Cofty» I never [resort to name calling] - ever. I get called names by believers most days but I never respond in kind. It's ok I know you won't apologise for your lie.
Oh, really? You say that you never engage in name calling, but the first thing you do is say I'm a liar!
Then, in your very next post, you say:
You have done what every christian apologist does when challenged about God's appalling ethics; you lied.
So where did I lie that you should call me a liar?
I'm not saying that Israel did not take permanent slaves. They did not enslave, but were able to buy them from surrounding nations. Thus, according to the law:
As for your male and female slaves whom you may have: you may buy male and female slaves from among the nations that are around you. You may also buy from among the strangers who sojourn with you and their clans that are with you, who have been born in your land, and they may be your property. You may bequeath them to your sons after you to inherit as a possession forever. You may make slaves of them, but over your brothers the people of Israel you shall not rule, one over another ruthlessly. (Leviticus 25:44-46)
The law stipulates that Israelites were not allowed to take a man by force: "Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death." (Exodus 21:16) This refers to any man. But if the man is already a slave, the law allows him to be purchased as property. Both the law and the gospel advocated that servants be loyal to their masters, and that masters be kind to their servants.
"Servants," wrote Peter, "be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle, but to the unjust." (I Peter 2:16) And Jesus referred to himself as a slave. "But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:42-46)
Atheists view this life as it. Period. But God created man to become like Him, and this earth as an exile and a place of testing and development. The law given to the people of God in all nations consist of compassion, respect, honor, loyalty, virtue, integrity and love for God and one's fellow man. And again, Christians believe trying to judge God without knowing what He knows is folly.
Those from pagan nations who were enslaved could have had it a lot worse. They had health care, shelter, the right to marry, food, a day of rest, and even though they could be inherited, they were often given their liberty. They also were frequently educated by their masters and were allowed to take part in the family's religion. And instead of being sent to the salt mines or slaving away in the fields, most were made domestic servants. That doesn't mean slavery is a great institution, but if I were a slave back then, I'd sure as hell would rather be a servant to Israelites than Edomites, Canaanites, Egyptians, Philistines or anyone else; because the Israelites knew they were stewards over their possessions.
That's what led Job to declare, “If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or my maidservant, when they brought a complaint against me, what then shall I do when God rises up? When he makes inquiry, what shall I answer him? Did not he who made me in the womb make him? And did not one fashion us in the womb?" (Job 31: 13-15)
Finally, if a slave did escape and flee, and sought assistance from another Jew, that Jew is prohibited by the law in turning the slave back over to his master. And in that day and under those circumstances, it wasn't that difficult to escape. There were no chains and most domestic servants had enough freedom that if they really had it bad, they could escape and know the other Jews couldn't drag him back bound and gagged. That's a strange form of slavery.
This isn't mere rationalization. Although I don't like the institution of slavery, where one man owns another, who am I, or you, to judge God? But what is your object? Is it that the God of Israel is a monster because he destroys the wicked and condones slavery? Or is it that He can't exist because a perfect being would not do such things...in your opinion?
As a believer in God, I don't feel I can judge Him. But if one doesn't believe in God, slavery isn't going to be a viable part of the debate as it neither proves nor negates His existence. God does not live by the U.N. mandates, nor does He share all of our values. "For my ways are not your ways, neither are your thoughts my thoughts. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9)
As for your other jabs, have fun. No matter what others say, you've already made your judgments. If I'm right, explain them to God. If you're right, then there's no right or wrong anyway. No one will have to answer for anything. Even history will eventually crumble to pieces and be forgotten.
