Religion Team Challenge
For many years slavery was the dividing factor of the United States acting as a divider between many people. For 70 years America was stuck in a civil war between those who are pro slavery, and those against it. Many people pointed to religious works that would either support or refute slavery. The Bible was a major piece of work many Christians used to argue their points. Today the Bible will be shown in the ways it was against slavery or for slavery.
The Bible has been known to condemn slavery today for many obvious , and also was against it hundreds to thousands of years in the past. Throughout the bible there are many example and quotes that prove slavery should be condemned. One of the most iconic quotes against slavery comes from the chapter of Exodus 21:16. The reading states, “Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.” According to this quote in the bible it is clear that Chrisiantiy was against slavery. The reading states how if any individual is owning another man or human, they should be put to death. Another portion of of the Bible in Galatians 3:28, proves that slavery should be condemned. The reading states, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus”. This statement explains how everybody is the same and equal, whether you are a slave or not. Everyone in christianity is a son of Christ and equal. Finally, one of the very important religious leaders in Christianity, Paul, makes it very clear he is against owning another person. Paul states, “Perhaps the reason [Onesimus] was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back forever— no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord.”
With all this clear evidence of people being anti-slavery in the Bible, you may ask yourself where was there any instances of pro-slavery. However, there are many instances where slavery is supported by those who followed Christianity and the Bible. These may be quotes or certain situations that occurred in the past, leading to a division in America and even the world.
In my opinion, slaveholders would have defined themselves as Christian they had two favorites texts, one from the beginning of the Old Testament and the other from the end of the New Testament. There were so many questions asked, What was so terrible about seeing Noah drunk? Why curse Canaan rather than Ham? How long was the servitude to last? Surely Ham would have been the same color as his brothers? These questions eventually led and became the foundational text for those who wanted to justify slavery on Biblical grounds. In its boiled down, popular version, known as “The Curse of Ham,” Canaan was dropped from the story, Ham was made black, and his descendants were made Africans. The other favorite came from the Apostle Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians, VI, 5-7: “Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; not with eye-service, as men-pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.” (Paul repeated himself, almost word for word, in the third chapter of his Epistle to the Colossians.)
The rest of the Old Testament was often mined by pro-slavery polemicists for examples proving that slavery was common among the Israelites. The New Testament was largely ignored, except in the negative sense of pointing out that nowhere did Jesus condemn slavery, although the story of Philemon, the runaway who St. Paul returned to his master, was often quoted. It was also generally accepted that the Latin word servus, usually translated as servant, really meant slave.
The opinions on slavery were divided into 2 seperate groups. Those who were against it and those who agreed with it. Both have amazing arguments and reasons for why each was right therefore there isn't a correct answer. The only option on how to solve the answer of whether it was right or wrong was to go to religion. In the end it was reasoned to believe slavery is not a good thing and proslavery wasnt the correct choice.
https://www.openbible.info/topics/anti-slavery
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