So, I feel like bursting some bubbles today, so we are going to look at what the Christian bible says about slavery. Specifically I want to point out what God/Jesus/people speaking for God/Jesus have to say on the matter. I will include all of the bible verses, instead of just cherry-picking the ones that would be most effective in face-rubbing, like Christians often do.
Anything in brackets [like this] is my interjected input.
It begins in Exodus 21 with a "slave rulebook" of sorts.
- 21:2-6 - If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years; and in the seventh he shall go out free and pay nothing. If he comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master has given him a wife, and she has borne 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 plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ then his master shall bring him to the judges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him forever. (NKJV)
--So, if you have a 7-year slave and he gets married while he's your slave, then the slave's wife and any children she may have had now belong to the slave-owner forever. Nice family values! - 21:7-11 - And if a man sells his daughter to be a female [sex] slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do [no release after 6 years; sex slaves are slaves for life]. If she does not please her master, who has betrothed her to himself [bible-speak for "fucked her"], then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt deceitfully with her. And if he has betrothed her to his son, he shall deal with her according to the custom of daughters. If he takes another wife, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, and her marriage rights [sex]. And if he does not do these three for her, then she shall go out free, without paying money. (NKJV)
--So, daughters can be sold, by their fathers, into sexual slavery. I would assume against their will since they have no say in the matter. And as long as the sex slave-owner keeps her fed, clothed and sexed up, she gets to be his "slave for life". I'm so glad so many people use the bible as a moral guidebook! - 21:20-21 - And if a man beats his male or female servant with a rod, so that he dies under his hand, he shall surely be punished. Notwithstanding, if he remains alive a day or two, he shall not be punished; for he is his property. (NKJV)
--So beating your slaves is A-OK with God as long as you don't actually kill them right away. Although, to be fair, other translations vary by saying "gets up after a day or two" (NIV) and "recovers within a day or two" (NLT) instead of "if he remains alive a day or two" (NKJV). So if the slave recovers from the beating after a couple of days then the slave-owner is cool in God's eyes according to the other translations. How merciful! - 21:26-27 - If a man strikes the eye of his male or female servant, and destroys it, he shall let him go free for the sake of his eye. And if he knocks out the tooth of his male or female servant, he shall let him go free for the sake of his tooth.
--Hey, if you knock out a tooth or put out an eye, your slave can go free, so better aim for the torso. No laws about breaking ribs!
Now in Deuteronomy 15, Exodus 21:2-6 is basically repeated, except in the Deut. version, a woman can also count in the first category of 6-year slaves. So maybe they "misspoke" or "misinterpreted" or just changed their minds about the whole women are slaves for life in the Exodus law.
I'll continue being a total dick (with the truth, mind you) later on. This is getting pretty long. We'll look at the rest of the Old Testament next time.
Until then,
-Me
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