Is there human equality in the Bible in both the Old and the New Testaments?

The sections of this article are: 1- A brief look at the Old Testament. 2- Which has more value, a slave or an animal? 3- Does the Bible order its followers to inherit the slaves and their children? 4- Rebuttal to "Answering Islam" team on Leviticus 25:44-46. 5- My further rebuttal to the Christian "Answering Islam" team. 6- What about the New Testament? 7- What does the NIV Bible's Historians and Theologians say about the validity of the Books and Gospels above? 8- The history of the Church allowing and promoting Slavery. 9- Few thoughts. 10- What about women? 11- Conclusion. 1- A brief look at the Old Testament: Let us look at Exodus 21:12 "Anyone who strikes a man and kills him shall surely be put to death." This verse from the Bible is very straight forward. If you kill an innocent human being, then you must die. Let us look at both Exodus 20:13, and Deuteronomy 5:17 "You shall not murder." Both verses have the same exact quote, and they both order not to kill normal human beings. Let us look at Deuteronomy 27:25 "Cursed is the man who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person. Then all the people shall say, 'Amen!'" This verse and the above verses so far are talking about normal human beings. They equalize between normal human beings. Now let us look at Exodus 21:20-21 "If a man beats his male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies as a direct result, he must be punished, but he is not to be punished if the slave gets up after a day or two, since the slave is his property." Notice how the Bible doesn't recognize the slave male or female as a normal human being. If the master beats his servant to death, then the master will not get the death punishment or penalty. He will only be punished, but not to death. This punishment mighty be even a light one such as a single light whip since the punishment was not determined. Let us look at Deuteronomy 24:7 "If a man is caught kidnapping one of his brother Israelites and treats him as a slave or sells him, the kidnapper must die. You must purge the evil from among you." This verse quite clearly states that the Israeli is better in human value than any other human being in the eyes of GOD. If an Israeli is treated as a slave, then we would have the world's greatest problems. But however, it is ok to treat others as slaves, and to kill them too according to Exodus 21:20 above. Let us look at Leviticus 25:39 "If one of your countrymen becomes poor among you and sells himself to you, do not make him work as a slave." This verse seems to despise the slaves by ordering people to be merciful on others from the same tribe and not to treat them bad and not to make them work as slaves. It is quite obvious that his verse doesn't believe in human equality. 2- Which has more value, a slave or an animal? Let us look at Exodus 23:12 "Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the slave born in your household, and the alien as well, may be refreshed." We can obviously see from this verse that the slave and the animal have the same value. A human slave in the Bible is an animal and not a human being. This verse puts the animals and the slave in the same category. It doesn't separate them. Consider the following from the book of Exodus: Let us look at Exodus 21:28 "If a bull gores a man or a woman to death, the bull must be stoned to death, and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the bull will not be held responsible." Let us also look at Exodus 21:29 "If, however, the bull has had the habit of goring and the owner has been warned but has not kept it penned up and it kills a man or woman, the bull must be stoned and the owner also must be put to death." Let us look at Exodus 21:31 "This law also applies if the bull gores a son or daughter." Now, let us look at this verse Exodus 21:32 "If the bull gores a male or female slave, the owner must pay thirty shekels of silver to the master of the slave, and the bull must be stoned. (but not to death)" Notice how in Exodus 21:28, if a bull gores a normal human being, then it must be put to death. Also, notice that Exodus 21:29 punishes the owner for not stopping the bull's habit by stoning him to death when his bull kills a normal human being. Notice however, that in Exodus 21:32, if a bull gores a slave male or female to death, then the bull will only be stoned but not to death. Unlike in Exodus 21:28, the bull will survive. I think we can conclude from the above that according to the Bible, even an animal has more value in it than a human slave. 3- Does the Bible order its followers to inherit the slaves and their children? Let us look at Leviticus 25:44-46 "Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. You can will them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly." What kind of a human value does the Bible give to slaves? If slaves and their children must be inherited and passed down to newer generations as slaves, then how in the world will they ever gain their freedom?? Does the Bible believe in Freedom? Does the Bible believe in liberating human beings from slavery? Apparently it does not !!!. 4- Rebuttal to "Answering Islam" team on Leviticus 25:44-46: Regarding my points on Leviticus 25:44-46, here is what the anti-Islamic "Answering Islam" team wrote: "For one thing the word for slave isn't present in the Hebrew **** of the Bible, the NIV translated the word for servant in Hebrew as slave. Read a Jewish translation of these same verses: And as for thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, whom thou mayest have: of the nations that are round about you, of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids. Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them may ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they have begotten in your land; and they may be your possession. And ye may make them an inheritance for your children after you, to hold for a possession: of them may ye take your bondmen for ever; but over your brethren the children of Israel ye shall not rule, one over another, with rigour. JPS Leviticus 25:44-46 Notice that the word for slave in the NIV doesn't mean slave in the Jewish translation, it means servant or bondman." When I looked up the word "bondmen" in www.dictionary.com, I found it to mean: 1- A male bondservant. (http://www.dictionary.com/cgi-bin/dict.pl?term=bondmen). And when I looked up the word "bondservant", I found it to mean: 1- A person obligated to service without wages. 2- A slave or serf. (http://www.dictionary.com/cgi-bin/di...rm=bondservant) So, how is it possible for the NIV Bible to be in error when they used the word "slave"? Ironically, the one who wrote this from their team is Quennel Gale, an African American Christian. He should pretty much know the English vocabulary very well from his writings in green above and other writings that I have rebuttals for on my site. He is obviously pretending to be naive in the English language to cover up for the slavery-promoting Bible. Do you know what the word "naive" mean Quennel? (http://www.dictionary.com/cgi-bin/dict.pl?term=naive) 5- My further rebuttal to the Christian "Answering Islam" team: Let us look at what they said: "In the OT the Bible required that the servant obey his owner, however what Osama fells to tell you is that Muhammad allowed slavery for the sole purpose of free sex and prostitution, along with other matters: Muslim 32 The Prophet said: "When the slave runs away from his master, his prayer is not accepted"; he is an infidel." One thing, the reference to where they got the quote from is not complete! This is bogus and unacceptable in the professional world of dialogues. Notice here also that they inserted the words "he is an infidel" to look like part of the quote. Our beloved Prophet said "Your slaves are your brothers", and also said "if you beat your slave, then you will go to hell". To see the references to the Sayings of our Prophet peace be upon him, visit http://www.answering-christianity.com/human.htm. The idea of "slavery for sex or prostitution" is nothing but a big lie created by the haters of Islam, and it contradicts what the Noble Quran teaches: Let us look at Noble Verse 24:33 "Let those who find not the wherewithal for marriage keep themselves chaste, until God gives them means out of His grace. And if any of your slaves ask for a deed in writing (to enable them to earn their freedom for a certain sum), give them such a deed if ye know any good in them: yea, give them something yourselves out of the means which God has given to you. But force not your maids to prostitution when they desire chastity, in order that ye may make a gain in the goods of this life. But if anyone compels them, yet, after such compulsion, is God, Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful (to them)," In this Noble Verse, we see that if a slave requests his freedom from his Muslim master, then his master not only must help him earn his freedom if there is good in the Slave, but also pay him money so the slave can have a good start in his free life. We also see in this Noble Verse that slaves are not to be forced into prostitution in anyway. Now let's see where the idea of prostitution of slaves comes from: First of all, the slave is his master's property. The master can do anything with him: Let us look at Exodus 21:7-8 "And in case a man should sell his daughter as a slave girl, she will not go out in the way that the slave men go out. If she is displeasing in the eyes of her master so that he doesn't designate her as a concubine but causes her to be redeemed, he will not be entitled to sell her to a foreign people in his treacherously dealing with her." When I looked up the word "concubine" in www.dictionary.com, I found: 1- Law. A woman who cohabits with a man. 2- In certain societies, such as imperial China, a woman contracted to a man as a secondary wife, often having few legal rights and low social status. (http://www.dictionary.com/cgi-bin/di...term=concubine) And when I looked up the word "cohabits", I found: 1- To live together as spouses. 