RE: Religion is a poor source of morality
October 1, 2015 at 7:33 pm
(This post was last modified: October 1, 2015 at 7:34 pm by TheRocketSurgeon.)
(October 1, 2015 at 7:22 pm)Cecelia Wrote:(October 1, 2015 at 7:10 pm)TheRocketSurgeon Wrote: Minor quibble... slavery in the Bible was just as bad as "modern" slavery. There are verses which specifically state that it's okay to beat your slave to within an inch of his life, so long as he can stand again in a day or two.
Not indicative of a better or more palatable form of slavery than what we had in the USA.
And yes, the Southern resistance to abolition had a lot to do with the Bible verses, with Southern politicians actually quoting Leviticus and other slavery-supporting verses on the floor of Congress.
Yes, but the common argument is that slavery during the biblical days weren't as bad as modern days. Which would mean that admitting that would be to say that a worse version of slavery was developed under Christianity.
True. Even if you concede their argument that the version in the Bible was somehow a "nicer" form of slavery than the "modern" one, it means that the "wicked version" (using "" here to indicate irony) was developed by Christian America. But it simply isn't true that there was a measurable difference:
The Bible Wrote:Leviticus 25:44-46 (NKJV)
44 And as for your male and female slaves whom you may have—from the nations that are around you, from them you may buy male and female slaves. 45 Moreover you may buy the children of the strangers who dwell among you, and their families who are with you, which they beget in your land; and they shall become your property. 46 And you may take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them as a possession; they shall be your permanent slaves. But regarding your brethren, the children of Israel, you shall not rule over one another with rigor.
Exodus 21:20-21 (NKJV)
20 And if a man beats his male or female servant with a rod, so that he dies under his hand, he shall surely be punished. 21 Notwithstanding, if he remains alive a day or two, he shall not be punished; for he is his property.
If someone can tell me how that differs from American slavery, I'd like to know!

(The trick is to beat them just hard enough so they die on day 3 or 4, so you can avoid punishment. It's all in selecting the right rod to suit your style.)
A Christian told me: if you were saved you cant lose your salvation. you're sealed with the Holy Ghost
I replied: Can I refuse? Because I find the entire concept of vicarious blood sacrifice atonement to be morally abhorrent, the concept of holding flawed creatures permanently accountable for social misbehaviors and thought crimes to be morally abhorrent, and the concept of calling something "free" when it comes with the strings of subjugation and obedience perhaps the most morally abhorrent of all... and that's without even going into the history of justifying genocide, slavery, rape, misogyny, religious intolerance, and suppression of free speech which has been attributed by your own scriptures to your deity. I want a refund. I would burn happily rather than serve the monster you profess to love.
I replied: Can I refuse? Because I find the entire concept of vicarious blood sacrifice atonement to be morally abhorrent, the concept of holding flawed creatures permanently accountable for social misbehaviors and thought crimes to be morally abhorrent, and the concept of calling something "free" when it comes with the strings of subjugation and obedience perhaps the most morally abhorrent of all... and that's without even going into the history of justifying genocide, slavery, rape, misogyny, religious intolerance, and suppression of free speech which has been attributed by your own scriptures to your deity. I want a refund. I would burn happily rather than serve the monster you profess to love.