Slavery -An Atheist Reads the Bible.
by whereami 50 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
-
-
ziddina
Marking...
I always thought the Old Testament's rules on slavery were brutally primitive, and how heartless it was of the Gov.Bod to refer to Jehovah's Witnesses as "slaves" - but when I left, it became clear that that was the way the Gov.Bod viewed us...
Once I got out of the Watchtower cult, and learned about Spartacus, I realized that it was politically astute for the fledgling cult of Christianity to support slavery....
One would think however, that "Jesus" and his followers would have spoken out against it - BECAUSE the Hebrews themselves were enslaved by the Romans.
That makes "Jesus' " omission much more bizarre... Very strange that the Christian sect - supposedly founded on an UNFLINCHING devotion to absolute "TRUTH" - would SUPPORT the ugly practice.
Oh, wait... They DID speak out against it, but only HEBREWS - and those that converted to this special new Hebrew sect - were going to be set free...
Oh, the hypocrisy continues...
Zid
-
tec
Christ said nothing to condone slavery. I find it odd, I suppose, that people say the OT said this; the NT said this. Are either of those things more important than what Christ said? Are either of those things more important than Christ, in spirit... or the commandment to love one another as oneself, or do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Do you want to be a slave? If not, then don't own them.
Tammy
-
beksbks
It does make one wonder about the rest of the bible though. If you are going to disregard one piece, then why not another? Personally if only Jesus words (of course how can we really know his words with so many reporters) were the basis of christianity, I might be one.
This is Michelangelo's Pieta. It makes me cry. It's so different from so many other representations of the two. It makes me think of a mother and her son. Period. Just a good guy who tried, and got what so many good guys who try in this world get. And the mother who loved, watched and lost him. Nothing supernatural.
-
tec
Personally if only Jesus words (of course how can we really know his words with so many reporters) were the basis of christianity, I might be one.
Well, He is Christ. Why should Christ - ianity be based off of anything other than Him? The rest of us... we pollute, distort, misunderstand. That's why we should go to Him, over what other people say about Him or about what He 'evidently' meant.
Tammy
-
villabolo
If I were Abraham Lincoln in the nuclear age, there would have been no KKK; no statues of Confederate Generals; and very few people for Fox to pander to.
By the way, I loved that Darth Vaderesque voice quoting Leviticus, chapter 25.
Villabolo
-
villabolo
Tec:
'The rest of us... we pollute, distort, misunderstand. That's why we should go to Him, over what other people say about Him or about what He 'evidently' meant."
So, tec, we should throw out the Epistles since their authors supported slavery?
Villabolo
-
beksbks
But I don't think he was divine, I think he was just one of the many humans in history who had a good heart. Who was willing to die for what's right. There have been many.
-
tec
So, we should throw out the Epistles since their authors supported slavery?
Supported slavery, or did the best they could with what they had?
Slavery comes in many forms. When we are enslaved in our hearts and minds, that is worse. I think Christ came to set us free from these things as well as from false understandings... even more than physical slavery. But as to that, His words should have been enough that people would come to understand for themselves, that slavery -the owning of one man by another against his will - went against the laws of love, and the golden rule. And understanding for themselves, rather than just following a rule, is the only way that these things will stop - in my opinion.
Tammy
-
Perry
Typical nonsense from a self proclaimed God... because that is what an atheist thinks he is. In order to know that there is no God, would require omniscience. At least Dawkins has the good sense to call himself an agnostic when pressed.
The author superimposes 21st century economics over ancient ecomonies and ignores historical realities of survival. God did not intervene in this world to make it slightly less barbaric. All sin is barbaric. Believers are to survive in a barbaric world until the Lord comes and removes barbarism totally and replaces it with a 100% population of his own born again human children, not Adam's.