2- To live together in a sexual relationship when not legally married. (http://www.dictionary.com/cgi-bin/dict.pl?term=cohabits) So in the Bible, the FATHER HAS THE RIGHT TO SELL HIS DAUGHTER TO BE FORCED TO SLEEP WITH OTHER MEN according to Exodus 21:7-8, and if she tries to be redeemed (to be set free), then her punishment is to be STUCK WITH HER MASTER! In the Noble Quran, in Noble Verse 24:33 above, we clearly saw that the slave has the right to request his freedom and be granted his/her freedom and be given money on top of it so he/she can stand on their feet. More on concubines in the bible: "If a man beats his male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies as a direct result, he must be punished, but he is not to be punished if the slave gets up after a day or two, since the slave is his property. (From the NIV Bible, Exodus 21:20-21)" In 2 Samuel 5:13; 1 Chronicles 3:1-9, 14:3, King David had six wives and numerous concubines. In 1 Kings 11:3, King Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. In 2 Chronicles 11:21, King Solomon's son Rehoboam had 18 wives and 60 concubines. Further quotes from the Christian "Answering Islam" team: "Hadith Malik 361:1216 When the master or husband of a slave-girl dies, her iddah (period of waiting to remarry) is two months and five days. Hadith Malik 362:1221 Ibn Fahd said: "I have some slave girls who are better than my wives, but I do not desire that they should all become pregnant. Shall I do azl (withdrawal) with them?" Hajjaj said: "They are your fields of cultivation. If you wish to irrigate them then do so, if not keep them dry." Here Muhammad tells us that if a slave runs away from his master, he is an infidel!! And Allah won't accept his prayers!! What if his master is beating him, just like the Bible says? Based on Muhammad's merits he wouldn't even have his prayers answered by God!!! Wow!" Those references are not of our beloved Prophet peace be upon him, nor they are reliable Muslim references. What ever Mr. Hajjaj said is good for him, but he certainly doesn't in anyway represent our Prophet peace be upon him. The "Answering Islam" team said that it was a teaching of our Prophet. How can you be that pathetic and dare to assume that your reader is stupid?! Slavery didn't start with Islam, but Islam is the religion that ended it! Please visit "Human Equality and Liberation of Slaves" (http://www.answering-christianity.com/human.htm) in Islam to see the Islamic attitude toward freeing slaves. Note: Only in Islam's Noble Quran (******ure) and Sayings of our beloved Prophet you find direct commands to freeing slaves (http://www.answering-christianity.com/human.htm). Show me one bible verse that directly orders its followers to buy slaves and free them? Only Islam did that. "Unlike Islam slavery in the Bible was voluntary....." Voluntary?! Let us look at Leviticus 25:44-46 "Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. You can will them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly." What kind of a human value does the Bible give to slaves? If slaves and their children must be inherited and passed down to newer generations as slaves, then how in the world will they ever gain their freedom?? Does the Bible believe in Freedom? Does the Bible believe in liberating human beings from slavery? Apparently it does not! I'd like to see the hypocrites of the "Answering Islam" team explain to us what they HONESTLY feel about "and can make them slaves for life" in their bible? And how does it prove their point on slaves in the bible are enslaved "voluntarily"? "Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 19, #2991: Anas said: “A beautiful slave girl fell to Dihyah. The apostle purchased her for seven slaves. He then gave her to Umm Sulaim for decoration her and preparing her for marriage.” Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 19, #2992: Anas said: Captives were gathered at Khaibar. Dihyah came and said, “apostle, give me a slave girl form the captives.” He said, “Go and take a slave girl.” He took Safiyyah. A man then came to the prophet and said: “You gave Safiyyah chief lady of Quraizah and al-Nadir to Dihyah?” This is according to the version of Yaqub. Then the agreed version goes: “She is worthy of you.” He (Muhammad) said, “Call him along with her.” When the prophet looked at her, he said to him: “Take another slave girl from the captives.” The prophet then set her free and married her. And, Narrated ‘Abdul ‘Aziz: Anas said, 'When Allah's Apostle invaded Khaibar, we offered the Fajr prayer there yearly in the morning) when it was still dark. The Prophet rode and Abu Talha rode too and I was riding behind Abu Talha. The Prophet passed through the lane of Khaibar quickly and my knee was touching the thigh of the Prophet. He uncovered his thigh and I saw the whiteness of the thigh of the Prophet. When he entered the town, he said, ‘Allahu Akbar! Khaibar is ruined. Whenever we approach near a (hostile) nation (to fight) then evil will be the morning of those who have been warned.' He repeated this thrice. The people came out for their jobs and some of them said, ‘Muhammad (has come).’ (Some of our companions added, “With his army.”) We conquered Khaibar, took the captives, and the booty was collected. Dihya came and said, ‘O Allah's Prophet! Give me a slave girl from the captives.’ The Prophet said, 'Go and take any slave girl.' He took Safiya bint Huyai. A man came to the Prophet and said, ‘O Allah's Apostles! You gave Safiya bint Huyai to Dihya and she is the chief mistress of the tribes of Quraiza and An-Nadir and she befits none but you.' So the Prophet said, 'Bring him along with her.’ So Dihya came with her and when the Prophet saw her, he said to Dihya, ‘Take any slave girl other than her from the captives.’ Anas added: The Prophet then manumitted her and married her.” Thabit asked Anas, “O Abu Hamza! What did the Prophet pay her (as Mahr)?” He said, “Her self was her Mahr for he manumitted her and then married her.” Anas added, “While on the way, Um Sulaim dressed her for marriage (ceremony) and at night she sent her as a bride to the Prophet. So the Prophet was a bridegroom and he said, ‘Whoever has anything (food) should bring it.’ He spread out a leather sheet (for the food) and some brought dates and others *****ng butter. (I think he (Anas) mentioned As-SawTq). So they prepared a dish of Hais (a kind of meal). And that was Walrma (the marriage banquet) of Allah's Apostle.” (Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 8, Number 367)" Notice here that the Prophet peace be upon him married her. Unlike the bible's prophets who each had HUNDREDS of slaves, Muhammad peace be upon him MARRIED HER. He gave her a beautiful honor. As I proved above, Islam's attitude toward slaves is to eventually free them. This is opposite from the bible that orders its followers to inherit slaves: Leviticus 25:44-46 "Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. You can will them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly." Again, I'd like to see the hypocrites of the "Answering Islam" team explain to us what they HONESTLY feel about "and can make them slaves for life" in their bible? "Muhammad the Racist against Black people!! Black skin and Creation: "Abu Darda reported that the HOLY PROPHET SAID: Allah created Adam when he created him (sic). Then He stroke (sic) his right shoulder and took out a white race as if they were seeds, and He stroke (sic) HIS LEFT SHOULDER and took out a BLACK RACE as if they were coals. Then He said to those who were in his right side: Towards paradise and I don't care. He said to those who were ON HIS LEFT SHOULDER: Towards Hell and I don't care. - Ahmad" (Mishkat ul-Masabih, translated by Karim, v. iii, p. 117) FROM IBN ISHAQ'S "SIRAT RASULALLAH", translated as, "THE LIFE OF MUHAMMAD" by A. Guillaume, page 243. "I have heard that it was of him that the apostle said, "Whoever wants to see Satan let him take a look at Nabtal b. al-Harith!" He was a study black man with long flowing hair, inflamed