What Democrats Want, Day 23, Countdown to Oblivion? DISCRIMINATION (Part 1)

As of today, there are 23 days until the most consequential election in American history. This is what they say about many past elections, but this is really it. For if the Democrats seize power – control of the U.S. House, the U.S. Senate and the Presidency – and doing it by hook or by crook (the justifies the means, you know) America as we know it will be forever changed. America envisioned and created by the Founding Fathers will disappear into the shadows of history.

The ungodly secular-humanists/Marxists slow march through America’s institutions over the last 100 years or so will have reached a crescendo – fulfilling Mr. Obama’s fundamental transformation of control of the masses.

Envision with me what a Socialist Democratic Party, takeover, a bloodless coup, a regime change, would look like. This is one in a series of daily articles leading up to the 2020 General Election.

 

THE Declaration of Independence says in its second paragraph, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness…”  Several key points can be made from that quote.

Ø  Absolute truths do exist and are obvious

Ø  Everyone is created equal

Ø  Everyone has certain rights

Ø  These rights are given by the Creator and not by government

Ø  Life is a basic right of all people

Ø  Liberty, freedom is a basic right of all people

Ø  Allowing everyone to pursue happiness or property or whatever

These points raise questions like:

Ø  When is human life created?

Ø  If we prevent a life from full development is that discrimination?

Ø  If we treat our fellow man unequally is that discrimination?

Ø  If we stifle one’s freedom or his or her ability to pursue happiness or do what they want to do with their personal property in any way is that discriminatory?

 

Abortion is the Mother of All Discrimination

Life begins at fertilization/conception. So, if we terminate any life deliberately what can more discriminatory? In America more black babies are denied life than any other ethnicity. This is the real discrimination.

The Left chants, “Black Lives Matter,” but, only those murders intentionally or accidently by policeman or the only black lives that matter. Aborted black babies don’t matter. The black on black murders in Chicago that occur regular do not matter. So, it is the Left, including the communistic Democratic Party, which is the biggest discriminator of all.

 

Slavery was and is Discrimination

Slavery of all kinds, including former pre-civil war blacks indentured on plantations; women who are abused or mistreated by their husbands or partners; women and children who are trafficked for sex or for Satanic ritual abuse (SRA); are all being discriminated against.

 

Prohibiting Biological Males from Competing in Female Sports is Not Discrimination

Why? Because men and women were not created equal physically. That is a scientific fact.

In the case of biological men claiming to be female the Republican Party supports the original, authentic meaning of Title IX of the 1972 law. That law affirmed that “no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” Sex is based on biology not on one’s fantasy.

 

We will continue with part 2 of our discussion on discrimination focusing on sexual behavior and discrimination.

"You May Lynch a Black Slave If..."

by Dr. Patrick Johnston

July 25, 2013 If it were legal to murder people who fit your description, would you consider it "loving" to regulate how and when you may be murdered? No? Then "do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

What about Texas' "20-Week" Abortion Bill? I was asked to lend my support for the Texas "20-week" bill in its infancy, but once I read it I could not. Many pro-life leaders support such bills, yet haven't even read the bill. Some of these bills re-affirm Roe v. Wade, dehumanize the preborn, and justify the killing of some children. Those supporting such bills believe that the abortion any preborn child is murder, and yet their bills permit some murder. Hypocrisy is not a fruit of the Spirit. It's like an opponent to slavery in the colonial era actually owning a slave. It's like condemning the lynching of slaves UNLESS the lyncher is informed that the slave can feel pain (similar to the fetal pain awareness bills). Or unless the lyncher has viewed a mandatory ultrasound of the slave's heartbeat first. Or unless the slave being lynched is under a certain age. The Texas "20-week" bill actually nullifies itself if it poses an "undue burden" on a women intent on killing her baby. The Ohio Heartbeat Bill actually nullifies itself if a judge overturns it! Since when do godless judges and undue burdens" on murderers trump the commandment "Do no murder"? "Some lives will be saved," the argument is made. That remains to be seen. A federal judge recently overturned North Dakota's heartbeat bill, calling it "unconstitutional". Many oppose personhood bills because they worry that the courts will overturn them, but many of these regulatory bills get overturned, too. If we'd start trying to protect all the threatened children, instead of trying to legalize circumstances in which they may be killed, or designating an age at which they may be killed, then maybe we've have a law worth defying the feds over, a law God would bless. Think about this: Should we "do evil that good may come"? Would you blaspheme God's name to stop an assault? Would you commit sodomy to stop a terrorist attack? Would you dismember and kill one Downs Syndrome baby in order to save others from dying? You shouldn't, not if God's law is the standard of right and wrong. Relative morality is affront to God's sovereignty and Jesus' lordship. Situational ethics is a satanic alternative to God's rule. God is the standard of morality and justice, and "He that keeps the whole law and offends in one point is guilty of all" (James 2:10). His law says "Thou shalt not kill", not "Kill this baby, but not this baby." Thou shalt not kill! We shouldn't be hypocrites, condemning the murder of dehumanized babies out of one side of our mouths, and justifying the murder of some dehumanized babies out of the other side of our mouths through supporting compromised bills. Read the bill before you fall prey to the advertising campaigns, and be sure that is compatible with God's Word. The American Right to Life articles "Oppose Abortion Regulations Because..."and "Oppose Abortion Exceptions Because..." show why Christians cannot support most so-called pro-life bills that - attempt to regulate abortion (for example, bills attempting to make child-killing clinics more sanitary, safer for the killers); or - designate an age at which some children may be killed (like most heartbeat bills and late-term abortion bans), or - designate circumstances, such as rape, incest, or fetal handicap, when some children may be killed. Study these articles, and learn the biblical arguments well, for just as in the days of American slavery, when many Christians rested content with "incremental" bills regulating the slave trade, so today many of God's people are comfortable with some child-killing, bringing the guilt of innocent blood on themselves. We don't have to wander the wilderness of "abortion regulation", staining our hands with the blood of the innocent children our legislation permits to be murdered. No! We can enter the Promised Land of "liberty and justice for all." "It is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these children should perish", and "if we ask anything in His name, believing we have received it, we will have it." Will you pray and believe with us? Will you help us? Join our cause. Don't try to regulate the killing. Be an abortion abolitionist. To help us fund booths at fairs and Christian concerts around the state, donate now. To print out petitions to gather signatures, and to hand out petitions to others to gather signatures, click here. Thank you for your prayers!

