Why do you suppose Jesus never condemned slavery?

New Jersey got hit with a bad-ass storm, Farmerman. My town had electricity knocked out for 9 days (****, it only took their god 7 days to make the entire universe)...and I have been in serious A2K withdrawal. Nancy's first call, though, was to a divorce lawyer...and we ain't really even married!

It's a pity that more anti-Christians are unable to be so honest.

Let's give this one some legs . .
Actually Frank, I think there is a good explanation, though I would be a fool to pretend infallible insight into Jesus' reasoning.

There were many forms of slavery, some much like employment contracts we see today. Admittedly some were unspeakably cruel. I am of the opinion that Jesus' moral directives prohibited cruelty. Nevertheless, Christians (all people, in fact) desire a time where all persons will have freedom.

So, the question might well be. "Why did Jesus not put an end to it?" And that falls into the long list of why has not Jesus or his Father not put an end to war and crime and sickness and death. Certainly the world has seen enough to wish the end of these things.

Perhaps it is a matter of timing. Jesus often referred to the ruler of this world (John 12:31 14:30, etc.), the one who offered him all its kingdoms (John 4:8-10) Certainly, he could not have offered that which he did not control. So we wait until sufficient time has elapsed for God's kingdom to come and his will to be done. (Matthew 6:10)

More than enough time by human standards. But we don't measure time according to God's timepiece.

It might as well be...but it isn't.

The question is asking for supposition on your part:

Why do you suppose Jesus never condemned slavery?

Because slavery had/has many forms. Jesus moral directives applied to slave owners as well as freemen. So, I don't believe his failure to speak out about slavery in general is a shortcoming.

The reason Jesus did not condemned slavery is simple.

Jesus assuming he was a real human cult leader at the time was a man not some supernatural half and half god and as such he just accepted the idea of slavery as part of society.

Adultery had/has many forms also.

Stealing had/has many forms also.

Coveting had/has many forms also.

Jesus spoke out on all those things.

In any case, all those things have elements in common.

One of the elements of slavery was that the slave was OWNED by the slave-owner...and the family of the slave was owned also. The slave and his family could be transferred at the slave-owners choosing.

Why do you suppose Jesus never condemned those facets of slavery?



I have no idea of why you would think that because Jesus' moral directives applied to slave-owners as well as freemen...applies in any way to the question.

I suspect I do know why you think his failure to speak out against slavery in general is not a shortcoming. You just have trouble seeing the man as having any shortcomings.

Why do you suppose Jesus did not condemn slavery? (I've given my suppositions.)

Still, it would be interesting to get answers from those who actually believe the bible. Does the purported omission have scriptural bearing?

That, essentially, is the supposition I came up with also, Bill.

My supposition is that Jesus thought there was nothing wrong with slavery. Seems almost certain that he felt that way...since he worshiped a god who told him that there was nothing wrong with slavery.

Imagine that. We agree.

Sure as hell does.

The god of the Bible says there is nothing wrong with slavery.

Were there any forms of adultery, stealing, or coveting that might be acceptable?
Probably not.
Were there any forms of slavery that might pass muster?
I dunno . . . Military service, perhaps. Contracted service. So long as it did not involve the abuses you spoke of.

Maybe, but you didn't ask that.

Whether any of the former were "acceptable" or not does not seem to enter the picture in this question.



I can't think of any.



Military service is a stretch. It hardly constitutes "ownership."

Contracted services hardly constitutes "ownership."

Slavery, except as a euphemism, involved OWNERSHIP...the right to treat another human being as a chattel...to be able to bequeath the human being to survivors...and to be able to keep the individual as a slave forever.

Here is how the god of the Bible put it:


"Slaves, male and female, you may indeed possess, provided you BUY them from among the neighboring nations. You may also BUY them from among the aliens who reside with you and from their children who are born and reared in your land. Such slaves YOU MAY OWN AS CHATTELS, and leave to your sons as their hereditary property, MAKING THEM PERPETUAL SLAVES. But you shall not lord it harshly over any of the Israelites, your kinsmen." Leviticus 25:44ff

I asked for supposition about why Jesus did not condemn slavery.

