Bible Supporting/Against Slavery

How The Bible Supported Slavery 

Back when slavery existed, many people would argue that the bible justified slavery, but many would argue the opposite. During this time people would even use the Bible in court to argue for and against slavery. Because of this it sparks the argument of whether slavery is justified and supported by the bible or if it was seen as wrong and shouldn't exist. The answer to this will never truly be known because of the many ways the bible argues for and against slavery and the many different ways one could interpret the verses in the bible.

Many verses from the bible show how slavery was supported through the bible. One of the scripts from the bible that shows support towards slavery is from Ephesians 6:5 and says, "Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ". This quote from the bible is showing that slavery was a part of the bible because the first word of the quote is slaves which shows that slaves or slavery was a part of the bible and they practiced slavery during this time period.

Another quote from the bible that supports slavery is from

This quote from the bible not only justifies slavery but also justifies beating your owned slaves. These two quotes are just two of many from the bible that show support towards and justify slavery. While the Bible was used to justify slavery it can also be flipped and used to fight against slavery.

How The Bible Was Against Slavery 

The Bible was also used to fight slavery by a majority of people. The abolitionists found the words that were supportive of what they were fighting for, like Genesis 1:27, which said all human beings are made "in the image of God" and all individuals are unique no matter what race they belonged to. 

They also used Galatians 3:28 that states "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" to show that everyone is equal. Matthew 7:12, or the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," was another important verse because it meant you shouldn't own a person as a slave if you would not wish to be a slave yourself. The story of Moses and the Israelites' freeing from Egyptian slavery served also as an example of God's viewpoint for freedom for humans. 

When Jesus informed us that he came "to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and release for the oppressed" in Luke 4:18, this gave reformers additional proof for their movement. All of these support the manner in which people could read the same Bible and arrive at completely different conclusions about slavery based on which verses they focused on and how they read them

AI Disclosure; I used AI for this assignment, but used credible sources and created changes based on a reader's understanding so it’s fully implemented into their brains for a true understanding. 

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1688_Germantown_Quaker_Petition_Against_Slavery

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galatians_3%3A28

https://teachingamericanhistory.org/blog/335-year-old-antislavery-arguments

https://drjimsebt.com/2024/05/31/slavery-and-freedom-in-the-bible

https://textandcanon.org/the-bible-and-slavery-in-colonial-america

https://web.tricolib.brynmawr.edu/speccoll/quakersandslavery/commentary/organizations/underground_railroad.php