Israeli Government Contemplates Eliminating Conscription Exemption for Ultra-Orthodox Jews

Ultra-orthodox Jews are exempt from serving in the Israeli military.  The Israeli government is considering eliminating the exemption.  The other Israeli citizens are saying that it is unfair that they are forced to join the army while the ultra-orthodox Jews are not.  They are right that it is not fair, but it wrong for anyone to be conscripted.  In a free country anyone should be allowed to chose not to serve in the armed forces.  Otherwise the rights of conscience and religious freedom are violated.  Anyone should be allowed to refuse to participate in a war regardless of the reason why and regardless of what country you are from.  In the United States, we have the 13th amendment to our constitution, which forbids involuntary servitude.

Unholy Toledo!

Just this morning I came across a very interesting and informative study, The Cleveland Backpage Report. Included in this report was a reference to Toledo, Ohio. The report notes, .

“Ohio is also an origin state for domestic victims of sex and labor trafficking. Toledo, Ohio, is feared to be a nexus for the crime.

“The authors explain that “Toledo is currently number four in the nation in terms of the number of arrests, investigations, and rescue of domestic minor sex trafficking victims among U.S. cities. (Northwest Ohio Innocence Lost Task Force, 2009).

“The top three cities are

·         Miami (city population 404,048; county population 2,398,245),

·         Portland (city population 537,081; county population 714,567) and

·         Las Vegas (city population 552,539; county population 1,865,746).

"Given that the city of Toledo’s population is 298,446 and Lucas County’s is 440,456, this area can be considered to lead the nation for the number of traffickers produced and the number of victims recruited into the sex trade per capita based on 2008 U.S. Census estimates.””

Next to abortion and drug trafficking, sex trafficking and human slavery are the most pronounced and loathsome crimes occurring today in America.

JP Morgan Getting into the Food Stamp Business

Obama Goes For the Gold, Unpasteurized Milk, Rangle to Enslave Us

Not content with further increasing confiscatory taxes and obligating each and every citizen to their $47,000 share of the $14 Trillion National Debt Congress created, the 111^th Congress and Barack Obama now seek to confiscate two years of each Citizen’s life through HR 5741, the Universal National Service Act.

What is the purpose of the Universal National Service Act? "To require all persons in the United States between the ages of 18 and 42 to perform national service, either as a member of the uniformed services or in civilian service in furtherance of the national defense and homeland security, to authorize the induction of persons in the uniformed services during wartime to meet end-strength requirements of the uniformed services, and for other purposes.

HR 5741 Section 105 (c) To the extent determined appropriate by the President, the President may use for purposes of this title the procedures provided in the Military Selective Service Act (50 U.S.C. App. 451 et seq.), including procedures for registration, selection, and induction.

The 111^th Congress is blatantly showing its definition of "Serving the Public" which is to serve the public as on a platter rather than to as a servant of public.

Clean House in 2010? I certainly hope so, along with 1/3 of the Senate. Then continue the cleaning in 2012 and 2014.

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-5741

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-in/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h5741ih.txt.pdf

Alex Jones Speaks Out About LeBron James

Taken (2008)

A DAUGHTER IN PERIL

Liam Neeson stars in this thriller about a former spy whose daughter is kidnapped in Paris and is sold into the sex trade industry. The movie has a lot of violence, but also portrays this most loathsome activity, the trading, the buying and selling, of human beings. Most people are not aware of this evil activity going on both here and abroad. Young women and men are swiped off the street, drugged and forced into prostitution.

