When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said 'Let us pray.' We closed our eyes. When we opened them we had the Bible and they had the land. Desmond Tutu

Power, greed and control.

"they COULD NOT see"... "they were so BLINDED". Naw, she's scapegoating man. the slavemaster knew EXACTLY what the hell he was doing. Chattel slavery was great business for the Caucasian. foh

B.s they knew exactly what they were doing

BS! THEY KNEW EXACTLY WHAT THEY WERE DOING!!!

Because they're evil, that's the ONLY reason.

They was not blind... they knew exactly what they were doing. Evil. And you know it smh

Well, because all Abrahamic religions support it and condone it.

Wait...🤔 So then what about the Bible and it talking about when and how to beat your slaves? Then mentioning that if you beat your slave and he doesn't die for a certain period of time then it's okay for you? 🤔

Don't let the words confuse you there was no justification

"Slaves, obey your masters" is advocating absolute pacifism from the slave (you can argue that this is also evil). Sounds like ppl take religious texts and use them as a means to their ends.

Because a Christian can simply preface any action they take with “In the name of God…” and it is suddenly justified.

That's a pathetic excuse. Ephesians 6.5: "Slaves, obey your earthly masters, with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ." - What's descriptive about that? Both sentence structure and content make it very clear that this is an imposed rule, not a description of the situation.

How did Christian slaveowners justify slavery? They read and applied Deuteronomy,Exodus,Leviticus and sayings of Paul ..... BTW JC didn’t ban slavery either

Like how believers are blinded by there desires for their stories to be true rather than to face the truth.

What on earth is she talking about, saying the OT does not support slavery?! It is absolutely, unashamedly pro-slavery. It says very clearly the the Jews could own slaves, who are considered property. The NT doesn't do anything to rectify this. She talks about how slave-owners couldn't see how they interpreted scripture in their own interests, yet that is what she is doing. She understands slavery is immoral but wants to hold onto her faith, so she dismisses the pro-slavery parts of the Bible in order to meet her objectives. It is totally hypocritical.

She is quite the spin doctor, in the OT it allows masters to beat slaves to the point of death, it says slaves are property of their masters and people who were not Israelite could own a slave and their descendants forever.

Social justice in the Old Testament? That book is one of the most immoral pieces of fiction ever written.

The same way all people that do horrible things do it. They have “god on their side”. Makes it a lot easier to cause horrible suffering when you know in your heart of hearts that you’re doing the right thing.

So true!!! Reading the Bible literally is dangerous

Or....or....they read Exodus 21. Social justice in the old testament? Laughable.

Job 9:24 The earth is given into the hand of the wicked: he covereth the faces of the judges thereof; if not, where, and who is he?

If the all knowing, all powerful, all loving God of the Bible didn't want his people to practice slavery God could have easily commanded his people not to have slaves

thank you! this video helped me answer one of my test question on History!

The passage from Paul is prescriptive, not descriptive. She's lying through her teeth.

Ummm...no. "Slaves, obey your masters" is a command, not a descriptive statement. The amount of tap dancing around the truth inherent in just the first thirty seconds of this video could rival a Fred Astaire movie.

This is something I often wondered myself but concluded that they just allowed themselves to rationalize where there should have been faith. Nevertheless, it is one of the factors that contributed to the birth of the Blues when the slaves were given cheap and broken down musical instruments to sing about their miseries in the styles they brought from their lands mixed with the European style of music.

Bible says to treat your slaves like brothers but apparently the slave masters didn't hold up their end of the bargain

Anything can be justified with any religious book

How exactly have christians misenterpreted if the bible supports it ? And why does the bible support it ?

@Chaostheoryrulz um how is darwinism tied to subjugation?

Why did Susan Wise Bauer say that slave owners ignored the minor prophets in the bible to interpret that slavery was acceptable? There were many authors who wrote the many books of the bible and each had their individual viewpoint and opinion. That is why there are various views represented... and some clearly endorse slavery (see Lev. 25:44 for example) "Your slaves may come from the nations around you; and from them you may BUY slaves...and they will BECOME YOUR PROPERTY and can make them SLAVES FOR LIFE and pass them to your children when you die" They say that Moses wrote Leviticus... was he a minor prophet? Does Moses trump the minor prophets? No. They're all just middle eastern men from the bronze age who are expressing their personal opinions. So we should expect the bible to have varying opinions and that's what we find - not one cohesive book by the best author in the universe.

