Major flub in Slavery Watchtower Study Article

scotoma

Do you ever wonder if the Watchtower writers actually read the context of their key scriptures?

They seem intent on perpetuating the idea that the Jewish law was divine - perfect.

Paragraph two asks the question "What would prompt an Israelite slave to forfeit his opportunity
to be free?"

They would like you to think of the benevolent master generously obeying the law and liberating
his slave after 7 years and because the Master was so wonderful they would choose to remain
with the master over obtaining their freedom.

By reading the context you get to see that the master is a conniving black mailer.

"Exodus 21:5 "But, if the slave should insistently say, "I really love my master, MY WIFE AND
MY SONS; I do not want to go out as one set free.

So the real answer to the paragraphs questions is that an Israelite slave was prompted to forfeit
his opportunity to be free BECAUSE HE DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE WITHOUT HIS WIFE
AND CHILDREN.

The problem is the slave that marries a slave and has kids by her can't take her or the kids with
him. The wife and kids are the slave property of the slave master and must remain slaves.

So look at how the Watchtower skips over this unimaginable cruelty with its answer to the
question.

"However for a slave who REALLY LOVED HIS MASTER and who wished to remain in his
service, Jehovah made a REMARKABLE PROVISION"

Remarkable? How is that remarkable? The first thing I would do if I got a slave is make sure he
hooks up with one of my slave women because then I could "remarkably" circumvent the
requirement to give a slave their freedom and at the same time get a whole family of slaves.

The "faithful slave" apparently learned from the master that you can get your freedom from the
organization anytime you want but you will have to forfeit your precious family ties.

TTATTelder

Wow the last line really pissed me off.

gorgia2

Yes, the WTS have managed to put their completely-out-of-context interpretation to good use, haven't they?

gorgia

prologos

and that is how they hook WT slaves, and keep them, you can not fade without risking loosing your family through shunning.

Of course, do not dispair, the law contained the freedom after 7 years, at the Jubilee year provision.

Warning to free man/ woman, do not marry a watchtower slave.

beware of the conniving owner.

Use wt writer's winning ways to free the slaves.

Skinnedsheep

That says it all.

steve2

When you are in servitude to human masters, the "privilege" of receiving crumbs of kindness will be perceived as a remarkable provision. To your Lord and master, your servitude and gratitude are different sides of the same coin.The Watchtower writers address their messages to a largely servile readership.

Captain Blithering

Dammit. I picked up on the context of the verse, even showed it to the other half during the WT study, but didn't think of the application... Trapped. No jubilee year for me....

Heartofaboy

marked

Slidin Fast

Bloody Hell, (that is cursing in England), what a scripture passage to use. Cruel family break up choice on one side, sexual slavery on the other. this held up to be a loving provision. With that definition of love, the JW republic is over-flowing with Lurve.

I would rather have the world's version than the chilling, hypocritical substitute that the Borg has.

blondie

from the 3-7-10 WT Comments

Q 5. How could a slave permanently benefit from belonging to a good master?

5. The Law that God gave to Israel describes another relationship in which people benefited by making a commitment.

If a slave wanted the security of belonging permanently to a good master, he could enter a permanent and binding

agreement with him. The Law states: "If the slave should insistently say, 'I really love my master, my wife and my sons; I

do not want to go out as one set free,' then his master must bring him near to the true God and must bring him up

against the door or the doorpost; and his master must pierce his ear through with an awl, and he must be his slave to

time indefinite."--Ex. 21:5, 6.

COMMENTS

Law--OT not bind on Christians
1st century Christians lived in a world of legal slavery---did they follow this?
Even if you had a "good" master, would you want to be in slavery to an imperfect person for the rest of your life.

Notice how the WTS leaves out an important part of this scripture. If he comes into this limited slavery (6 years, freed

on 7th) and was married before that, his wife left with him. But if he married after his period of slavery began AND he

had children, his wife and children would not be freed with him in that 7th year. The only way he could stay with them is

to become a permanent slave. So was it due to love for his master or love for his family and wanting to stay with them?

(Exodus 21:2-6) 2 “In case you should buy a Hebrew slave, he will be a slave six years, but in the seventh he will go out

as one set free without charge. 3 If he should come in by himself, by himself he will go out. If he is the owner of a wife,

then his wife must go out with him. 4 If his master should give him a wife and she does bear him sons or daughters, the

wife and her children will become her master’s and he will go out by himself. 5 But if the slave should insistently say, ‘I

really love my master, my wife and my sons; I do not want to go out as one set free,’ 6 then his master must bring him

near to the [true] God and must bring him up against the door or the doorpost; and his master must pierce his ear

through with an awl, and he must be his slave to time indefinite.

Major flub in Slavery Watchtower Study Article

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