The story involves a divorced ex-spy, Bryan Mills, played by Neeson, his ex-wife, Lenore, and their daughter, Kim. Kim is captured by a gang of Albanians operating in Paris. The Albanians symbolized much of what is going on in Europe in terms of violence and Islamic terrorism. Much of the story centers on Bryan’s attempt to rescue his daughter. He has to use all his skills as spy to find his daughter.

There is a lot of explosive action, gun fights, and chase scenes. Throughout the movie Bryan is driven by his attempt to reconcile with his daughter, who he barely knows because his life had been consumed as he worked as a “preventer.” His former job was preventing bad things from happening. Above all the movie depicts a father’s intense love for his child.

He shows great strength and determination in his pursuit of justice, finding his daughter. A lot of people pay the penalty along the way. All of those paying the penalty are the bad guys.

RATING

I would give this movie **** out of *****. It is a faced-paced thriller. On a political and international level, the movie provides a glimpse at the growing evil epidemic of human trafficking and gang activity. These thugs are related to Islamic terrorists in Europe and around the world in the menace and mayhem, that are and that they cause.

On a personal level, it depicts a father intensely sincere attempt to reconcile with an estranged daughter. It shows what happens when a person lets his job dominate his personal life. There are costs associated with making family a secondary priority. The movie tells a story on a number of different levels. It is meaningful and entertaining. I would recommend renting or purchasing this movie. The acting is great.

A NATION IN PERIL

The movie is a parable of America under President Barry Soetoro alias Barack Obama and the radical Democratic leadership in Congress. The daughter in the movie symbolizes the U.S. Constitution and the founding Christian principles on which this nation was founded.

The Albanian slave traders in the movie symbolize those who want to destroy this nation. They are the domestic and foreign terrorists. The domestic terrorists are the President and the Congressional majority members who desire to usurp the freedoms of the people of America. They essentially are kidnapping and stealing our God-given rights. They want to construct a socialist utopia.

There hero of in the movie, Bryan Mills, who does everything to secure his daughter, is the Tea Party Participant. The Tea Party Participant is the average American disgusted with the out-of-control growth in the size and spending appetite of the central government. The Tea Party Participant attends and protests at a myriad of Tea Parties across the country, attends Town Hall Meetings, Meet the Candidate Nights, Political Debates, contacts his or her representatives trying to get back the Constitution and the rights and freedoms for which the founders fought. The Tea Party Participant, the average, engaged and outraged American is fighting to get back his country.

Red China’s Slave-Bought Prosperity

“With the Olympics winding down in Beijing, Julie Chen of CBS’ Early Show said that China is showing that countries can be prosperous “the communist way.”

“She has a point.

“Slave labor does wonders for the economy.”

- - - NewsBusted, Episode 194

NewsBusters is a conservative news and comedy website. Their newest NewBusted episode includes the excerpt below. See right panel of this blog and click on the video to watch this 2-3 minute comedy YouTube video.

Obama Ridicules the Holy Bible

Watch this video of Obama as he denigrates the teachings of our Lord and Savior for his own political gain.

http://www.youtube.com/swf/l.swf?video_id=4FCNKwHRCQM

To summarize the video, Oh!Bomb’er says that if we are going to use the Bible in public policy, should we use Leviticus where it says that slavery is OK…should we use Deuteronomy where it says you should stone your child if he strays from the faith? Then he said that the Defense Department does not live up to the principles of the Sermon on the Mount.

First of all the concept of slavery was different in the southern states of America in the 1800s than it was during under the Law of Moses. People were not enslaved just because of their race. Permanent slavery was a means of punishment for crimes (usually war crimes) and temporary slavery was used as means of payment of debt. Masters were not allowed to mistreat their slaves as they were in America. Obama is using the word “slavery” deceitfully to bash the Bible. You can read the scripture texts for yourself and find out more about this in a series of posts that starts here.

The comment about stoning a child to death for “straying from the faith” may be based on Deuteronomy 17:2-7. Summarizing this passage, it says, “If there be found any among you… [that] hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them…and [thou] shalt stone them with stones, till they die.”

This is a difficult passage, but without going into to too much depth here is brief explanation. The nation of Israel was set apart by God to be Holy. Therefore, wickedness had to be treated with severity. The principle is this—the more you know about God and the more you have seen His power, the more responsible you are for following God’s commandments. The nation of Israel was, in some sense, closer to God than any in history. They passed through the Red Sea on dry land. They saw Moses face when he came down from the holy mountain. This lead to the necessity of more severe punishments for those who witnessed all this and still worshipped other gods. This principle is contained in passages like Luke 12:47-48. Another principle is that when someone is given a righteous punishment it is hypocritical if the one doing the punishing has committed worse sins than one being punished. This principle is contained passages like John 8:1-11 and Matthew 18:21-35.