eyes, and dark ruddy cheeks. He used to come and talk to the apostle and listen to him and then carry what he had said to the hypocrites. It was he who said: "Muhammad is all ears: if anyone tells him anything he believes it." God sent down concerning him: "And of them are those who annoy the prophet and say he is all ears, Say: God ears for you. He believes in God and trusts the believers and is a mercy for those of you who believe; and those who annoy the apostle of God for them there is a painful punishment." (Sura 9:61)" The above doesn't in anyway suggest that black people are destined for hell, nor they come from the trustful Sayings of our beloved Prophet in "Sahih Bukhari", "Sahih Muslim" and "Sunan Abu Dawud" volumes! The quotes don't at all come from reliable Islamic resources. I'd like to see this quote existing in any of the volumes that I mentioned. Anyone can come up with a book and make up a lie against our Prophet peace be upon him. Many lies had been inserted in history against our beloved Prophet peace be upon him; "A section of the People of the Book [Jews and Christians] say: Believe in the morning what is revealed to the believers (Muslims), but reject it at the end of the day; perchance they may (themselves) turn back (from Islam). (The Noble Quran, 3:72)" The above false claims clearly contradict what Allah Almighty said in the Noble Quran in the following Noble Verse: "O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes [people with different cultures, races and religions], that ye may know each other. Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well-acquainted. (The Noble Quran, 49:13)" (http://www.answering-christianity.com/human.htm). 6- What about the New Testament? Unfortunately, there is no equality between human beings in Christianity! Christians like to think that the Bible honors all human beings and loves all human beings, but the reality proves otherwise. Let us look at Galatians 4:28-31 "Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. At that time the son born in the ordinary way persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. But what does the ******ure say? 'Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman's son.' Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman." This verse from the New Testament despises children who are born from slave mothers. This verse doesn't recognize children born from slave mothers as normal sons because they are not allowed to inherit. This verse doesn't recognize slaves as equal to normal human beings. This verse agrees fully 100% with slavery and enslaving people. Let us look at Philemon 15-19 "Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back for good 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 man and as a brother in the Lord. So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back not to mention that you owe me your very self." This verse is another proof that the Bible (1) Looks as slaves as sub humans or animals as was shown in Exodus 23:12 and Leviticus 25:46, (2) A slave is a despised person that he will never ever be recognized as a normal human being unless he becomes a Christian. If the slave refuses to become a Christian, then he will never gain his freedom, and he will never be even looked at as a human being; he must always be treated as an animal by the Christians. Let us look at 1 Corinthians 7 "Were you a slave when you were called? Don't let it trouble you although if you can gain your freedom, do so. For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord's freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ's slave." In this verse, Paul was asking the person "Were you a slave?" meaning Were you something bad and not normal? Also "...if you can gain your freedom, do so... (1 Corinthians 7)" which means that the New Testament will not help anyone nor will call any Christian to fight for the rights of any slave to be freed. The slave will simply have to either live as a slave and die as a slave, or fight for his freedom against Christians. Let us look at 1 Timothy 6:1 "All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God's name and our teaching may not be slandered." Matthew 10:24 "A student is not greater than the teacher. A slave is not greater than the master." Let us look at 1 Peter 2:18 "Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh." Let us look at Colossians 3:22 "Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord." 7- What does the NIV Bible's Historians and Theologians say about the validity of the Books and Gospels above? One thing that Jews and Christians have yet to prove is the validity of the books and gospels of the Bible. The Bible is full of historical corruptions. Indeed, man-made cultural laws had entered the bible and turned it into a big lie. So to take the above verses and the books of the bible as The True Living Words of GOD Almighty when they are nothing but doubtful man-made hoax is indeed A CRIME AGAINST GOD AND HIS REVELATIONS. To see the actual quotes from the NIV Bible's commentary itself regarding each and every book and gospel in the bible (one by one), please visit Just who were the real authors of the Bible? Here is a sample quote from the many that I listed from the NIV Bible's Commentary: About the book of Deuteronomy: "The book itself testifies that, for the most part, Moses wrote it (1:5; 31:9,22,24), and other OT books agree (1Ki 2:3, 8:53; 2ki 14:6; 18:12)--though the preamble (1:1-5) may have been written by someone else, and the report of Moses' death (ch.34) was almost certainly written by someone else. (From the NIV Bible Commentary, page 240)" As we clearly see, there is ample evidence that proves beyond the shadow of the doubt that Moses was not the sole author of the book. He couldn't have possibly have written about his own death. This book is obviously corrupted! How can you claim that the book of Deuteronomy was indeed all revealed by GOD Almighty? If you're not sure, and you still insist on your claim, then you are committing a crime against GOD Almighty's Revelations. (http://www.answering-christianity.co...rs_gospels.htm) The NIV Bible Theologians and Historians also commented on other books of the Bible to be corrupted by the scribes: "...portions of the book were probably added by scribes or editors from later periods of Israel's history... (From the NIV Bible Commentary, page 183)" Other commentaries from the NIV Bible Theologians and Historians on many of the other books of the bible: "Although, according to tradition, Samuel wrote the book, authorship is actually uncertain." "The date of the composition is also unknown, but it was undoubtedly during the monarchy." (From the NIV Bible Commentary, page 322). "The author is unknown. Jewish tradition points to Samuel, but it is unlikely that he is the author because the mention of David (4:17,22) implies a later date. (From the NIV Bible Commentary, page 360)" "There is little conclusive evidence as to the identity of the author of 1,2 Kings." "Whoever the author was, it is clear that he was familiar with the book of Deuteronomy." (From the NIV Bible Commentary, page 459). "Although we do not know who wrote the book of Esther, from internal evidence it is possible to make some inferences about the author and the date of composition. (From the NIV Bible Commentary, page 707)" (http://www.answering-christianity.co...rs_gospels.htm) and so on...... The Jewish scribes had very badly corrupted the Bible and turned it into a big lie. That is why GOD Almighty said: "`How can you say, "We [the Jews] are wise, for we have the law of the LORD," when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely?' (From the NIV Bible, Jeremiah 8:8)" "How can you say, 'We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us'? But, behold, the false pen of the scribes has made it into a lie. (From the RSV Bible, Jeremiah 8:8)" In either translation above, we clearly see that the Bible has too many narrated stories and man-made cultural laws that were inserted into it that were not Divine Revelations from GOD Almighty. The following sites have tons of details that prove that [1], [2], [3], [4]. It's quite obvious that the Bible is more like a man made cultural book than a divine book that is meant to be for all times and all places. Anyway, the Bible was not even written by its original authors. That is why you see things such as "And Moses went up to the mountain...." instead of "And I [Moses] went up to the mountain....", or "And Jesus said to Matthew...." instead of "And Jesus said to me [Matthew]...." Most of the Books and Gospels of the Bible were written by third party people that were not even chosen by GOD, which makes the Bible just a cultural history book rather than a divine book from GOD Almighty. Please see Question #3 to see why Allah Almighty allowed for the Bible of today to be corrupted. 