Now Playing: How To Save Your Ancestors Behind 🤷🏾‍♂️

Quite obviously Almighty God fully approved of Slavery and never condemned it, neither did the Lord Christ or his Apostles, so why would faithful and conscientious Christians be so embarrassed? Almighty God can never do wrong or teach against His own Will. So here are some Bible verses seen in passing that people today discuss regarding slavery: "When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, he said, “Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.” He also said, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem. May God extend Japheth’s territory; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.”” (Genesis 9:24-27 NIV) "As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure." (Genesis 15:12-16 NIV) "If you buy a Hebrew slave, he is to serve for only six years. Set him free in the seventh year, and he will owe you nothing for his freedom. If he was single when he became your slave and then married afterward, only he will go free in the seventh year. But if he was married before he became a slave, then his wife will be freed with him. If his master gave him a wife while he was a slave, and they had sons or daughters, then the man will be free in the seventh year, but his wife and children will still belong to his master. But the slave may plainly declare, "I love my master, my wife, and my children. I would rather not go free." If he does this, his master must present him before God. Then his master must take him to the door and publicly pierce his ear with an awl. After that, the slave will belong to his master forever." (Exodus 21:2-6 NLT) "When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she will not be freed at the end of six years as the men are. If she does not please the man who bought her, he may allow her to be bought back again. But he is not allowed to sell her to foreigners, since he is the one who broke the contract with her. And if the slave girl's owner arranges for her to marry his son, he may no longer treat her as a slave girl, but he must treat her as his daughter. If he himself marries her and then takes another wife, he may not reduce her food or clothing or fail to sleep with her as his wife. If he fails in any of these three ways, she may leave as a free woman without making any payment." (Exodus 21:7-11 NLT) "When a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod so hard that the slave dies under his hand, he shall be punished. If, however, the slave survives for a day or two, he is not to be punished, since the slave is his own property." (Exodus 21:20-21 NASB) "However, you may purchase male or female slaves from among the foreigners who live among you. You may also purchase the children of such resident foreigners, including those who have been born in your land. You may treat them as your property, passing them on to your children as a permanent inheritance. You may treat your slaves like this, but the people of Israel, your relatives, must never be treated this way." (Leviticus 25:44-46 NLT) "Have you allowed all the women to live?" he asked them. "They were the ones who followed Balaam’s advice and enticed the Israelites to be unfaithful to the Lord in the Peor incident, so that a plague struck the Lord’s people. Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man, but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man."" (Numbers 31:7-18 NIV) "But at the same time [Joshua] made [the Gibeonites] slaves, to cut wood and carry water for the people of Israel and for the Lord's altar. To this day they have continued to do this work in the place where the Lord has chosen to be worshiped." (Joshua @ GNT) "Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. (Ephesians 6:5-6 NLT) "Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord." (Colossians 3:22 NIV) "Christians who are slaves should give their masters full respect so that the name of God and his teaching will not be shamed. If your master is a Christian, that is no excuse for being disrespectful. You should work all the harder because you are helping another believer by your efforts. Teach these truths, Timothy, and encourage everyone to obey them." (1 Timothy 6:1-2 NLT) AMEN! "Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh." (1 Peter 2:18 NIV)

@stevenweir76 Please explain?

@tomtomttom Yes, it does answer your questions. Maybe, you're not satisfied with the answer given, but this is book.

If A literal interpretation endorses slavery, then the problem starts with the book, not the interpreter. Please name one biblical passage stating explicitly that owning another human is morally wrong. Even the verse that some apologists use to claim that slavery is not endorsed, Exodus 21:16, says only not to steal someone. It is a matter of legal possession. The verse continues , “... even if the person is no longer in their possession.” The author seems to think that the readers will also see this as a property issue. If not, the “no longer in possession” part would be irrelevant. Exodus 21:16 is in a passage that explicitly condones slavery. Jesus upheld every jot and tittle of the Torah, which includes pro-human-ownership verses. The root of the problem is in the scriptures, not the interpretation .

My parents have an answer for everything, if not known, "The Devil made them do it," or "God forgives sin," if you do or have done something to experience free will and life as a whole. They are so controlled by the church they have NO THOUGHT OF their own. It is really sad since I became awakened and started searching the truth.: -)I see so differently.

The reason why they didn't know is because they can do no good and they know no evil like it is written. I appreciate this video

"Interpretation." Is exactly what any religious text is based.