As for the comment about the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), I agree with Obama, but not for the reasons he does and he is like the pot calling the kettle black. If you are in favor of allowing fully born babies to left to die without punishing the killers, you cannot take a word of what Christ says seriously. The remark about the Defense Department probably particularly refers to Matthew 5:38-42. I expose this false interpretation here and here. Ironically, the following is part of the very Sermon on the Mount which Obama speaks so highly of:

“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:17-19)

But Obama makes it sound like the law (which includes Leviticus and Exodus) is totally unreasonable. But God really is strict in punishment. He is holy. Have you ever been angry with someone without cause (Matthew 5:21-22) or looked at someone with lust (see Matthew 5:27-28)? If you do have to face a God who is totally just and has never sinned, would he say that you are innocent or would he say that you are guilty? Do you know what God did (if not see I John 2:2) so that you would not have to go to hell (see Matthew 5:29-30) for what you have done? What do you have to do then to be saved? If you don’t know see John 3:16, Romans 10:9, Acts 2:38.

A Force of Will

A force of will, that in a nutshell is the story of William Wilberforce as portrayed in the new movie, Amazing Grace (2007), which premiered across the United States this past Friday. It is an extraordinary portrayal of one man’s God-driven gut-wrenching passion to right the injustice of a popular and profitable slave trade.

It includes the intertwined story of the Reverend John Newton, who was himself a reformed and repentant slave trader. John Newton was also William Wilberforce’s Pastor as Wilberforce was growing up. By the way, John Newton is also the writer of the great hymn which also serves as the title of the movie.

This true story is inspiring to any politically activist or Conservative Christian politician, who wonders if one man can make a difference. The odds were greatly stacked against Wilberforce, who was a member of the British Parliament, and who stood nearly alone at first in his anti-slave trade cause. It challenges us never to give up, to keep pursuing and persisting.

At one point in the story after Wilberforce had recently become a born-again, true Christian believer he questioned what his role in politics was, if any. We wondered if God wanted him to be a preacher. Those around him, especially several abolitionists, provided him with a very convincing argument that he would be actually doing the Lord’s work in pursuing the cause to eliminate the slave trade in all of the British Empire.

Wilberforce gave a great deal of his youth, his vigor, his health to the cause. After a brief illness and accompanied discouragement he was encouraged and challenged by his future wife to continue in the battle. The relationship reinvigorated Wilberforce to continue in this mighty cause. Over a twenty-year period he went from being virtually alone in his battle in Parliament, 300 to one odds, to eventual victory with only 26 opposing votes leading to the passage of the act that stopped the slave trade across all of the Empire.

While watching the movie, especially the scenes depicting the boisterous debate in the Parliament, I could not help but think of present day injustices virtually being ignored by mainstream tenured politicos and their not so silent accomplices in the media.

Today’s anti-slave trade or the abolitionist movement is the pro-life or anti-abortion movement. Pro-life forces have been waging for 30 plus years battle to end this equally insidious heinous barbaric practice with seemingly little success. The forces of evil in the abortion axis of evil include the Supreme Court, the Democrat Party, the liberal elite throughout this country and powerful abortion and other left wing lobby and leftist organizations such as NARAL and Planned Parenthood Federation of America. They also include their socialist comrades in cahoots, the NEA, the ACLU, NOW, radical feminists, George Soros and other well heeled financiers of a life-destroying, society-destroying and values-destroying mindset.

Secondarily to the wickedness of abortion is the equally wrong proliferation of the sex slave trade involving woman and children, which is becoming more and more prevalent in America as well as the rest of the world. Both of these evils need champions both in and out of office to be a force, like Wilberforce was as he fought injustice and evil of his day.

Furthermore, while Wilberforce was battling the foes of abolution in England, George Washington and other founding Fathers wre establishing a new country, which would also embrace the anti-slave movement, but would have to fight a costly Civil War over it. The things that most of our Founders and Wilberforce had in common was a faith in God and in the Lord Jesus Christ. However, this is not acknowledged at all, if ever in today's modern "enlightened" age. This movie is a much needed reminder of a time when men where not afraid to hold and embrace their principles at all costs. They did not fear being politically incorrect, as so many do today.

These are the take-aways from the movie for me, the great lessonw that I took from this must-see movie. It was well worth the 70 miles I drove to see it! Look for it at a movie theater near you. If you like a fast moving picture, excellent acting, true heroism, true human struggle, and an uplifting and inspiring true historical account you would love this film. I highly recommend it to young and old and in-between. It brings history to life and to light.

My Movie Rating: * * * * *

TAKE ACTION

Chuck Norris asks us to take action by signing an anti-slavery petition. He challenges each of us to be a modern day Wilberforce or John Newton. See his article on WorldNetDaily. Sign the petition here: a worldwide petition.