8- The history of the Church allowing and promoting Slavery: This section was sent to me by brother Muhammad; may Allah Almighty always be pleased with him. From: http://www.khyber.demon.co.uk/histor...ca/slavery.htm ...It was this Church that initially ordered the slavery of Africans - the Africans who were enslaved were Muslims! In 1457, the Council of Cardinals met in Holland where they sanctioned, as a righteous and progressive idea, the enslavement of Africans for the purpose of their conversion to Christianity and exploitation in the labor market as chattel property. This satanic scheme speedily gained the sanctimonious blessing of the Pharaoh (Pope) and became a standard policy of the Catholic Church, and later of the Protestant churches, enduring for three centuries: thus the ghastly traffic in human misery was anointed with the oil of pontifical righteousness in Jesus' name. A bull of Pharaoh Nicholas 5th instructed his followers to `attack, subject, and reduce to perpetual slavery the Saracens, Pagans and other enemies of Christ, southward from Cape Bojador and including all the coast of Guinea'. In fact, most of the Africans who were caught up in the Atlantic slave trade came from West Africa, an area roughly from Senegal River in the north to the Congo River in the South. But why were West Africans specifically targeted ? Because they were Muslim. Following the destruction of Baghdad in 1258 by Christian-backed Mongols, the only remaining intellectual Islamic states were in Africa. Africa was home to several Islamic universities, namely Fez, Timbuktu, Jenne and Al-Azhar, with many Faculties including Law, Medicine, Grammar, Building, Crafts, Manufacturing and Geography, and they attracted scholars from all over the Muslim world. Even though, two-thirds of the world's supply of gold came from West Africa during the Middle Ages, more profit was made from the sale of books [Pg. 73, 24]. Arabic was not only the language of religion and learning, but it was also the language of trade and commerce [pg.220, 40]. On his way to Mecca in the 1320s, Mansa Musa of Mali stated that his brother, Abu Bukhari, had sent two expeditions, one of four hundred ships and the other of two thousand, across the Atlantic. This is not surprising because Islam is a universal religion. Allah Almighty is the Lord of the East, and the West [73:9]. Furthermore, the Last Prophet (saw) had come for the whole of mankind, the Last Message had been delivered and Islam had been completed [5:4]. Muslims were inclined to do: trade, missionary work to the whole of mankind, defend borders; expand the Islamic State, migrate (the Islamic calendar reminds of Migration), etc. In addition, Muslims were sailors, geographers, astronomers, scientists. For example, it was reported in part 3 of the Weekend Section of Financial Times November 16 / November 17 1996, that in 793 AD, Al-Biruni, an Afghan scientist in the Punjab had calculated the earth's circumference [54]. Thus, Muslims had already ascertained that the earth was round, 700 years before the Europeans. More importantly, Muslims traveled using the stars and the winds as the following Ayats (Verses) from the Holy Quran reveal: 6:97. It is He Who maketh the stars (as beacons) for you that ye may guide yourselves with their help through the dark spaces of land and sea. We detail Our Signs for people who know. 10:22. He it is Who enabled you to traverse through land and sea; so that ye even board ships they sail with them with a favourable wind... 30 46. Among His Signs is this that He sends the Winds as heralds of Glad Tidings giving you a taste of His (Grace and) Mercy that the ships may sail by His Command and that ye may seek of His Bounty in order that ye may be grateful. Furthermore, Ancient Egyptians knew the world was round and one of the first countries that the Arabs brought the Last Message to, was Egypt in 641/2 AD. One of the first Islamic universities was built in Egypt, namely Al-Azhar. Furthermore, it is alleged that Muslims studied Greek works including Ptolemy who wrote the world was round. Unlike Christians then, Muslims faced few obstacles to trade and spreading Islam throughout the world. When the Church discovered that Muslims from West Africa were actually doing so, they launched the Naval Crusade and the brutal slavery of West Africans. We also find that during the Scramble for Africa / colonization of Africa, two countries were totally unaffected - Liberia and Ethiopia. In fact Ethiopia doubled the size of its empire during European colonization. Why ? They were CHRISTIAN countries! 9- Few thoughts: Perhaps that is why the White Christian societies had always had Black African slaves! The Church in Europe had always allowed enslaving Africans. The African slaves were brought to the U.S tied in chains after the church gave the OK on that!. Perhaps the Ku Klux Klan ideas of enslaving Africans are not all Biblically false after all, since they claim that they support their argument from the Bible!. 10- So what about women? Let us look at Leviticus 20:15 "If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he must be put to death, and you must kill the animal." And let us look at Leviticus 20:16 "If a woman approaches an animal to have sexual relations with it, kill both the woman and the animal. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads." Notice that in Leviticus 20:15 the man has to be caught having sex with an animal in order for him to be put to death. We have to be sure 100% beyond the shadow of the doubt to kill him. Notice however in Leviticus 20:16 that if a woman only looks SUSPICIOUS and not necessarily get caught having sex with an animal, she would still be put to death. We do not have to be sure 100% beyond the shadow of the doubt with her in order for us to kill her. Hmmm, very interesting !!!! Don't Leviticus 20:15 and Leviticus 20:16 prove that the Bible prefers to put women to death whenever an opportunity presents itself? Please visit: Raping, enslaving, killing and selling women are all allowed and encouraged in the Bible. 11- Conclusion: The Bible in both the Old Testament and the New Testament doesn't recognize slaves as human beings. The Bible also in both the Old and the New Testaments encourages slavery and enslaving people. It doesn't encourage nor command Christians to fight for others' rights and to liberate them from slavery. Instead, the Bible repeatedly talks about slaves as worthless sub humans and animals who must not gain their freedom unless they convert to Christianity. Further sites to research: http://www.khyber.demon.co.uk/histor...ca/slavery.htm http://www.religioustolerance.org/slavery.htm http://www.bungalow.com/slavery.html Bible, Race & Slavery. Please visit: Slavery in Islam. Total Justice and human equality in Islam. http://www.answering-christianity.com/slaves.htm

 

Killing all the men and enslaving all the women in Deuteronomy 20:13-14. Human equality and the liberation of slaves in Islam: The sections of this article are: 1- How does Islam view slaves? 2- The liberation of Slaves in Islam. 3- Can a Slave request his freedom from his Muslim owner? 4- Conclusion. The religion of Islam is a very beautiful religion when it comes to human equality and to liberation of slaves. When Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him brought Islam to his people from Allah Almighty, they used to practice the Judeo-Christian and Pagan slavery. They used to buy and sell slaves, abuse them, and flog them to death if slaves disobey. The Muslims had fought long and bloody battles against the Pagan Arabs to liberate slaves and women. 1- How does Islam view slaves? Islam commands the Muslims to love and respect slaves and to treat them with kindness. Let us look at Noble Verse 2:177 "It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces Towards east or West; but it is righteousness to believe in God and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer, and practice regular charity; to fulfil the contracts which ye have made; and to be firm and patient, in pain (or suffering) and adversity, and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, the God-fearing." In this Noble Verse, we see that Allah Almighty orders Muslims to spend from their money and wealth and to give with love and respect the kin, orphans, the needy, the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for slaves. Muslims have to help those who need it in their community. Let us look at Noble Verse 2:221 "Do not marry unbelieving women (idolaters), until they believe: A slave woman who believes is better than an unbelieving woman, even though she allures you. Nor marry (your girls) to unbelievers until they believe: A man slave who believes is better than an unbeliever, even though he allures you. Unbelievers do (but) beckon you to the Fire. But God beckons by His Grace to the Garden (of bliss) and forgiveness, and makes His Signs clear to mankind: That they may celebrate His praise." In this Noble Verse, we see that Allah Almighty in some cases considers a slave to be better than a free human being. Allah Almighty orders Muslims not to marry from the Pagans, and He tells us that a slave Muslim (who is owned by a non Muslim) is better than a non believer, even if that non believer was beautiful. Let us look at Noble Verse 24:31 "And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husband's fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or the slaves whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex; and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And O ye Believers! turn ye all together towards God, that ye may attain Bliss." In this Noble Verse, we see that Allah Almighty orders the Muslim women to guard their modesty and not to display their beauty to strangers. However, the Muslim women are allowed to display their beauty to their husbands, relatives, other women, and their slaves. This Noble Verse clearly shows a full respect to the slaves by allowing the Muslim women to display their beauty to them. Some teachings from Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him: Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: "When the slave of anyone amongst you prepares food for him and he serves him after having sat close to (and undergoing the hardship of) heat and smoke, he should make him (the slave) sit along with him and make him eat (along with him), and if the food seems to run short, then he should spare some portion for him (from his own share) - (another narrator) Dawud said:" i. e. a morsel or two". 