But the old testament endorsed and had rules for slavery :(

Lol at Old Testament social justice

" 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; (Ephesians 6:5) And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him. " (Ephesians 6:9)

@JUDALATION I wasn't talking about modern paraphrases. Read my message. I said the KJV, which is a more literal translation. It only occurs in the places I mention in the literal translation of the KJV. My statement stands.

Fiction can be whatever you want it to be.

No excuses! Slaverl meant free money!

Slavery was allowed in the old testament as well...

To hoops are getting so tiny I think they have decided not to jump through them anymore

To put another person in chains and take them from their homeland and make them serve your wishes is what is twisted and they sad part about it is slavery still exists the greed and hatred still exists as well there is plenty in this world for everyone but some think that they are entitled to it all that is were the problems arise if they could find a way to charge you for breathing they would greed is evil

John 8:32 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.👏👏

Idk wtf she’s talking about social justice of the Old Testament. The Israelites lived by the laws of the Torah and Talmud, which included the book of Leviticus; a book that specifies how much money a slave is worth, how much time they may be enslaved, how to exploit the loopholes in that contract, and the standards of punishment meant for slaves. Social justice my ass. Paul wasn’t using metaphor, he was upholding Jewish law.

O they knew girl they just conveniently dismissed it

Our ppl beeen in so much pain that we’ll believe in anything for peace . If Jesus had a plantation we still love em smh

Many knew EXACTLY what they were doing. To play the ignorance card is reprehensible. If you are a true believer, you walk in love and conviction of heart, mind and spirit when you act in sin.

@JUDALATION The word slavery is not found in the KJV except for the verse mentioned and Jermiah 2:14. Indentured servitude is often referred to. If you think you can find the word slave in the KJV then please provide the references.

@stevenweir76 You never told me what passage from Paul you are talking about. You must not have one!

Bible in hand… Everything can be justified.

Are you kidding me? Descriptive? Here is the full quote. It’s a freaking command. Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect(A) and fear, and with sincerity of heart,(B) just as you would obey Christ.(C) 6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ,(D) doing the will of God from your heart. 7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people,(E) 8 because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do,(F) whether they are slave or free.

How did Christian slave owners justify slavery? By reading the Bible. Exodus 21 condones slavery. It's not descriptive, it gives rules (IOW, prescriptive) for who you can enslave, how much to pay/charge for slaves, and how you can beat them as long as they survive for a couple of days. So, I would ask why the dishonesty of trying to make the case that it was all because of what Paul supposedly said while completely ignoring the context supplied by the prescriptive rules laid forth in Exodus. I would ask, but it isn't necessary because that sort of inherent dishonesty is the basis for religious apologetics.

I am questioning the next thing: How slave " owners" could be able to rape a slave is something very bad. But how they were able to let their own child, after they made a slave pregnant, be a slave too? I mean, it was their own child and they even didn't accept their own child?..!!!

one of many statements of Jesus contradict the "christian" assumption of slavery is justified: "what you did to the lowest of my brethren, you did to me." It's only possible that Jesus (who often used symbolic language), stated that we should accept superiors and their authority, which doesn't mean that they are justified to be cruel.

And yet today we still have a form of slavery that nobody recognizes properly. We are all enslaved to this world by our very human needs and we are enslaved to those who provide jobs and food or other goods that we buy at the going rate which keeps going up and we keep needing more because what we buy is either consumed, broken or stolen by those who are valuing their freedom but abusing others. It's a pretty vicious and nonstop process that keeps us moving through various and assorted levels of slavery. God had given us all we really needed but we wanted more...so we can see that the more we want the more we must do those things that enable us to have what we want. A simple solution...do not want for anything.

Many still ignore scriptures to justify their racism.

@JUDALATION Luke 12:47-48, 1 Tim 6:1-2, Ex 21:20, Eph 6:5 KJV all use the words servant or maid. My original statement stands.

Something this woman is ignoring. "11 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. 12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. 13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression".

*How did Christian slave owners justify slavery?* Easily, by following the rules on slavery that God set out in the Old Testament.

Exodus 34:7 “Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.” King James Version (KJV)

Depends on how a person grows up

Slavery is NOT a sin; God put the Jews in slavery for 2400 years total; God said, "Treat your slaves right".

