Exodus 21:20-21

²⁰ “Anyone who beats their male or female slave with a rod must be punished if the slave dies as a direct result, ²¹ but they are not to be punished if the slave recovers after a day or two, since the slave is their property.

 

Ephesians 6:5

⁵ Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.

 

You were saying?

can something be slavery to one person and not be slavery to another?

 

can slavery ever be beneficial or 'good'?

 

chanson, read the Chapter in Ephesians.

 

consider that it may be a issue for the relaity of slaves that have become Christians and Paul is addressing it. does that mean Paul condones slavery? or doesnt wish freedom for the person? If Paul addresses a issue among prisoners, does that mean he desires the person to be imprisoned?

 

i believe there is a writing regarding Paul urging someone (a slave owner) who has sent their slave traveling  far to bring a message to Paul, and to treat them well?

 

i think in some situations we can consider slavery in the scriptures as like a 'live in' servant?

 

im not sure.

 

 

a commentary for consideration.

 

Question: "Does the Bible condone slavery?"

Answer: There is a tendency to look at slavery as something of the past. But it is estimated that there are today over 12 million people in the world who are subject to slavery: forced labor, sex trade, inheritable property, etc. As those who have been redeemed from the slavery of sin, followers of Jesus Christ should be the foremost champions of ending human slavery in the world today. The question arises, though, why does the Bible not speak out strongly against slavery? Why does the Bible, in fact, seem to support the practice of human slavery?

The Bible does not specifically condemn the practice of slavery. It gives instructions on how slaves should be treated (Deuteronomy 15:12-15; Ephesians 6:9; Colossians 4:1), but does not outlaw slavery altogether. Many see this as the Bible condoning all forms of slavery. What many fail to understand is that slavery in biblical times was very different from the slavery that was practiced in the past few centuries in many parts of the world. The slavery in the Bible was not based exclusively on race. People were not enslaved because of their nationality or the color of their skin. In Bible times, slavery was more a matter of social status. People sold themselves as slaves when they could not pay their debts or provide for their families. In New Testament times, sometimes doctors, lawyers, and even politicians were slaves of someone else. Some people actually chose to be slaves so as to have all their needs provided for by their masters.
 

[commentary continued at:

 

http://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-slavery.html ]

 

another commentary for consideration

 

Question: "What does the Bible teach about human trafficking?"

Answer: Simply put, human trafficking is a modern term for slavery. Anytime a person is held in a forced labor situation, regardless of the reason, it is defined as human trafficking.

The United Nations defines human trafficking as “the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.”

Experts have noted that human trafficking is the fastest growing criminal activity in the world and one of the most lucrative. Overall the International Labour Organization estimated the human trafficking industry at over $31 billion per year in 2005. Some estimate that as many as 29 million people exist in slavery worldwide, more than twice the number of slaves transported during the entire Trans-Atlantic slave trade.

[commentray continued at :

 

http://www.gotquestions.org/human-trafficking.html ]

 

 

I'm not sure if I should be addressing Stephen or the author from gotquestions.org, but fer cryin' out loud, the bible condemns wearing clothing of mixed fibres, but it doesn't take the time to condemn slavery.  It took people to condemn slavery, and though slavery still exists, it is not widely accepted as it once was.

 

gotquestions.org is right that it was a different time, but I'm pretty sure that Stephen and gotquestions.org think we're talking about the same god. So, are we to conclude that God gets more moral as time goes on?  Is God learning to be more compassionate, or are we learning to be more compassionate, and we just project these qualities onto our god of choice?  I clearly think it's the latter.

IN fact thte Bible accepts slavery as a normal part of life.  Paul seems to accept it while not being happy about it.  ANd slavery in the ancient world WAS based on ethnicity.  In the Roman Empire most slaves were captured/subjugated people.  THE differnce is that it was largely continued by capturing more slaves rather than breeding them (as opposed to the US plantation system).  Yes sometimes people were forced by a wholy unjust economic system to sell them selves into slavery--but I suspect that then as now ethnicity played a role in who found themselves in those straits

I have been studying 1 Kings of late. Seems that at least some of the slavery at that time was a system of forced labor which was a part of the tax system. People had to work for a set period of time for no pay. It is something that is sometimes called a corvee. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corv%C3%A9e 

thumbs, heart. . :)

I dont think Pauls influence was so much he could instruct all nations t abolish slavery, that would have been nice. :)

if im not mistaken there is a writing of Pauls where he sends back someone slave, im thinking who was delivering messages, spoke well of him and instructed the slave owner to treat him well?

do you know where that is?

I imagine there may have been many reasons many could find. :(

i dont understand the question. but i would consider different 'covenants' , regarding the 'covenants' the UCC leadership on this site can speak well to that.

 

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Chanson, what does this parable mean to you? im just curious.

 

 

²⁴ After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax came to Peter and asked, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?”

 ²⁵ “Yes, he does,” he replied.

   When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own children or from others?”

 ²⁶ “From others,” Peter answered.

   “Then the children are exempt,” Jesus said to him. ²⁷ “But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.” (Matthew 17:24-27)