4097. (Translation of Sahih Muslim, The Book of Oaths (Kitab Al-Aiman), Book 015, Number 4096)" Narrated Al-Ma'rur: "At Ar-Rabadha I met Abu Dhar who was wearing a cloak, and his slave, too, was wearing a similar one. I asked about the reason for it. He replied, "I abused a person by calling his mother with bad names." The Prophet said to me, 'O Abu Dhar! Did you abuse him by calling his mother with bad names You still have some characteristics of ignorance. Your slaves are your brothers and Allah has put them under your command. So whoever has a brother under his command should feed him of what he eats and dress him of what he wears. Do not ask them (slaves) to do things beyond their capacity (power) and if you do so, then help them.' (Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Belief, Volume 1, Book 2, Number 29)" Narrated Anas: "The Prophet said, 'None of you will have faith till he wishes for his (Muslim) brother [this includes slaves, since a slave is considered a brother as shown above] what he likes for himself.' (Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Belief, Volume 1, Book 2, Number 12)" Narrated Abu Musa: "Some people asked Allah's Apostle, 'Whose Islam is the best? i.e. (Who is a very good Muslim)?' He replied, 'One who avoids harming the Muslims with his tongue and hands.' (Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Belief, Volume 1, Book 2, Number 10)" Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Amr: "A man asked the Prophet, 'What sort of deeds or (what qualities of) Islam are good?' The Prophet replied, 'To feed (the poor) and greet those whom you know and those whom you do not Know.' (Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Belief, Volume 1, Book 2, Number 11)" Please visit: The gradual ending of slavery in Islam. 2- The Liberation of Slaves in Islam: The reason why Muslims had slaves is because when Islam was still weak and growing, the Arab Pagans' tribes used to launch continuous attacks on the Muslims to destroy Islam once and for all. Muslims had entered many bloody and vicious battles against the non believers which had cost both sides many lives from the men. When the Muslims used to enter a city after defeating its army, they would face a new dilemma. They often meet hundreds of non believing women and young children and elderly left without any support because their men had died in the battle field. For this reason, Allah Almighty allowed for the Muslims to take those people as slaves to help them survive. Keep in mind that during that time, the Muslims didn't have an Islamic government and welfare system to take care of the orphans and widows from the non believers. The Muslims had to take care of them from their own means. Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him ordered the Muslims to be very sensitive to their slaves. He ordered the Muslims to buy the slave young boys and girls the same quality of clothes and gifts that they would buy for their children. He also ordered Muslims not to hit or be violent to adult slaves. He ordered Muslims to be loving and caring for them. Prophet Muhammad also urged wealthy Muslims to buy slaves from the Pagan Arabs and to let them free after that. One of Prophet Muhammad's best friends was a slave from Africa called Bilal Al-Habashi. Bilal was bought from his Pagan master by Abu Baker Al-Siddeek, one of Muhammad's best friends. After Abu Baker bought Bilal, he set him free. Islam as I mentioned in the introduction came to fight slavery. Allah Almighty ordered the Muslims to gradually liberate slaves and to give them their freedom in many cases. Let us look at Noble Verse 4:92 "Never should a believer kill a believer; but (If it so happens) by mistake, (Compensation is due): If one (so) kills a believer, it is ordained that he should free a believing slave, and pay compensation to the deceased's family, unless they remit it freely. If the deceased belonged to a people at war with you, and he was a believer, the freeing of a believing slave (Is enough). If he belonged to a people with whom ye have treaty of Mutual alliance, compensation should be paid to his family, and a believing slave be freed. For those who find this beyond their means, (is prescribed) a fast for two months running: by way of repentance to God: for God hath all knowledge and all wisdom." In this Noble Verse, we see that Allah Almighty ordered to free a believing slave if a Muslim accidentally kills another Muslim. This Noble Verse came to encourage Muslims to liberate slaves. Let us look at Noble Verse 5:89 "God will not call you to account for what is futile in your oaths, but He will call you to account for your deliberate oaths: for expiation, feed ten indigent persons, on a scale of the average for the food of your families; or clothe them; or give a slave his freedom. If that is beyond your means, fast for three days. That is the expiation for the oaths ye have sworn. But keep to your oaths. Thus doth God make clear to you His signs, that ye may be grateful." This Noble Verse is also another proof that Allah Almighty did encourage Muslims to liberate slaves. Let us look at Noble Verse 58:3 "But those who divorce their wives by Zihar, then wish to go back on the words they uttered, (It is ordained that such a one) should free a slave before they touch each other: Thus are ye admonished to perform: and God is well-acquainted with (all) that ye do." This Noble Verse is another proof that Allah Almighty did encourage Muslims to liberate slaves. Narrated Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari: "The Prophet said, "Give food to the hungry, pay a visit to the sick and release (set free) the one in captivity (by paying his ransom)." (Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Food, Meals, Volume 7, Book 65, Number 286)" Narrated Asma: "No doubt the Prophet ordered people to manumit slaves during the solar eclipse. (Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Eclipses, Volume 2, Book 18, Number 163)" "'Abdullah b. 'Umar reported that 'Umar b. Khattab asked the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) as he was at ji'rana (a town near Mecca) on his way back from Ta'if: Messenger of Allah, I had taken a vow during the days of Ignorance that I would observe I'tikaf for one day in the Sacred Mosque. So what is your opinion? He said: Go and observe I'tikaf for a day. And Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) gave him a slave girl out of the one-fifth (of the spoils of war meant for the Holy Prophet). And when Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) set the war prisoners free. 'Umar b. Khattab heard their voice as they were saying: Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) has set us free. He (Hadrat 'Umar) said: What is this? They said: Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) has set free the prisoners of war (which had fallen to the lot of people). Thereupon he (Hadrat 'Umar) said: Abdullah, go to that slave-girl and set her free. (Translation of Sahih Muslim, The Book of Oaths (Kitab Al-Aiman), Book 015, Number 4074)" If a Muslim beats his slave or slaps him on the face, then he must set him free: "Zadhan reported that Ibn Umar called his slave and he found the marks (of beating) upon his back. He said to him: I have caused you pain. He said: No. But he (Ibn Umar) said: You are free. He then took hold of something from the earth and said: There is no reward for me even to the weight equal to it. I heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: He who beats a slave without cognizable offence of his or slaps him, then expiation for it is that he should set him free. (Translation of Sahih Muslim, The Book of Oaths (Kitab Al-Aiman), Book 015, Number 4079)" "Abu Mas'ud reported that he had been beating his slave and he had been saying: "I seek refuge with Allah, but he continued beating him, whereupon he said: I seek refuge with Allah's Messenger, and he spared him. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: By Allah, God has more dominance over you than you have over him (the slave). He said that he set him free. This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Shu'ba with the same chain of transmitters, but made no mention of (these words) of his: I seek refuge with Allah, I seek refuge with Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). (Translation of Sahih Muslim, The Book of Oaths (Kitab Al-Aiman), Book 015, Number 4089)" More on freeing slaves: Narrated Salamah ibn Sakhr al-Bayadi: "I was a man who was more given than others to sexual intercourse with women. When the month of Ramadan came, I feared lest I should have intercourse with my wife, and this evil should remain with me till the morning. So I made my wife like my mother's back to me till the end of Ramadan. But one night when she was waiting upon me, something of her was revealed. Suddenly I jumped upon her. When the morning came I went to my people and informed them about this matter. I said: Go along with me to the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him). They said: No, by Allah. So I went to the Prophet (peace be upon him and informed him of the matter. He said: Have you really committed it, Salamah? I said: I committed it twice, Apostle of Allah. I am ******* with the Commandment of Allah, the Exalted; so take a decision about me according to what Allah has shown you. He said: Free a slave. I said: By Him Who sent you with truth, I do not possess a neck other than this: and I struck the surface of my neck. He said: Then fast two consecutive months. I said: Whatever I suffered is due to fasting. He said: Feed sixty poor people with a wasq of dates. I said: By Him Who sent you with truth, we passed the night hungry; there was no food in our house. He said: Then go to the collector of sadaqah of Banu Zurayq; he must give it to you. Then feed sixty poor people with a wasq of dates; and you and your family eat the remaining dates. Then I came back to my people, and said (to them): I found with you poverty and bad opinion; and I found with the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) prosperity and good opinion. He has commanded me to give alms to you. Ibn al-Ala' added: Ibn Idris said: Bayadah is a sub-clan of Banu Zurayq. (Translation of Sunan Abu-Dawud, Divorce (Kitab Al-Talaq), Book 12, Number 2207)" Narrated Khuwaylah, daughter of Malik ibn Tha'labah: "My husband, Aws ibn as-Samit, pronounced the words: You are like my mother. So I came to the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him), complaining to him about my husband. The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) disputed with me and said: Remain dutiful to Allah; he is your cousin. I continued (complaining) until the Qur'anic verse came down: "Allah hath heard the words of her who disputeth with thee concerning her husband...." till the pre******ion of expiation. He then said: He should set free a slave. She said: He cannot afford it. He said: He should fast for two consecutive months. She said: Apostle of Allah, he is an old man; he cannot keep fasts. He said: He should feed sixty poor people. She said: He has nothing which he may give in alms. At that moment an araq (i.e. date-basket holding fifteen or sixteen sa's) was brought to him. I said: I shall help him with another date-basked ('araq). He said: You have done well. Go and feed sixty poor people on his behalf, and return to your cousin. The narrator said: An araq holds sixty sa's of dates. (Translation of Sunan Abu-Dawud, Divorce (Kitab Al-Talaq), Book 12, Number 2208)" There are a lot more Noble Verses from the Noble Quran and Sayings from our beloved Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him that push for freeing of slaves. The Islamic attitude toward slaves is very clear and straight forward: All slaves are eventually to be freed! And they were all freed during the times of Islam from the Judeo-Christian and Pagan slavery. Again, please visit: The gradual ending of slavery in Islam. 3- Can a slave request his freedom from his Muslim owner? First, it is important to know that thousands of years ago life was different than today. Today, people wouldn't accept slavery for any reason. The reason for this is because people are a lot more independent both financially, education wise, mentally, etc... But people back then were different. When a tribe or a group of people lose a major battle and their money is mostly, if not all, is taken as war booty by the other side, then people could and would accept being slaves for the following reasons: 1- Both financial and social security. When their country or tribe lost the war, they also lost most or all of their money as war booty. Being out of money and food, it becomes necessary for an individual to find the means for basic survival in life. Living as a slave would provide this. 2- Protection from hostile individuals. Even under the Islamic rule, you can still find hostile individuals who violate the Law and take matters into their own hands. An enemy family can be sometime in danger if they don't have a "protector". 3- Widows, Orphans, and the extremely poor of the enemy side need the financial and social protection from a Master. Back then, there were no governments with good social system that protects everyone. Slavery back then was that social system in special cases. There are probably more points I can add, but I think these are sufficient enough. Let us now see the Islamic System toward Slaves: Slaves can request and get their freedom from their Muslim Masters: Yes slaves were taken from the blood-thirsty and hostile enemies, but they were also given the right to get their freedom when ever they want. The Noble Quran not only allows slaves to request their freedom from their Muslim masters, but also orders the Muslim masters to pay the slaves money to help them stand on their feet and to be able to face life with a good jump start. Let us look at Noble Verse 24:33 "Let those who find not the wherewithal for marriage keep themselves chaste, until God gives them means out of His grace. And if any of your slaves ask for a deed in writing (to enable them to earn their freedom for a certain sum), give them such a deed if ye know any good in them: yea, give them something yourselves out of the means which God has given to you. But force not your maids to prostitution when they desire chastity, in order that ye may make a gain in the goods of this life. But if anyone compels them, yet, after such compulsion, is God, Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful (to them)," In this Noble Verse, we see that if a slave requests his freedom from his Muslim master, then his master not only must help him earn his freedom if there is good in the Slave, but also pay him money so the slave can have a good start in his free life. "The law of slavery in the legal sense of the term is now obsolete. While it had any meaning, Islam made the slave's lot as easy as possible. A slave, male or female, could ask for conditional manumission by a written deed fixing the amount required for manumission and allowing the slave meanwhile to earn money by lawful means and perhaps marry and bring up a family. Such a deed was not to be refused if the request was genuine and the slave had character. Not only that, but the master is directed to help with money out of his own resources in order to enable the slave to earn his or her own liberty." [2] Again, the Prophet peace be upon him said: Narrated Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari: "The Prophet said, "Give food to the hungry, pay a visit to the sick and release (set free) the one in captivity (by paying his ransom)." (Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Food, Meals, Volume 7, Book 65, Number 286)" 4- Conclusion: Islam is a very merciful religion on slaves. Islam came and fought many bloody battles against the Arabs who believed in slavery and who brutally enslaved many people. Islam also sees the importance of liberating slaves, and had helped to gradually liberate slaves until all of them were ultimately freed. Islam allows for any slave to request from his Muslim owner his freedom, and orders the Muslim owner to grant that slave his freedom and to pay him money on top of it to help him get a good start in his new free life. Please visit: Slavery in the Bible. Total humiliation and despising to slaves in both the Old Testament and the New Testament in the Bible. Bibliography: 1- The Meaning of the Holy Qur'an. Author: Abdullah Yusuf Ali. Published by: Amana Publications, 10710 Tucker Street, Suite B, Beltsville, Maryland 20705-2223 USA. Telephone: (301) 595-5777. Fax: (301) 595-5888. ISBN: 0-91597-59-0 (HC). 2- The Meaning of the Holy Qur'an [1]. Foot note #2991, page 875. http://www.answering-christianity.com/equality.htm