Slavery Part 6: Spiritual Slavery

Anyone who has a total aversion to slavery cannot be saved. The Bible teaches that whoever wants to become great must be a servant (Matthew 20:26). In fact, in order to be saved, one must become a servant. Matthew 7:21-23 says, “…he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Who must we serve? Jesus said, “My Father will honor the one who serves me.” (John 12:26) We should be “… like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.” (Ephesians 6:6). But how does one know that he is serving God? What principles does God stand for? Romans 6:19 says, “…you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and ever-increasing wickedness (lawlessness), so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.”

In addition to serving God (or how we are to serve God, in a way), we must also serve others. The one who rules should be the one who serves (Luke 22:26). Paul made himself “a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.” (I Corinthians 9:19) Phoebe was a “servant of the church in Cenchrea”. (Romans 16:1) “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:35)

Jesus set the example of what being a servant is all about. (Matthew 12:18) As I mentioned in a previous post, Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, a task usually only performed by the lowest of servants. This was the way Jesus showed them how much he loved them. (John 13:1) Christ set the example for us in that “he made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father.” (Philippians 2:7-11). In the same way, we should be slaves to obedience (Romans 6:16). “Christ has become a servant of the Jews (circumcision) on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs” (Romans 15:8).

The only other alternative to being a slave to God is being a slave to sin. The Simon the sorcerer was a “captive to sin” (Acts 8:23). To serve sin means to serve one’s appetite (Romans 16:18), in a lawless and impure way (Romans 6:19) which leads to corruption (II Peter 2:19). Serving sin leads to death (Romans 6:16). Everyone who sins is a slave to sin (John 8:34). (Read my earlier post “God Made Man in His Own Image” if you haven’t already.) But by the Spirit, one may put to death the misdeeds of body (Romans 8:13) and the body of sin is done away with by being crucified with Christ (Romans 6:6). One is disqualified unless he makes his own body his slave (I Corinthians 9:27). No one can serve two masters (Luke 16:13). But Paul makes a distinction between being a slave to sin in mind and being a slave to the law of sin in the flesh (Romans 7:25). The former means being free from the control of righteousness (Romans 6:20). The latter means the struggle between the mind and the flesh explained in Romans 7:14-24. A person can follow rules which sound good to the world, but which fall far short of God’s standards. Such a person is a slave to a law (of Moses, for example) but this is really only another way of being a slave to sin. (Galatians 4:8-11, 21-31)

For those of us who choose to follow in the way of Christ’s teachings, that is, in the truth, we have the promise of being set free by the Son (John 8:31, 32, 36, Galatians 5:1-6). Though we must share in his sufferings (Romans 8:14-17), the servant of Christ will become the friend of God (John 15:14, 15). Because “God sent his Son, born of woman,” and “born under law” we can go from being slaves to sons of God (Galatians 3:28-4:7). But slaves of sin have already become sons of the devil (John 8:40-47). Our adoption as sons comes with the redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:23). This comes with being free from fears such as the fear of death (Hebrews 2:15, Romans 8:15). Even creation itself will be free from its bondage to decay (Romans 8:21). The 2nd law of thermodynamics will come to end.

Do you want to be set free?

Slavery Part 5: Slavery in the World Today

There are forms of bondage in the world today that you might not think of as being slavery.

You may recall that in the first part of this series I talked about how the Egyptians put themselves into bondage in exchange for food during the seven years of famine. Joseph agreed to allow the people to live on their land and take the Pharaoh’s grain in exchange for 20% of their crops indefinitely. This was considered bondage. In our society, most of us pay much more in taxes than 20%, even though we or our ancestors were never in the position where we needed to make such a deal to save our lives as these Egyptians did.

In part 2 of the series, we also discussed the ways that a person could “sell himself” into slavery if he needed to for lack of means to meet his families’ needs. In doing so, he gives up some (but by no means all) of his rights as a citizen. Likewise, in our society, when a person declares bankruptcy, he gives up some of his usual rights in exchange for protection from creditors. Similarly, once a person commits a crime (including a war crime), and is convicted, he gives up some (or all) of his rights as a person and he is not given a choice in the matter.

You may have heard about proposals from the Bush administration about a Guest Worker Program. You may not know that Bush’s proposed program is an expansion on an already existing program. Though it is limited, this program employs foreigners at wages often less than minimum wage, and once the worker chooses an employer, he must stay in the program for the agreed amount of time and is not allowed to work for anyone else. This is about the same thing as temporary slavery under the Mosaic Law.

For other forms of modern slavery, see Greg’s post on the subject. In my next post, I will talk more about spiritual slavery.

Slavery Part 4: Negro Slavery in America

Most people in Pennsylvania and the New England states believed that the slavery practiced in the other colonies was against the American principles of “all men are created equal” and the guarantee of “life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness”. Unfortunately, for the sake of winning their own freedom against the oppressive British tyranny, they were willing to compromise and join a union of states which did allow rights of blacks to be violated.

