Essay Slavery in the Bible - 784 Words

Slavery in the Bible The first mention of slavery in the Bible is found in Noahs declaration, Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers (Gen. 9:25). He said this after waking up from a naked, drunken stupor and learning that his son Ham had mocked him. Although Ham was the guilty party, Noahs statement was directed at Hams youngest son Canaan. If he was involved with his father in this act of disrespect, the statement can be taken as the pronouncement of a curse, Cursed be Canaan. It is possible, however, that Canaan did not join his father in making fun of Noah. If so, the statement would be in the form of a prophecy: Cursed will be Canaan. Exodus 20:5 and Ezekiel 18:4 clearly declare that God punishes†¦show more content†¦About 500 years after the death of Abraham, his descendants through Isaac were living in Egypt as slaves. Genesis 37 to 50 tells the story of how this came about. The 10 oldest sons of Abrahams grandson Jacob disliked their younger brother Joseph so mu ch that they found a way to sell him to traders who in turn sold him to an Egyptian officer as a slave. In his new land, Joseph went through a series of ups and downs and eventually became the prime minister of Egypt, the highest official under the king. God enabled Joseph to foresee an approaching time of famine, and used him to store up food and then distribute it during the famine. His political position made it possible for him to settle his fathers family in Egypts most fertile territory. Here they prospered for many years. However, the time came when the leaders of Egypt began to view the rapidly growing Israelite community as a threat. As a result, they made slaves of the Israelites, treating them with ever-increasing harshness. Finally, desperate because the descendants of Jacob continued to multiply, they issued an order that all their male babies be destroyed at birth. The first 12 chapters of Exodus tell the story of how the Lord responded to the cries of His people. He m iraculously provided Moses to be their leader, sent 10 plagues on the Egyptians, helped the Israelites celebrate their first Passover, and led them out of the land of bondage. It appears that as they left for Canaan, they had noShow MoreRelatedThe Bible And The Slavery1568 Words   |  7 PagesThe bible has been used to argue for support and the abolishment of slavery. The first mention of slaves in the bible is in Exodus talking about the Israelite enslaved by the Egyptians. â€Å"So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor† (Exodus 1:11). However, God delivered the Israelites out of slavery from the Egyptians. That should have been enough evidence that God does not accept slavery by anyone. The way that slavery is spoken about in the bible makes it seem that theRead MoreThe Slavery Of The Bible1371 Words   |  6 Pagesthemselves in a manner that the Bible would condone. Yet the Bible is left largely to personal interpretation, so the way people conducted themselves was varied person to person. As slavery was a hotly contested subject in the nation, people yearned to prove that their beliefs were in line with scripture, and that they were divinely sanctioned to behave how they did. Both pro and anti slavery sentiment were largely fueled by interpretation of scripture, as the Bible does provide substance for bothRead MoreThe Bible As A Support For Slavery880 Words   |  4 PagesIn many occassions people have used the Bible as a support for slavery. Slavery refers to individuals that are owned by others, whom have full control of their excistance. As time passed by, slavery developed and was the cause of many conflicts. In the movie Twelve Years of Slave we can see h ow slavery builds the inferno everyone burns. In an analysis of the movie for Commmonweal magazine, Richard Alleva said, To suggest that slave owners suffered as much as slaves would be obscene. In theRead MoreThe Bible in Relation to Slavery Essay1773 Words   |  8 PagesThe Bible is the best-selling book of all time, and with good reason. For the stories written in it have changed the way many think and even believe when it comes to the power greater than this world. The Bible holds very specific opinions on things such as slavery, who humans should treat each other, and ultimately social justice. It has been one of the most important foundations for allowing social reform to occur in modern day history as well as the history of the whole world. However, it isRead MoreThe Slavery Of Slavery And Slavery944 Words   |  4 Pagescondemn slavery. The South also used religion as their argument, but instead, they used the Bible to argue that slavery was an acceptable part of life. People have questioned whether it was right or wrong of the South to use the bible to support their beliefs in slavery. Some would say that pro-slavery southerners had every right to use the Bible to support their beliefs. When Northerners began to use the Bible against slavery, southerners used this same argument to support it. Slavery was a practiceRead MoreWilliam Patton, An Abolitionist And Reverend937 Words   |  4 Pagesreverend, had a two-fold argument against the idea of Christianity supporting slavery which he laid out in his 1846 book â€Å"Slavery, the Bible, Infidelity†. His first argument, was that God could never support because, in simple terms, â€Å"God is just, and that slaveholding is unjust† (Patton, 6). Supporting this idea, Patton quotes Thomas Jefferson in saying in response of proslavery rhetoric, that â€Å"If your interpretation of the Bible be correct,it cannot be the word of God—for it gives him a character theRead MoreSlavery Is Not Legal Now939 Words   |  4 PagesSlavery Slavery, according to Merriam Webster means â€Å"the practice of owning slaves†. ïÆ'ŸïÆ'ŸïÆ'Ÿ This means owning people against their will and not paying them. Slavery has been around since 1916, when the first settlers of Jamestown brought with them their slaves. Slavery also has been a debate ever since the declaration of independence, when Thomas Jefferson tried to abolish slavery but North Carolina disagreed. Owning slaves back at the time was a sign of wealth and power. The slave trade important toRead MoreThe Civil War Of The United States956 Words   |  4 Pages12th 1869 and May 9th 1865. Those are worth a lot of reasons that the North went to war with the south the main reason was slavery. Where the North wanted to either get rid of slavery altogether or stop slavery from spreading to the new states coming into America the South wanted to expand slavery. Slavery has been around since the beginning of time, since back in the old Bible days. America was just one of the last remaining nations to abolish it. It was hard to abolish something that is so infusedRead MoreMiranda Fleming. Word Count: 1,674. 3/16/17. Defending1674 Words   |  7 PagesMiranda Fleming Word Count: 1,674 3/16/17 Defending Slavery: Religion and Race The history of slavery in the United States divided people by the color of their skin. During the 16th thru 18th century, people of African ethnicity were automatically considered slaves. This not only created a parceling between races but also the demarcation of the northern and southern states of the America. The northern states had asseverated their opposition of slavery while the southern states upheld their concordanceRead MoreThe Degradation Of Religion And Family From Slavery991 Words   |  4 PagesThe Degradation of Religion and Family from Slavery In the book, Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass outlines the disturbing effects that slavery induced on society. Slaves were dehumanized, ripped from their homes and sentenced to a life of harsh work, and harsher treatment. Slaves were held at their slaveholder’s mercy, beaten, whipped, and killed for being disobedient or performing in an unsatisfactory manner. The treatment of Douglass and fellow slaves shows what the grim