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Slavery Slavery, the institution that allowed one human being to own another is an affront to all that is humane. We take it for granted today that the immoral nature of slavery is self-evident. But it was not self-evident in the past. In this section we will show that Christianity was actually an active instrument in continuing the practice of slavery. The Bible on Slavery The Early Christians on Slavery Black African Slavery The Bible on Slavery Despite what Easton claimed in his Illustrated Bible Dictionary, slavery, as an institution was never criticized in the Bible. We find that the Old Testament, far from condemning slavery, actually laid down precise laws for slave ownership: Leviticus 25:44-46 As for your male and female slaves whom you may have: you may buy male and female slaves from among the nations that are round about you. You may also buy from among the strangers who sojourn with you and their families that are with you, who have been born in your land; and they may be your property. You may bequeath them to your sons after you, to inherit as a possession for ever; you may make slaves of them, but over your brethren the people of Israel you shall not rule, one over another, with harshness. Exodus 21:2,4 When you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve you six years, and in the seventh he shall go free for nothing ... If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master's and he shall go out alone. These passages above actually give explicit sanction for slavery. The New Testament is no better. The gospels of Mark, Luke, Matthew and John are silent concerning slavery, but the epistles of Paul gives clear-cut sanctions for its practice. In his epistles to the Colossians, Paul had this to say to Christian slaves: Colossians 3:22 Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing the Lord. In his first epistle to the Corinthians, Paul gave what must surely be the religious justification for maintaining the status quo: I Corinthians 7:21-22 Were you a slave when called? Never mind. But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity. For he who was called in the Lord as a slave is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a slave of Christ. With the freedom in God's eyes defined as all-important, there is no longer any need for the Christian to challenge slavery. The Christian teaching of a life hereafter must surely had contributed to the lack of social action on the part of Christians against the institution. Paul's epistle to Philemon is actually a letter that accompanies Philemon's runaway slave, Onesimus, whom Paul was sending back to his master. Although he urged Philemon to be kind to Onesimus, the tone of his letter is obviously one that accepts slavery as a valid social institution. Back to the top The Early Christians on Slavery The acceptance of slavery as part of the fabric of society was so engraved in the social psyche of the era of nascent Christianity that very few voices of protest were raised against it. But whatever protest made against slavery, and whatever attempts to alleviate the position of slaves, were done, not by Christians, but by pagans. The pagan Roman Republic took many steps to alleviate the lot of slaves. In 82 BCE murder of slaves were forbidden by the Cornelian Law. Around 30 BCE the Petronian Law forbade the sending of slaves to fight in the amphitheater. The Stoic teaches Seneca (c 5 BCE-65 CE), while he still had influence over the insane emperor, Nero (37-68 CE) managed to induce him to pass a law to forbade the cruel treatment of slaves. The Emperor Hadrian (76-138), an Epicurean, revived the laws prohibiting the murder of slaves and of sending them to the amphitheater. He also suppressed the inhuman practice of housing slaves underground. Hadrian was also known to have banished a wealthy Roman lady, named Umbricia, for cruelty to her slaves. By the second century slaves had already acquired the right, under certain circumstances, to bring legal action against their masters. The Emperor Antoninus Pius (86-161) issued an imperial decree which gives freedom to a slave running from a cruel master; on the condition that the runaway slave must embrace a statue of the emperor before he is considered a free man. The voices of conscience raised against slavery was also pagan. The pagan Dio Chrysostom, who was the greatest orator of his age, delivered a speech around AD100 in a public hall in the Forum of Rome where he explicitly and at great length condemned slavery as unjust. [1] The same spirit of humanism was not present in the early Christians. As Joseph McCabe stated: The plain fact is that down to the year 1000 ... no Christian leader, much less a pope or Council, condemned slavery. [2] When the Christian theologians took the trouble to discuss slavery, they were supportive of it. St. Augustine (354-430), in his most famous work, The City of God (426) presented the theological justification of slavery. He taught that God created man free but through sin, that freedom had been lost. Slavery is therefore the punishment for man's sin. As Augustine himself puts it: The first cause of slavery, then, is sin - that a man should be put in bonds by another; and this happens only by the judgement of God, in whose eyes it is no crime.[Italics mine-PT] [3] Thus, in one fell swoop, Augustine not only accepted slavery but gave it divine sanction. As the historian Emil Reich stated in his History of Civilization: It is an historical fact, supported by the most positive of evidence that slavery in the Roman Empire was mitigated by the noble philosophy of the Stoics and not by the teachings of the church fathers, who never thought of recommending the abolition of slavery. [4] The first Christian Roman Emperor, Constantine (c274-337) actually undid most of the humane laws to alleviate the position of slaves laid down by his pagan predecessors. He permitted parents to sell their children into slavery and allowed finders of abandoned children to bring them up as slaves. He also issued a decree which stipulates the death penalty for any Christian woman who had sexual intercourse with a slave; that the slave would also be put to death is a foregone conclusion. [5] The Roman pontiffs made many remarks about slaves and slavery. none of which helped to abolish the practice. Pope Leo The Great (d.461) ruled that no slaves can become priests because their "vileness" will "pollute" the sacred order. Pope Gregory the Great (c540-604), who was the richest slave owner in sixth century Europe, forbade the marriage of Christian women to slaves. [6] In the eleventh century, Pope Benedict VIII (d1024), in an effort to stop priests from having sex, decreed that all children produced by these unlawful coupling should be made slaves. Pope Paul III (1468-1549) decreed that all Englishmen who supported the errant King, Henry VIII should be reduced to slavery. In the fifteenth century, the papacy gave the king of Portugal permission top conquer "heathen" countries and reduced their population in "everlasting slavery." [7] The churches and the monasteries, far from being a haven for escaping slaves, actually owned slaves. When ancient slavery ended, the monasteries were among the last to give up their slaves. [8] Ancient slavery ended in the twelfth century, or more correctly evolved into serfdom, not because of any concerted Christian action but for purely economic reasons. It became cheaper for the wealthy to have serfs working their land and feeding themselves than to own dependent slaves. [9] Back to the top Black African Slavery The next stage in the history of servility is black African slavery. It was without a doubt one of the worst form of slavery known to history. It was started in the fifteenth century by the Christian countries of western Europe. It was used mainly in the colonies to supply much needed manpower in the plantation of cotton, rice and sugar. [10] Significantly, the beginnings of black slavery can be traced to the request of a Christian bishop, the Catholic Bishop of Chiapa in Mexico, Bartoleme de las Casas. In 1517 Padre Las Casas (he was not yet a bishop then) implored the King of Spain, Charles V, to allow the import of African slaves into the continent. Charles granted the request, made ostensibly on humanitarian grounds.