At various times, the importation of slaves is prohibited in various states. In 1777, Vermont becomes the first colony to abolish slavery. In 1780, the Massachusetts Constitution is adopted with a freedom clause that is interpreted as abolishing slavery. To prevent cruelty to slaves, owners in South Carolina were prohibited from working slaves more than 15 hours between March 25 and September 25 and not more than 14 hours between September 25 and March 25. In 1780, Pennsylvania adopted a law that gradually emancipated slaves that are born after 1780 when they turn twenty-eight. In 1784, Connecticut and Rhode Island adopted gradual emancipation laws. In 1785, slavery was prohibited in the newly formed Northwest Territories. In 1799, New York adopted a gradual emancipation law. In 1804, New Jersey adopted a gradual emancipation law. Southern states began making demands that for every Free State admitted to the union, there must also be a slave state admitted to the union. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 made slavery illegal in the Louisiana territory that is north of the Missouri border. Missouri was admitted as a slave state and Maine was admitted as a free state. In 1844 slavery was prohibited in Oregon. In 1850, California was admitted as a free state. As a compromise, the slave states Utah and New Mexico were admitted without restrictions, but the slave trade was banned in Washington D.C. In 1858, Kansas was admitted to the Union as a free state. In 1863, slavery was abolished in Utah. In 1864, the Fugitive Slave Law was repealed. Slavery was abolished in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Missouri. [1]

I have heard some people say that Negro slavery in America was not that bad—that slave owners usually treated their slaves well, and that could win their freedom when they were treated too harshly. I haven’t found any evidence of the latter. In fact, in Virginia, for the commission of petty offenses; slaves could be whipped, branded, or maimed. [1] In 1723, manumission became illegal in Virginia. [1] A person of color was not permitted to testify against a white Christian, according to a 1717 Maryland law.[2] Another Maryland law declared that slaves would be punished by death, branding, or whipping if found guilty for murder, arson, larceny, association with whites, insolence, and traveling without permission. [1] Slaves in Virginia were also not allowed to leave the plantation without written permission from their master. This was punishable by 60 lashes [1] (which goes beyond the limit of 40 set by Mosaic Law, Deuteronomy 25:2, 3) and placement in a pillory where the slave’s ears were cut off. [1] The only punishment which is as harsh as this under the Mosaic Law is the cutting off the hand (Deuteronomy 25:12), but this was for something else, not for disobedient slaves. In the case, State v. Mann, North Carolina Supreme Court justice Thomas Ruffin ruled that masters could not be prosecuted for assaulting their slaves. In 1740, the Negro Act is passed in South Carolina. The act made it illegal for slaves to gather in groups, earn money, learn to read, and raise food. The act permits owners to kill rebellious slaves. [1]

Slavery was not just legal, but was subsidized. In 1663, the proprietors of North Carolina encouraged settlers to have slaves by promising that they would be given 20 acres of land for every black male slave and 10 acres for every black female slave brought to the colony within the first year. [1]

In 1819, blacks were prohibited from learning to read in Virginia. An 1831 North Carolina law prohibits teaching slaves from learning to read and write. In 1831, Virginia passed a law that prohibits slaves from gathering at night for religious services. [1] In 1844 free blacks are denied citizenships in North Carolina. [1] In 1837, Pennsylvania and Mississippi took away the right of blacks to vote. [1] In 1712, freed blacks are prohibited from owning property in New York. The 1857 Dred Scott decision denied citizenship to all slaves, ex-slaves, and slave descendants. The decision effectively declared that blacks were only property and not persons under the law. The modern day equivalent is the Roe v. Wade decision which declares that unborn babies are not persons under the law.

In Maryland and in other states, blacks were forbidden from marrying whites. The Bible says that it is wrong to forbid people from marrying. Miriam was struck with leprosy when she spoke against Moses for marrying an Ethiopian woman. Solomon’s romance in the Song of Solomon was to a black woman. (Moses and Solomon were not “white”, but surely anything that would apply to a Jew should also be allowed for a Caucasian.)

Some people criticize the Lincoln administration for suspending the writ of habeas corpus and for violating the first amendment by having people arrested for speaking out against the Civil War. These critics should also consider that in 1836 the U.S. House of Representatives adopted a “gag rule” which automatically tabled abolitionist material. [1]

Slavery was something that God did not intend in the beginning, but allowed it under certain conditions and with certain limitations in the Old Testament. Slavery in America went well beyond these limitations, especially in states south of Pennsylvania. The Old Testament had guidelines for how a person could become a slave. There is nothing in the Bible that says slaves could be prohibited from owning property. Though Americans were not the ones who originally enslaved the blacks, they were guilty of encouraging and participating in the unjust treatment of those who were most likely wrongfully enslaved by Biblical standards. The fact that a certain race was singled out for unjust treatment is what makes this all the more disturbing. For more about slavery under the Law of Moses, see my previous post. Also see what Greg wrote about slavery in the world today. I will have more to say about this in my next post.

