Religion and Theology

Slavery appeared with the first great civilizations into the third millennium BC. The centralization of agricultural management and large irrigation works or planning led to the need for servile labor of great proportions. Slavery was an accepted situation and often essential to the economy and society of ancient civilizations. In ancient Mesopotamia, India and China used slaves in homes, in commerce, in large-scale construction and agriculture. The first trace of slavery attested by Sumerian tablets was during the reign of Pharaonic Egypt and this was about when slave labor was initiated. In the vast Roman domains, slaves were subjected to harsh working conditions and cruel punishments as happened centuries later in American slavery, this led the ugliness of slavery to be repeatedly disclosed, giving rise to the servile wars of 135 -133 and 112-105 a. C.  Slavery as a social and economic practice was a common practice during the Greek-Roman rule, and both can be considered the first slave societies whose very economic system was underpinned by this act. The social status and role of slaves was considered inferior or nonexistent in relation to a free person. The society of ancient Greece was so slavery based philosophically that for Aristotle it was the essential guarantee that free men could devote sufficient time to politics and governance of the city.  The 5th century ADC is the recorded period of the greatest implementation and extension of slavery. During the Roman Empire, slavery began to subside as a result of the behavior influenced by the early Christians and, above all, by the depletion of traditional sources of supply of new slaves owing to the end of Roman territorial expansion. Emancipation was later on established as a means of freeing the slaves.

Slavery practiced in the United States was a form of labor in which people were employed against their will using threats of detention, violence or death. Slavery remained a legal feature of American soil until the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1865. Most slaves were Africans and were held by Europeans.

Slavery is an issue that has seen a lot of change over time and most especially as the form of slavery practiced in ancient times has been shunned upon time and time again by Christians and most especially by the Bible. In Europe during the middle ages slavery began to slowly disappear and was replaced by servitude. The earliest evidences that sited the disappearance of the slave system would be the Marxist historians, including Karl Marx himself and on the other hand authors such as Georges Duby and Pierre Bonnassie also supported this claim as slavery began to vanish during the feudal revolution. Servants, unlike slaves were free, or rather semi-free, and enjoyed a number of rights but were bound by commitments to work and commitments to the feudal lord. By late fifteenth century, slavery in Europe was very limited. From the mid nineteenth century the Church has been opposed to slavery and humanistic arguments such as immorality, inequality and disrespect have been used to combat this issue. Slavery had always been a contentious issue especially in United States politics constituting a hot topic for debate by the constitution. However, the American civil war in 1861 led to the end of chattel slavery in the United States. And then there was the Lincolns Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 which went a long way in freeing a lot of slaves. The Arizona Organic Art also abolished slavery in 1863. The Reconstruction era led to the complete abolishment of slavery in the United States and with time the Civil Rights Movement brought about equality and full civil rights for every American under the law. Not withstanding, education and illiteracy was a limiting factor and anti  literacy laws were passed to combat this issue. This led to the establishment of many black and white religious institutions whose primary aim was to fund education for those whom needed to be educated to be able to fully embrace their rights.

The claim that slavery is an act that is supported by the Bible is a very debatable one. In as much as the Bible does not out rightly condemn slavery and even encourages servants to be subject to their masters, it should be noted that when the Bible talks about servants, it does not refer to them been subjected to harsh, despicable and inhuman acts. This claim is better appreciated when we truly understand the meaning of slavery. The legal definition of slavery considers the slave as a property of his owner and also declares that the slave can be sold, given away or killed and that all the fruit of labor of the slave belongs to the master.  Slavery has to do with a forceful situation, where someone is bound against their will to become somebody elses property. The point here is that neither slavery recorded in the New Testament times nor under the Mosaic covenant has anything to do with the degradable practice of dark skinned people bought and owned as properties by light skinned people. There is no justification for this abhorring act. The Bible actually commands extreme kindness to be shown to slaves servants reminding their masters that they too were subject to God. So it is clear that the slavery or servitude promoted by the Bible is totally different from what was practiced and should never be used as a justification. One of the fundamental reasons why the Bible supports bond-servants is that, it sees this form of serving as a means of livelihood for the servant. So that the bond servant, tends to benefit from a relationship with his master. A good example of this is recorded in the book of Philemon, where Paul in his letter appealed for Onesimus.

For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him forever Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved specially to me, but how much more to thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord (Phil 1 15-16. KJV)

Onesimus was once a slave to a believer called Philemon and he had stolen from Philemon and fled. Paul later met Onesimus in prison and it seems Onesimus converted and became a Christian. Onesimus was a slave to a Christian brother, and the reason Paul sent him back was so that Philemon could be responsible for him and that he in turn would serve Philemon both in the flesh, in physical work and in the Lord, as a spiritual assistant to Philemon.

Another instance recorded in the bible about the issue of slavery is seen in the book of Corinthians.
For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free and have been all made to drink into one Spirit (1Cor 12 12  13. KJV)

This verse could be no clearer about equality and respect for fellow man. The Christian belief suggests that we are all a part of Christs body we have all received the same calling as Christians and been made to drink of the same Spirit. So that whether we are servants or masters, we are one body in Christ.  So that in Christianity that huge demarcation stating slaves as properties to be used and maltreated is not even a condonable act. It is totally shunned against, yes, Christianity does not condemn having servants but it is quite clear on how these servants should be treated, and if the history of slavery is accurate, then, the worldly adaptation and use of the term slavery does not come even close to the biblical records and teaching about it. Christ is the definition of liberty for Christians, liberty is a state in which a Christian lives and is completely submerged in the grace of God. So that it does not matter who you are, or whom you are, as long as in your heart you believe and receive Gods grace. This frees every one that believes and true Christians understand that although they may be responsible for, or even own someone here on earth, they know that God is not a respecter of persons and He sees all men as equal.

The point I need to drive home here is that slavery as understood by the world, by legal records and by history is not supported in the bible. It is in fact condemned. The bible makes it clear how people ought to be treated and one of the fundamental principles of the New Testament is love. The bible holds out that we must love each other as we love ourselves. Love is shown in the way we treat others, so if this love ought to be practiced, then the issue of world slavery lies in complete opposition to this love. A final verse I would like to consider is in the book of Colossians. Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free but Christ is all and in all. (Col 3 11. KJV) It goes on to talk about how we must put on bowels of kindness and mercy, humblenessforgiving one another just as Christ has forgiven us. This further stresses the point that to God it really doesnt matter, and it shouldnt be to Christians either because once one becomes a Christian, the issue of whether he is master or servant is really insignificant.

Finally, in my opinion, the change that put a stop to slavery is a very positive change because it permits every person under the law his or her personal rights and besides this, it certainly has ended the inhuman acts that were carried out against a particular group of people. It also has in its own way, subjected itself to the word of God by treating everyone equally.