[a] Thus began the infamous Asiento, an "import" license for slave trade to Spanish controlled America. Eventually this trade expanded to North America. By 1860 a census in the US counted almost four and a half million slaves. [11] The treatment of these slaves, from their capture to the life in the plantation, were barbaric. As the historian, H.A.L. Fisher notes: It is a terrible commentary on Christian civilization that the longest period of slave raiding known to history was initiated by the actions of Spain and Portugal, France, Holland and Britain after the Christian faith had for more than a thousand years been established in western Europe; and it the graver since the new slavery was worse and more inhuman than the old. [12] The call for the abolition of black slavery came not from Christians but from freethinkers generally. Slavery was abolish in France in 1791, not by the church, but by the atheistic founders of the revolution. In the U.S. the early critics of slavery, Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), George Washington (1732-1799), Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) and John Quincy Adams (1767-1848), were all either freethinkers or Deists. Later the abolitionist cause was taken up by such people as Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), a Deist, Raplh Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), a Unitarian minister turned free-thinker, and William Lyold Garrison (1805-1879), an agnostic. In England, the battle for the abolition of slavery was fought mainly by free-thinkers such as Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) and John Stuart Mill (1806-1873). [13] While it cannot be denied that some Christians were involved in abolitionists movements, they were the exception rather than the rule. In some cases these Christians acquired their anti-slavery beliefs not from their religion. Take the example of the name most used by Christian apologists to show that Christians were opposed to slavery: William Wilberforce (1759-1833). Wilberforce was a Christian and the universal claim is that his Christian conscience showed him the evils of slavery. But this claim is easily shown to be false. As a child, Wilberforce never had any affinity for the religion. For a long time he avoided taking a degree at Cambridge University because he could not sign the 39 Articles of the Church of England. It was in this skeptical mould that Wilberforce remained for the first thirty years of his life. Yet it was during these agnostic times that he developed his sense of abhorrence towards slavery. (For, as a boy of fourteen, he had written to a newspaper attacking slavery.) He was, at that time a Deist, as were his closest associates. [14] Furthermore, his chief allies in his battle for abolitionism were Quakers, dissenters and free-thinkers, not the mainstream Christians. The support from the established churches for his actions was described by Wilberforce himself as "disgracefully lukewarm." In fact, many conservative members of the clergy actively tried to suppress and obstruct his anti-slavery cause. [15] The record is worse for the churches in America. The Christians there did not stop to think whether the institution of slavery is, in itself immoral. Their chief concern was whether the Bible condoned or condemned it. The answer, as we have seen, was obvious. Thus the Christians in the U.S. supported slavery. In 1836 the South Carolina Methodist Conference declared that: The Holy ******ures, so far from giving any countenance to [the] delusion [of abolitionism] do unequivocally authorize the relation of master and slave. [16] In the same year, the editor of the journal of the Theological Seminary at Princeton, Charles Hodge wrote: The assumption that slave holding is in itself a crime ... is an error fraught with evil consequences. It not merely brings its advocates into conflict with the ******ures, but it does much to retard the progress of freedom: it embitters and divides the members of the community and it distracts the Christian Church. [17] A couple of years later, Hodge wrote that the abolitionists "consider their own light as more sure than the word set down in ******ure." [18] Of course the Bible was also used to specifically justify black slavery. The passage was Genesis 9:20-27. In this passage the story is told of how Ham, one of Noah's sons saw him naked. Upon discovering this Noah pronounced his curse to Ham: "the lowest of slaves shall he be to his brothers" (Genesis 9:25). Since the black Africans are generally believed to be the descendents of Ham (Genesis 10:6-20)[b], this was intepreted to mean that African slaves are a natural result of this curse.[19] The clergy and Christian laity did nothing to further the cause of anti-slavery. When the abolitionists Lyold Garrison wanted to deliver a public speech on abolition in Boston, the only building he could obtain to speak in was that of Abner Kneeland, the editor of the Boston Investigator, who was once jailed for blasphemy. Most of the other available buildings belonged to the various Christian churches, all of which refused him permission to use them. Some clergymen actually went as far as attempting to get Lyold Garrison hanged! [20] When abolition was first advocated in the U.S. in 1790, the politicians from the south used religious arguments against it. Some said that, correctly, the southern clergy "did not condemn either slavery or the slave trade." while others asserted that the whole tone of the Bible "from Genesis to Revelation" was favorable to slavery. [21] It cannot be denied, therefore, that Christian churches on both sides of the Atlantic generally supported slavery. The Finnish anthropologist, Edward Westermark (1862-1939) in his book The Origin and Development of Moral Ideas (1908) stated that: this system of [black] slavery, which at least in the British Colonies and the slave states, surpassed in cruelty the slavery of any pagan country, ancient or modern, was not only recognized by Christian governments, but was supported by the large bulk of the clergy, Catholic and Protestant alike. [22] Slavery was finally abolished in Christian England in 1833, in Christian America in 1865. The last Christian country to abolish slavery was Abyssinia, in 1942. [23] Back to the top Notes a. Prior to this native Americans were used as slaves but they were less "amenable" to slavery which results in many deaths from massacres and from mere captivity. Black African slaves, some were already used by that time on the island of Haiti, had proven to be more hardy than the natives. While las Casas request did not start slavery, it certainly opened the floodgates. b. One of Hem's sons,(Genesis 10:6) was named Cush- which is Hebrew for "black". By Hebrew tradition Cush was believed to be the ancestors of the Cushites, a black African tribe that settled in the south of Egypt. [24] References 1. Knight, Honest to Man: p137 McCabe, The Social Record of Christianity: p20-21 2. ibid: p23 3. ibid: p23-24 4. ibid: p24 5. ibid: p25 6. ibid: p27 7. Ward, A Dictionary of Common Fallacies I: p235 8. Knight, Honest to Man: p139 McCabe, The Social Record of Christianity: p27 9. Knight, Honest to Man: p139 McCabe, The Social Record of Christianity: p26 10. Knight, Honest to Man: p139 11. Mack, The Christian Myth: p184 Mannix, Black Cargoes: p2-3 12. Fisher, A History of Europe: p1121 13. Knight, Honest to Man: p142 McCabe, The Social Record of Christianity: p111-112 Phelips, The Churches and Modern Thought: p27 14. McCabe, The Social Record of Christianity: p110-111 15. Knight, Honest to Man: p142 16. Ibid: p143 17. Ibid: p143 18. Knight, Honest to Man: p143 19. Mack, The Christian Myth: p185 20. Bradlaugh, Humanity's Gain From Unbelief: p10 21. Ibid: p10 22. Phelips, The Churches and Modern Thought: p296 23. Knight, Honest to Man: p141,143,144 24. Comay & Brownrigg: Who's Who in the Bible: p77

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Ku Klux Klan, Klan, KKK (a secret society of white Southerners in the United States; was formed in the 19th century to resist the emancipation of slaves; used terrorist tactics to suppress Black people

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Chavez demands Pope apologize for Indian comments

Sat May 19, 2007 12:07am EDT

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez demanded Pope Benedict apologize to Indians in Latin America for saying this month in Brazil that the Roman Catholic Church purified them.
Chavez, who regularly clashes with the Catholic Church in Venezuela but had not directly criticized the Pope before, accused the Pontiff on Friday of ignoring the "holocaust" that followed Christopher Columbus's 1492 landing in the Americas.
"With all due respect your Holiness, apologize because there was a real genocide here and, if we were to deny it, we would be denying our very selves," Chavez said at an event on freedom of expression.
In a speech to Latin American and Caribbean bishops at the end of a visit to Venezuela's neighbor Brazil, the Pope said the Church had not imposed itself on the indigenous peoples of the Americas.
Indian leaders in the region were outraged by the comments.
Millions of tribal Indians are believed to have died as a result of European colonization backed by the Church, through slaughter, disease or enslavement.
Chavez, who has expanded the rights of indigenous peoples from the Amazon rainforest to the Caribbean, said he felt he was Indian because Venezuelans are a mix of the European race and indigenous peoples.
Chavez spoke only days after Venezuelan media interpreted other comments from the Pope as singling out Chavez as a danger to Latin America when he warned of autocrats in the region.
Chavez, who regularly criticizes world figures such as U.S. President George W. Bush, describes himself as Christian, grew up expecting to become a priest and says his socialist policies have roots in the teachings of