show to Christ.

Col 3:22 Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.

Col 4:1 Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.

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

1 Peter 2:18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.

Titus 2:9-10 Slaves are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.

Yes, I know they have officially apologized. But during that time, were the consciences seared??
Is this a good example of how using the inerrant, infallible, God inspired holy scriptures can be used to justify evil devices, agendas, manifestos?

Should we be checking our conscience against scripture or the other way around?

lit·er·al·ism
ˈlidərəlizəm,ˈlitrəˌlizəm/
noun
the interpretation of words in their usual or most basic sense.
"biblical literalism"

[Elijah John]

How did the Southern Baptists who instituted, maintained and perpetuated slavery in the American South keep a clear conscience as Christians? And mind you, from 1882 to 1968 they were lynching on Saturday night and praising God on Sunday morning? Really? Yes, really.

Eph 6:5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear and sincerity of heart, just as you would show to Christ.

Col 3:22 Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.

Col 4:1 Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.

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

1 Peter 2:18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.

Titus 2:9-10 Slaves are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.

Yes, I know they have officially apologized. But during that time, were the consciences seared??
Is this a good example of how using the inerrant, infallible, God inspired holy scriptures can be used to justify evil devices, agendas, manifestos?

Should we be checking our conscience against scripture or the other way around?

lit·er·al·ism
ˈlidərəlizəm,ˈlitrəˌlizəm/
noun
the interpretation of words in their usual or most basic sense.
"biblical literalism"

Good points, SP. I see these verses as clear demonstration that the Bible is not perfect, and needs to be filtered through our God-given gift of reason and our conciences. And of course, God-given common sense.

[Tcg]

How did the Southern Baptists who instituted, maintained and perpetuated slavery in the American South keep a clear conscience as Christians?

I was a child in the sixties and my family attended a large Southern Baptist church in Dallas, TX. Whether or not this was the church's official stance I can't say, but when I asked my mother about slavery, she explained that it was the result of the curse on Ham.

Ham was of course cursed for looking at his father Noah's nakedness. The curse involved his descendants being slaves.

Ham was called the father of Canaan, so I'm not sure how the idea that Africans were Canaan's descendants was justified. Under this scheme though, it is clear that some thought this specific slavery was not simply justified, but in fact ordained by God.

There wouldn't be much need for one's conscience to be bothered if it was believed that slavery was indeed God's will.

[Divine Insight]

Should we be checking our conscience against scripture or the other way around?

If we have to push our own sense of moral values onto the Biblical scriptures then what good are the scriptures?

We may as well just sit down with blank paper and write our own moral scriptures.

Then we can get out the Bible later and see how well the Bible compares.

And if it fails to compare then what good is it?

[JehovahsWitness]

QUESTION Did God Condone the slave Trade?

The bible says "man has dominated man to his injury" and that is certainly true of the many systems of slavery that has existed throughout history. None perhaps more inhumane and oppressive as the American and European slave trade of the 18th and 19th centuries. Sadly many over the centuries have claimed that the bible supported the cruel treatment of fellow humans but this if far from the truth.

LEVITICUS 19: 13, 18

You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. ... you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

• The bible gives no indication that the enslavement of humans by other humans was part of God's original purpose indeed the ill-treatment of fellow humans is strictly forbidden in both the Hebrew scriptures and the Christian Greek scriptures. Under the Mosaic law slavery was legislated but ill-treatment of slaves was illegal. Rape of any woman whether slave or free was a punishable crime and a master killing a slave was under the Hebrew system , a capital offense.
  
  The Romans Empire also had a system of slavery and Christians were not authorized either to revolt or attempt to overthrow that or any other oppressive regime, rather to submit to superior authorities as long as such did not try and impell them to break divine law. As has been mentioned, mistreatment of any human would break divine law, so where a Christian found himself a slave owner he would have to treat that slave in a kindly and dignified manner, especially if he or she was also his spiritual brother; whether he kept that one as a slave or chose to free him.
  
  The God of the bible (JEHOVAH) certainly expressed his awareness of the suffering humans have imposed on other humans and has on occassion personally intervened to bring relief (as was the case of the Israelites made slaves in Egypt). However, the bible indicates that the time when God will destroy all human rulership and ensure that all slavery and suffering ends forever, is yet in the future. In the meantime, believers past and present, slave or freeman, are asked to refrain from rebelling against established regimes, to live peacably, seek legal relief from oppression when such a means is available, and if not, submit to the law, even when the laws are unjust, looking for ultimate justice for bad treatment from the One who judges all, both the living and the dead.

CONCLUSION The bible cannot be used to support the oppressive and cruel treatment that was imposed by slave trades over the centuries. Abusive treatment of another human being has never been condoned in scripture. That said, the Mosaic law allowed and legislated for slavery that was far different from that imposed by many subsequent systems and respected the dignity and person of both owner and slave. God has not authorized Christians to wage wars or engage in social justice movements to end oppressive regimes that allow for slavery which is why the bible contains passages urging both masters and slaves to keep in mind their Christian calling and what that involves.

JEHOVAH'S WITNESS



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SLAVERY, SLAVE BEATING and ...THE MOSAIC LAW

[Divine Insight]

QUESTION Did God Condone the slave Trade?

The bible says "man has dominated man to his injury"

How can people come up with these kinds of obviously terrible apologies?

Even if the Bible states this it doesn't help because the Bible also instructs men on how to properly keep their slaves, including being permitted to beat them to a pulp as long as they don't die within a day or two. Apparently if they happen to die three days after having been beaten all is well and good.

The bible gives no indication that the enslavement of humans by other humans was part of God's original purpose

So how does this help anything?

God doesn't approve of slavery but humans do it anyway. So God then condones it and starts telling people how to keep slaves, how much they can charge for them, and that slaves should obey their masters?

This would then be God going along with behavior that he had never originally condoned.

These are the kinds of "apologies" for this theology that fail dramatically.

When are apologists going to face the truth that their endless excuses for these clearly self-contradictory and obviously man-made stories simply don't work?

[SeaPriestess]

[Replying to post 3 by Tcg]

Yes, this was explained to me as well but through a Harvard Doctor of Divinity. So, yes, no need for a conscience but still....everyone has a conscience and I believe that is where we are judged as in "You knew better", because your conscience told you so. Some think "You knew better" because the bible told you so. There is another great topic for debate.

[SeaPriestess]

[Replying to post 2 by Elijah John]

Thank you

[SeaPriestess]

[Replying to post 5 by JehovahsWitness]

Thank you but my point is "Is this a good example of how using the inerrant, infallible, God inspired holy scriptures can be used to justify evil devices, agendas, manifestos?" Yes or No?

[SeaPriestess]

[Replying to post 4 by Divine Insight]

But what if we never had a bible? Would we be doomed now and later? Or is maybe God able to lead us by our conscience and God given common sense?