@Frank Apisa,
Quote:First...show me where I said anything of the sort of thing that I enlarged.
I only asked you what use we can find for why we might suppose Jesus never condemned slavery. There is only one I can think of and it is to discredit Jesus, the religion that takes His name and those teachings of that religion which are not covered by the law. To all intents and purposes teachings regarding rumpy-pumpy.
Here is a passage from Mansfield Park which can be enlarged with a little thought, if it is noticed at all, to show that Jane Austen condemned slavery of the North American variety.
There are 3 pages devoted to slavery in E.W.Heaton's book Everyday Life In Old Testament Times.
I can't think how a society might go beyond the hunter-gatherer phase without slavery of some kind.
Quote:"Oh! don't talk so, don't talk so," cried Fanny, distressed by more
feelings than he was aware of; but seeing that she was distressed, he
had done with the subject, and only added more seriously-"Your uncle is disposed to be pleased with you in every respect; and I
only wish you would talk to him more. You are one of those who are too
silent in the evening circle."
"But I do talk to him more than I used. I am sure I do. Did not you
hear me ask him about the slave-trade last night?"
"I did--and was in hopes the question would be followed up by others.
It would have pleased your uncle to be inquired of farther."
"And I longed to do it--but there was such a dead silence! And while
my cousins were sitting by without speaking a word, or seeming at all
interested in the subject, I did not like--I thought it would appear
as if I wanted to set myself off at their expense, by shewing a
curiosity and pleasure in his information which he must wish his own
daughters to feel."
Every penny spent in Mansfield Park derives from the slave trade. No wonder there was "such a dead silence". The others know.
Methinks that Apisa not only seeks to recommend sexual licence within the law but also appears to set himself off at our expense by being so haughty and self-righteous and claiming the moral high ground by his obvious opposition to slavery.
One might need to study the NT with the same level of concentration required to conclude that the passage from Mansfield Park is a condemnation of slavery in order to be sure that Jesus did not condemn the institution.
The question should be--"Why do you suppose that I believe Jesus never condemned slavery?" The word "never" is an absolute.
There is a lot of information in the background for someone reading Mansfield Park. To begin with--the exchange is superfluous unless it is a very polite way of condemning the slave trade. And Ms Austen wrote nothing superfluous.
"Love thy neighbour" can easily be seen as a polite way of condemning the slavery of that time.