Master didn't read this scripture: Revelation 13:10 “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.”

not at all- you see, you are the one who selectively cites the Pauline epistles specifically and scriptures generally, you ignore Paul's extensive commentary on freedom & identity contained in his letters to the Galatians & Corinthians....you fail to to make substantive distinction in the various cultural role of slavery and it's sociological conditions. In the Old Testament, you ignore the theocratic strictures of slavery & how both the Old & New Testaments seek & succeed in eliminating it

In a similar way that other slave owners justified it to either be there divine right, because a deity, multiple deities, spirits, ghosts, ghouls, zombies, mummies, vampires, and many other reasoning yeah.

Anyone can cherry-pick the Bible. It basically supports anything

This needs to be played in every black church. Blacks didn’t become Christians willingly.

@JUDALATION The Greek word in Rev 13:18 is so'-mah From G4982; the body (as a sound whole), used in a very wide application, literally or figuratively: - bodily, body, slave. That is different from doo'-los a slave (literally or figuratively, involuntarily or voluntarily; frequently therefore in a qualified sense of subjection or subserviency): - bond (-man), servant. It is not translated slave in the KJV, so my statement still stands.

Really? They could not see it? I wonder could they see what Nat Turner did?

first mistake: taking ideas from a fictional and extremely outdated book.

Making excuses...They weren't blind....they knew exactly what they were doing...using religion and parts of the bible to suite their evil desires

@shieldsff - And if I'm wrong why does Jesus say you should love your masters as you love me? It is your refusal to read and learn, not mine.

He say we used to wear our hearts on our sleeves as you see in the reliefs and then they miss lied everything

they were DEVILS...why try to make all these reasons.. As a Man Thinketh in his heart so is he.. They were beast, men that are not upright.

Why did she put quotation marks around slave holders? What in the world is she implying? Either they held slaves or they didn't. She said Paul's statement, "Slaves obey your masters," is descriptive, not prescriptive. What in Hell is she talking about? Standing alone without explanation, the statement supports the institution of slavery. Denial is more than a river in Egypt.

Exodus 21 pretty much tells you how to get and care (lol) for your slaves. Is that god's word or not?

How come this is never asked of the numerous Jewish slave owners ?

@schradww00 I agree and many of those passages explicitly sanctioned, among more horrendous things, FORCEd CHATTEL SLAVERY. The best the Bible could be alleged to have done is regulated slavery in way that was relatively less abhorent for the time. Justifying slavery required very little 'selective interpretation'. This is intelectually dishonest

Military: Soldiers, OBEY YUR OFFICERS!!!

They justified slavery by simply pointing out to Exodus 21:20

The Valley of the Dry Bones: The Conditions That Face Black People in America Paperback - April 1, 1988 by Rudolphf R. Windsor (Author),‎ El Hagahn (Illustrator)

I question her premise. There was no need to "interpret" the scriptures, they are self obvious and were referenced by clergy in the south. Read them for yourselves and see how much interpretation is needed.

Not one verse in the Bible advocates for ending the practice of owning another person. A possible exception can be found in the early chapters of Exodus where the Old Testament God intends to free his people from slavery in Egypt. This does not mean much, given that after being led out of Egypt the Jews were taught by God in great detail (Exodus 21) exactly how to keep Jewish slaves as indentured servants or chattel, depending on the circumstances. What is equally distressing to modern readers is that God gave the Jews explicit instructions in Leviticus 25:44-46 on the procedure for buying foreign slaves and keeping them and their children as chattel property for life. Also in the Torah, there is an example of God telling the Jews that they must keep the survivors of the Promised Land conquests as chattel slaves, especially the women (Deuteronomy 20:10-18, 21:10-11). A section in Isaiah 14:1-2 announces that the Jews are promised a future in which they will enslave all other people groups of the world. They “will possess the nations as male and female slaves in the Lord’s land”. The New Testament continues this trend of approved human subjugation with multiple stories by Jesus about slavery, including where he declares the relationship between God and humankind to be like the connection between earthly masters and slaves. He makes no criticism of slavery. He speaks as if the institution is normal and acceptable, even saying that God and human masters are justified in torturing disobedient slaves (Matthew 18:21-35). The writings of the apostles Paul and Peter include commanding slaves in five different books to obey their masters with reverence, fear, respect, sincerity, and love as if toward Christ, even when the slave owner is harsh. Slaves are to try and please their owners at all times, not just when being observed (Ephesians 6:5-6, Colossians 3:22, Titus 2:9-10, 1 Peter 2:18). The enslaved are directed to work even harder for Christian masters, since they are fellow believers. At the end of one of these instructive sections, Paul says: “Anyone who teaches something different is arrogant and lacks understanding….Their minds are corrupt, and they have turned their backs on the truth.” (1 Timothy 6:1-5a) Christians are “slaves of God”. (Romans 6:16-23) All of the biblical passages mentioned in the last paragraph offer sturdy guardrails to follow when interpreting proclamations of general spiritual freedom such as in Galatians: “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28 NIV) The message: Be spiritually free, but remain in the physical situation you were in previously. ------------------------------------------------------------ I wrote an in-depth article on this topic, "The Bible Clearly Supports Chattel Slavery Based On Race And Gender". Here's a summary: "This article provides a very detailed account of how many, many biblical passages approve of slavery, including the meaning of 'slave' versus 'servant'. It demonstrates the ways these texts affected the abolition movement and church history in the three main traditions (Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant). A summary is provided of what slavery was like in the ancient Middle East and Roman Empire, based on direct quotes from historians that specialize in those fields. Enlightenment humanism is contrasted with traditional Christianity in its approach to abolition and human rights generally. There are more than eighty hyperlinks that provide a reference for the claims I make." I would love to hear what you think of it. Search for "Disagreements I Have With Christianity Andy Rhodes".

