Christianity and slavery (Split from Who Should Pay Child Support)

[Trausti]

Early Christian sects were violent.

Um, no they weren't. They were rounded up and persecuted by the Romans.  Blandina Pliny the Younger's letter to Trajan discussed how oddly benign they were. Christian violence doesn't really come forth until Charlemagne, after Boniface's failed attempt to peacefully convert the Germans.

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

The basic principle is "children are the property of their fathers". If you accept that one axiom, most of what they conclude becomes a compelling conclusion.

Eh? Isn't the RCC position that of universalism, that God loves everyone, especially the meek? That's the whole ethos of Christianity.

Not according to conservatives.

 

[Trausti]

It's not a Christian idea. It's just (yet another) idea that's been appropriated by Christianity because they could see that it was popular.

So it was just a happy accident that it was the Christian West, and in no other time or place, where the idea arose.

 

[TomC]

It's not a Christian idea. It's just (yet another) idea that's been appropriated by Christianity because they could see that it was popular.

So it was just a happy accident that it was the Christian West, and in no other time or place, where the idea arose.

I think that there were multiple reasons.

Two of which were

The wholesale genocide and pillaging of the globe created a class of wealthy educated elites who weren't beholden to either the church or aristocracy.

The incoherence of Scriptural theology and ethical teachings.

Among other reasons, these caused people to consider whether or not scriptural beliefs were really the best we could do. As a result, secular values like basic human rights and representative government and methodical science started to ascend. Eventually proving so superior to traditional values that Christians started adopting them and pretending that the secular values were in the Bible all along.

Tom

 

[bilby]

It's not a Christian idea. It's just (yet another) idea that's been appropriated by Christianity because they could see that it was popular.

So it was just a happy accident that it was the Christian West, and in no other time or place, where the idea arose.

Not at all. The idea has arisen in many places and times.

It's just an obvious extension of the golden rule. You shouldn't enslave people, because you wouldn't want to be enslaved yourself.

That's not a Christian idea.

 

[Gospel]

The bible including an instruction manual for slavery ended this debate before it started.