The Bible is OK with slavery

== Debate Theory == People who make topics that are truisms should lose. The point of debate is to give both sides a fair chance at winning. The fact that contenders can choose whether or not to accept is only a reason not to automatically vote against the instigator. Rather, the judges of a debate have an obligation to interpret the topic in a way that gives both sides a fair chance at winning. In this debate, this requires that judges interpret "the Bible" to mean the contemporary Christian understanding of the Bible. If the words of the Old Testament are considered to be a binding part of "The Bible," there is no debate to be had here: the Old Testament clearly endorsed slavery. The only fair debate to be had here is whether The King James Bible, when read as a whole, actively approves of slavery. == Definitions == The Bible = the King James Bible plus contemporary Christian understanding of how the Old and New Testament should be interpreted OK = "sanction or give approval to" [Google Dictionary] == Case == My opponent will undoubtedly quote extensively from the Old Testament (OT). However, Christians interpret Matthew 5:17-20 as saying that Jesus "fulfilled" the old Jewish laws, thereby rendering certain laws no longer applicable to Christians. Christians do not have to keep kosher because in Jesus' speech to his disciples in Matthew 5, Jesus was creating a new religion that abrogated the Old Testament. The OT is no longer considered to be part of "The Bible" to the extent that it is inconsistent with the New Testament (NT). So what does the NT have to say about slavery? In 1 Timothy 1:8-11, the NT condemns slave traders. The NT equates slave traders to murderers, liars, and cheats. [1 Timothy 1, https://www.biblegateway.com...]. The NT calls the slave trade immoral ("contrary to sound doctrine"). The NT clearly condemned slavery. However, like the Founding Fathers (many of whom disapproved of slavery), the NT also realized as an expedient that slavery wasn't going anywhere. The Founding Fathers built a provision into the Constitution in Article I Section 9 that would have allowed the federal government to ban the importation of slaves after 30 years had passed. However, the Founding Fathers also realized that slavery could not be abolished overnight and therefore compromised. They allowed it to stay, but tried their best to ensure that slaves would be treated humanely in the future. The NT is the same way. Ephesians 6:5-8 instructs slaves that they too can go to Heaven, and the good works they do for their masters will be recognized in Heaven. Ephesians 6:9 tells masters not to "threaten" their slaves and to treat them humanely. Colossians 4:1 says, "Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven." Knowing that slavery was not going to be abolished anytime soon, the NT included a set of rules that required masters to treat their slaves humanely. Given the time at which it was written, the NT could not have possibly advocated for the abolition of slavery. Even 1600 years later, the Founding Fathers couldn't even advocate for full abolition. It took the bloodiest war in US history to completely abolish slavery. Its not realistic to expect that 1700 years prior to the Civil War, the NT would advocate abolition, given people's violent reactions to the idea. However, it did advocate that the *slave trade* should be abolished and that current slaves should be treated humanely by their masters. To say that the NT was "okay" with slavery, i.e. that it approved of slavery, is not possible. It is no more possible than saying that Jefferson actively endorsed slavery. Despite being a slave owner himself, Jefferson believed that slavery was morally wrong and should be abolished. Although he never took active steps to end slavery for practical reasons, he believed that slaves should be treated humanely. In a *rough draft* of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson wrote that the slave trade was a "cruel war against human nature." [PBS, http://www.pbs.org...] Although these words never made it into the final draft of the Declaration because the Southerners would have objected, this rough draft shows Jefferson's true beliefs about slavery. Likewise, 1 Timothy 1, which puts slave traders in the same category as murderers, shows the Bible's true thoughts about slavery. The NT, which abrogates the OT, clearly did not approve of slavery.