Do you not think the fact that the god he worshiped said slavery was okay...is not a reasonable basis for a supposition in that direction?

Maybe you are correct but I had a black friend tell me just a few days ago about his draft into the military and he replied that they told him that he was the property of the US military. I thought to myself why didn't he say oh no I am being owned again like my ancestors.

There is a big confusion in the OT as to who or what God amounts to.

All ancient religions, if you go back far enough, were astral in nature. Worse, while primitives starting up an astral religion today would end up worshiping the sun and moon, the two chief gods of all ancient religions were originally Jupiter and Saturn.

You can convince yourself that "El" (as in Elohim) meant Saturn via Google searches on 'el saturn babylon' and include the 'babylon' part of that to avoid the GM Saturn car dealerships. Yahveh of course is the same basic word as "Jove" which of course meant Jupiter.

Israelites were the first nation on Earth to figure out that they didn't need to be worshiping dwarf stars or idols representing dwarf stars so that by the time you get to Jesus, "God" meant the basic architect of the universe and its laws and our living world.

It seems reasonable to believe that Jesus paid a certain amount of respect to ancient traditions simply to avoid confusing the Jews of his own age any more than necessary.

Interesting post Gunga...

This is what I think if anyone is interested...

I think that God the Father is the universe itself...I think that Jesus Christ signifies all of the physical aspects, and the Holy Spirit is everything that no one can physically see...I think that this explains why even if The Big Bang is correct, it is still truthful that God always was, because even scientists say that the universe was a small shaped pin head...I think that whether we were created by evolution or creationism, it was still by God the universe...and we are debating a meaningless point to this God...I think that this is why God says that he is infinite...because the universe is forever going...I think that that is why God says he is everywhere...I think this also explains why people started worshiping certain aspects of the universe, such as the sun, the moon, and even going farther to mythology where Gods had control of certain aspects...etc...I do not know if these people as being God-like are actually in control of those aspects once they are with this God...However it happens...I think they all could have been having premonitions as to who they are, and what they will be one day that makes up part of this God...I think that when one dies, their essence becomes apart of this universe itself...as in their soul...I think that we will be able to go anywhere we would like too, and there is a place called Heaven...Or just this existence in this universe is Heaven...I think that there are other Gods and multi or parallel universes but they will all be consumed or collapse...if they do not wish to be apart of this one universe forever that can do everything...

I am still iffy about the devil, but if I had to explain based upon what I think...Then I would say the devil or evil is made up of everyone who does not wish to be apart of this existence...and is possibly thrown into a black hole that = the bottomless pit that Jesus talks about...and then they do not existence forever, or that is their suffering....

If I had to explain Purgatory...I think it is people not worthy of the bottomless pit, but are trapped here for some reason for now, where they can not have their soul travel into this universe, and they have not fully risen...yet...



Sorry Frank, I have been here before but...I think that God would only want everyone to do virtuous things...I think that evil only hurts you from becoming one with this universe itself...I think that good always gets you closer...I think that one person using their own perceptions of the spirit of this God thought that it was morally correct to own slaves and scribed it...Just like I think we all have the ability to accept this spirit aspect if we chose to do it...and see our own perceptions of what this God actually is...That all make up this one God forever...The prophets were no more than we are...They just scribed their perceptions and most do not...I think that the Bible or any religious scripture is a guide to understanding how it may be one day, and understanding that there is so much more that we do not know...I think that Jesus would not agree with slavery, and maybe did not say anything because he was not interested in violating that free will...Or every religious scripture has some sort of virtuous testing to be gained from it, for us to use our spirit, and explain how we agree or disagree, just like that one Prophet Moses had explained in Leviticus...I do not think the point to life or faith is blind acceptance...I do not think that God wants people to regurgitate what others have said about God using their own perceptions about this God when they embraced the spirit...I think that everything we will be...Is what we do here reflected...forever...

The big bang idea is BS just like evolution.

MAYBE you are correct...MAYBE you are incorrect.

That is all I am saying. Your guess may be correct...but it may be incorrect.

I get ya...but I suspect if you friend had ever been truly enslaved...he would easily see the difference between what he was experiencing in service to what it would have been like as a slave.