Confirmation bias affects everyone not just plantation owners. Everyone believes what they want to believe.

Duh they JUSTIFIED it. It's in old testament and new. NOTHING says slavery is wrong in the bible. They were christian. You can't just shove people off and say ooh they're not "real" christians. Take responsibility for what's in the damnable book and for what has been done to humanity in the name of the biblical deity!!!!!

Wait who made slaves in the first place

why do you use quotations when it comes to ''christians''??

@Imaginefree69 Looks like we are heading back towards those good old days my friend

And they had incest in the Bible

Because the Bible never outright condemns slavery, in fact the Bible basically gives pointers how to be a slave owner. Therefore slavery isn’t wrong in the eyes of God, it’s not right either though as there are some verses that are in favor of the enslaved.

When others try to justify themselves and blot out God because he is s God of pay back a just God🤔

If you buy a Hebrew slave, he is to serve for only six years. Set him free in the seventh year, and he will owe you nothing for his freedom. If he was single when he became your slave and then married afterward, only he will go free in the seventh year. But if he was married before he became a slave, then his wife will be freed with him. If his master gave him a wife while he was a slave, and they had sons or daughters, then the man will be free in the seventh year, but his wife and children will still belong to his master. But the slave may plainly declare, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children. I would rather not go free.’ If he does this, his master must present him before God. Then his master must take him to the door and publicly pierce his ear with an awl. After that, the slave will belong to his master forever. (Exodus 21:2-6 NLT) here you go it’s a bit long but I didn’t want to take it out of context🤗 but I felt kinda generous so here are a few more: Buying slaves However, you may purchase male or female slaves from among the foreigners who live among you. You may also purchase the children of such resident foreigners, including those who have been born in your land. You may treat them as your property, passing them on to your children as a permanent inheritance. You may treat your slaves like this, but the people of Israel, your relatives, must never be treated this way. (Leviticus 25:44-46 NLT) Selling your daughter When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she will not be freed at the end of six years as the men are. If she does not please the man who bought her, he may allow her to be bought back again. But he is not allowed to sell her to foreigners, since he is the one who broke the contract with her. And if the slave girl’s owner arranges for her to marry his son, he may no longer treat her as a slave girl, but he must treat her as his daughter. If he himself marries her and then takes another wife, he may not reduce her food or clothing or fail to sleep with her as his wife. If he fails in any of these three ways, she may leave as a free woman without making any payment. (Exodus 21:7-11 NLT) Beating slaves When a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod so hard that the slave dies under his hand, he shall be punished. If, however, the slave survives for a day or two, he is not to be punished, since the slave is his own property. (Exodus 21:20-21 NAB) But you’re right they are all Old Testament so her something from Jesus the man himself: Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. (Ephesians 6:5 NLT) Christians who are slaves should give their masters full respect so that the name of God and his teaching will not be shamed. If your master is a Christian, that is no excuse for being disrespectful. You should work all the harder because you are helping another believer by your efforts. Teach these truths, Timothy, and encourage everyone to obey them. (1 Timothy 6:1-2 NLT) Yeah the Bible is really so much against slavery

If I own a slave and I beat him with my blunt stick, he looses an eye but dies 3 days later. Because he died after a couple of days I am fine with the lord, but do I have to loose an eye because he died anyway?