Slavery Part 3: Slavery in Roman World in the New Testament

In my last article I talked about slavery under the Law of Moses. Under the Roman rule, slaves had few rights. However, each territory under Roman control, including Galilee, Samaria, and Judea could place their own restrictions on the institution. All of the laws of Moses concerning slavery basically remained in tact in Israel.

When St. Paul wrote his various epistles, he was writing to many different churches in different regions—not just Palestine. He was writing primarily to Gentiles (but his words apply to all cultures). When he says, “Slaves, obey your earthly masters…” (Ephesians 6:5), he not advocating any particular political position on the subject, but he was merely instructing slaves to obey the law of the land. There are more general statements which express the idea that people should obey the civil laws and authorities (I Peter 2:13, 14, 17). One should not obey laws which require one to do something contrary to scripture or to not do something that the Bible says that we should do. This same exception applies to the obedience of children to their parents.

Like Job (Job 31:13-15), St. Paul considered slaves and masters to be equal before God (Ephesians 6:9) and asked masters to treat slaves better than the law required (yes, Christians were permitted to have slaves in New Testament ethics). Jesus was willing to do the duties of a slave, in service to his own disciples, a stunning example of Christian service that was meant to be an example for us today (John 13:4-7).

In some instances Paul encouraged, but did not demand that Christian masters free their slaves (Philemon 8, 14). In Rome, freed slaves automatically became citizens (which was ordinarily obtained only by birth, at a high price, or for some heroic deed). There were, at times, restrictions on the manumission of slaves because they feared that the native citizenry populace would become too diluted with foreigners. St. Paul encouraged slaves to obtain their freedom if they could (I Corinthians 7:21) and encouraged the free not to become slaves (I Corinthians 7:23). Paul encouraged slaves of unbelieving masters to take advantage of their position so that they might win their masters for Christ (Titus 2:9-10). Even though slaves who were Christians sometimes had to remain slaves, they lived under a higher law which made them free in reality (I Corinthians 7:22). Slavery in America is next.

Slavery Part 2: Mosaic Law

In my last article I talked about unjust forms of slavery. Under the Law of Moses, it was punishable by death to force someone into slavery without just cause (Exodus 21:16, Deuteronomy 24:7). (Joseph’s brothers would have been put to death if they had been under the Law of Moses.) But what were the just causes of enslavement under the Law of Moses?

Prisoners of war were sometimes made to slaves by the victor of the war (Deuteronomy 20:10, 11, 21:10, I Kings 9:21). The Israelites were commanded to go to war with various nations at various times because of unprovoked attacks and also because of detestable practices.

If a thief could not make restitution for the property he stole and for any damages, the affected parties could make the thief a slave (Exodus 22:3).

Under the Law of Moses, if a man was poor, he could voluntarily sell himself into slavery in order to pay his debts (Leviticus 25:39-43).

Ecclesiastes 2:7 mentions people who were slaves at birth. In Joshua 9:27, it indicates that people and their descendents could be kept as slaves forever in some cases. But this happened because of a covenant that God had not approved of (Joshua 9:14, 15). These Gibeonite slaves and others who came later, were slaves at the temple, and did not have private masters as other slaves did.

In Old Testament times, if a borrower could not pay his creditors, then they could enslave him (2 Kings 4:1, Nehemiah 5:5, 8). But these cases are not mentioned in the scriptures until after the time of Moses, and these ways of enslavement are not necessarily approved by God. The Law of Moses is unclear on these points.

What were the rights of slaves?

Israelites were given the right to buy permanent slaves from other nations and from the other people living among them (Leviticus 25:44, 45). But there is no means by which a person who was not already a permanent slave could be forcibly made a permanent slave under the Law of Moses, except for prisoners of war.

Anyone who had been enslaved had the right to own property. If someone was enslaved because of debt or poverty, and they could pay off their debt, then they could be freed (Leviticus 25:47-49). Families of such slaves were commanded to redeem them if they could. The maximum amount of time that a person could be enslaved for this reason was six years (Exodus 21:2, Deuteronomy 15:12). But if a slave loved his master, then he could voluntarily choose to become his slave for life (Deuteronomy 15:16). This was typical in cases where a temporary slave married a permanent slave of the master (Exodus 21:5). All debts were cancelled every seven years (Deuteronomy 15:1-11) and all temporary slaves were always freed in the year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25:54).

All masters of slaves were required to provide for the needs of their slaves (Exodus 21:11). When a slave was freed, the masters were required to give them supplies that they would need in order to sustain themselves (Deuteronomy 15:13, 14), which would prevent them from becoming enslaved again.

If a master seriously injured a slave, then the slave would be freed (Exodus 21:26, 27). The same law “Thou shall not kill” applied to masters and slaves just as much as anyone else (Exodus 21:20). Everyone was forbidden from working on the Sabbath day, and slaves were no exception (Exodus 23:12). They were also allowed to participate in the various festivals and feasts of the Jewish tradition. If a master had no children, then his slaves could inherit his property, even if they were foreigners (I Chronicles 2:34).

