Bible Discussion Thread

Yes I'm like you most when my first reaction to this chapter was that God condones slavery? But if I think of it as a Boss (Master) and employee (servants), it is more acceptable. Think about it, there was no capitalism back them. No jobs like we have today. What would people do back then for work?

Great viewpoints that others had where it kept society in check minimizing crime. Eye for an eye, etc.

Servitude is an arguable aspect when you consider the dependency of a job and the financial burden placed when its lost. This is not the same thing. When you remove that financial burden, that occupation is now a choice. There is no contractual requirement.

Don't forget, women are servants forever. In addition, you can purchase a woman from the father or guardian and force them to be your wife. The crazy part is, this still exists today in other cultures. They are not forced, but if declining means you are disowned and put on the street and a dishonor to your family... its a more difficult situation as it includes the financial burden as above, but it also includes an emotional component of losing communication to your family which cant be easily remedied.

The "great viewpoints" in this chapter was that it did provide more rights than before. If no one told them that they couldn't own a male slave for 10 years, they would have... Granted, that notion was lost at some point until slavery was abolished.