If a foreign slave escaped from his master, claiming mistreatment or unjust enslavement, then the Israelites were required to give him the benefit of the doubt and allow him to live in the Israelite cities. They were not supposed to give him back to his master (Deuteronomy 23:15, 16).

In conclusion, the strict definition of slave, “a person over whose life, liberty, and property someone has absolute control” simply does not apply to Biblical slavery. None of the dictionary definitions completely describes the Biblical concept. Slavery is not something that God intended in the beginning, but it is a consequence of sin. In my next article, I will examine slavery in the Roman world and St. Paul’s statements concerning it.

Slavery Part 1:

Greg said,

"Personally, I believe that Paul’s expression 'slaves obey your master' is as true today as it was almost 2000 years ago. We no longer have slaves, but if we did the biblical mandate would apply today."

Brian Murphy said,

" 'Slaves' is a word with a very clear definition, then and now. It means 'one bound in servitude as the property of a person or household.' I am not the property of any employer. Nobody is. A slave is someone unable to escape their condition, and I can just say 'I quit!' "

Here is the dictionary definition of it from Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, fifth edition:

slave 1. A person held in bondage; a thrall. 2. One who has lost control of himself, freedom of action, etc.; as, a slave to ambition or of drink. 3. A drudge.

I also found a definition in Funk & Wagnalls Standard Encyclopedic Dictionary which seems more precise:

slave 1. A person over whose life, liberty, and property someone has absolute control. 2. A person in mental or moral subjection to a habit, vice, or influence. 3. One who labors like a slave; a drudge.

The word drudge is defined as :

To work hard at wearisome or menial tasks, or one who drudges.

Therefore, Greg’s use of term slave in this way is correct, even though it is the least common use of term. But since slavery under the first definition is what Brian Murphy was talking about (and probably was what St. Paul was talking about as well), this is worthy of further investigation. I will begin six part series on the topic, starting with slavery in Egypt and Canaan before the Mosaic Law.

I will consider six instances of slavery in Egypt in the book of Genesis and Hebrew slavery in the book of Exodus.

1. The pharaoh of Egypt in Abram’s (Abraham’s) time gave slaves to him (Genesis 12:16). One of these slaves was probably Hagar, who Abraham later took as a concubine (a wife) because Sarah could not conceive (or so they thought). It is not clear from the scriptures whether Hagar had a choice or if she was compelled to do this. Hagar was later sent away.

2. Jacob agreed to serve Laban for seven years in exchange for permission to marry his daughter (and ended up working for him 13 more years).

3. Joseph was sold into slavery (Genesis 37:27) because his brothers were envious of him. (Genesis 37:11) He was sold to the Ishmaelites who sold him in Egypt.

4. After Joseph had become governor of Egypt, he acquired the best land for crops for the Pharaoh at the beginning of the seven years of plenty and stored the surplus grain (which therefore belonged to Pharaoh). After the seven years of plenty were over and the famine started, people began to buy the Pharaoh’s grain. Their money soon ran out and so they pleaded with Pharaoh to “Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh.” (Genesis 47:19, 25) Joseph made a covenant with them that they could continue to use the land and keep four-fifths of the grain grown on the land (the other fifth went to the Pharaoh). This was still the law hundreds of years later during the time of Moses (Genesis 47:26).

5. When Joseph’s brothers came to buy grain, Benjamin was accused of stealing the governor’s (Joseph’s) cup. The punishment that Joseph proposed for this alleged crime was that Benjamin would become his slave. (Genesis 44:16) (Benjamin, of course, was innocent and this never happened.)

6. The enslavement of the Hebrews in the book of Exodus is described as “bitter bondage”. It was acceptable for Hebrew slaves to be beaten (Exodus 1:11). The reason that the Hebrews were enslaved was because the Pharaoh was afraid of the Hebrews. He was afraid that they would revolt or join the enemies of Egypt if there was a war. The value of the life of a Hebrew was regarded so low under the law by this Pharaoh that he ordered that all male Hebrew babies be murdered. This was a culture that thought that the life of animals should be protected under the law. The slavery was ongoing as long as the Pharaoh ordered it, with no possibility of redress. This seems to be the only pre-Mosaic case in which slavery can be proven to fit the first dictionary definition.

In the third instance, though Joseph was treated well, his enslavement was definitely unjust. The sixth case was also unjust enslavement. One could argue that there could have been a better way to settle cases 4 (hypothetically) and 5 besides enslavement, but at least there were legitimate reasons for the enslavement (or potential enslavement) in these cases. We are dealing with Egyptian law in these cases, so in any case, this is no reflection on what a Biblical stance on slavery is, except possibly in cases 4 and 5 since Joseph was considered a righteous man. But Joseph would have had to have acted within Egyptian law and it had to be acceptable to Pharaoh. I will bring out the Biblical stance in my next two articles. I will examine slavery under the Mosaic Law next.