Does the Bible Really Support Slavery?

This verse tells slaves to obey their masters:

"Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ," - Ephesians 6:5

This verse tells slaves to be submissive to their masters:

"Slaves are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior." - Titus 2:9-10

But this one tells people to never submit to the yoke of slavery:

"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." - Galatians 5:1

This verse is against the stealing and selling of people (therefore is against slavery):

“Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death." - Exodus 21:16

this is were I found the verses:

So I must ask:

Does the Bible really support slavery? 

Recognizing the reality of slavery is not the same thing as condoning slavery.

 Ephesians 6:5 and Titus 2:9-10 seem to be clearly demanding that slaves obey and be submissive to their masters. it says that slaves should obey their earthly masters, just how they would obey Christ. this seems more of a command then a recognition of a part of reality. 

"Thou shalt not kill" 

That is one of the most famous commandments, hell, one of the most famous verses in the bible! Murder is a reality that any human could attest to - it is something that happened. Yet. The almighty still said that that should be stopped, he commanded that no one kill. Why didn't he do that with slavery? Because if he didn't then at the bare minimum he is not upset at it happening, he does not feel the need to prohibit the behavior of slavery. What? That sounds like condoning to me.

Not only that but these verse clearly establish that God is telling them how to get slaves and treat slaves. So again, your argument does not work there buckaroo, regulating slavery is a lot more than "acknowledging it's existence." You know, Jarrett left off a famous verse in the tells of slavery in the bible, and I won't lie, I'm a little peeved off. This one is clear in what God wants humans to do to slaves. He makes it clear exactly what is too far, and what is allowable in his eyes without punishment. 

"“When a man strikes his slave, male or female, with a rod and the slave dies under his hand, he shall be avenged. But if the slave survives a day or two, he is not to be avenged, for the slave is his money."  Exodus 21:20-21

So... as long as the Slave survives a whipping or lashing.... there is no punishment for the man... because he is his "money". That is sick and disgusting. 

Obedience is considered a virtuous thing to us Christians, believe it or not. Maybe not as obvious with protestants.

The church doesn't condone slavery. Slavery is something in the domain of secular authorities.

What? I could care less about what the church does and doesn't condone, I care about what the book they claim to be "perfect" condones!

We do not claim a book is perfect, we claim that God is perfect.

The church is not a secular authority, nor is it supposed to be. In fact, to make ecclesiastical authoeity secular authoritynis the heresy of caeseropapism.

The Mosaic law is for a secular government. We have secular governments now. I live in the United States. I am under the law of that land. The ancient Hebrews had their own law. 

Uh huh, so in other words, it doesn't matter that the bible condones slavery? Because that's what this is about, lets not change the subject here - the Bible condones slavery.

"If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing."  Exodus 21:2

Just as divorce was instituted in the law as a condescension for human weakness and the reality of a  situation, so were these laws pertaining to slavery.

Historically speaking, every society has practiced slavery. There wasn't much about avoiding it either.

The church does not condone slavery.

But slavery even exists even in modern "slave free" society in the form of addiction and idolatry. Why, these things evnlen lead people to voluntarily lending their bodies over to control by another.

None of that is of literally any relevance, the bible condoned slavery, do you agree or disagree? It doesn't matter if every country had it, every country also had murder, and god said to stop doing that, so why didn't he say that to slavery?

I wonder how many things you use in your everyday life that are made by slaves. I wonder how much of your own money is given to those who hold slaves. I wonder how much intellectual property you use without giving to the people who produce them.

Slavery exists because of fat Americans like you. Don't kid yourself. You have no moral highground. You are simply a hypocrite. I doubt you hold yourself to the same standards you hold those you dislike to.

What? First of all this isn't at all an argument that you're making, and second of all, there are very specific efforts that all companies be ware where they are getting their materials and supplies, which a conscientious consumer can easily avoid getting. Not only that, but you can start with efforts to donate to funds that work to get slavery annihilated. Trying to argue "You have no moral high ground" Is not only not an argument, it isn't even true. Not only that but there is a very large difference between intellectual property and slavery, not only that, but any ideas I come up with I came up with - and you really can't prove otherwise. Sure I was influenced by other people's ideas, but facts aren't "intellectual property" and I always cite something whenever i have a statistic, so you really have no idea what you're talking about. This is what happens whenever I back you into a corner I see. Instead of using actual arguments you resort to tu quoques and ad hominems.

Slavery exists because people are greedy.

Slavery exists because people are lazy.

Slavery exists because people are power hungry.

Slavery exists because people are rebellious.

Slavery exists because we live in a world with people.

Then some white knights come in and in the name of abolishingnslavery manage to enslave the population.

Slavery isn't going away any time soon.

I am simply pointing out that the measure you use to judge will be used to judge you.

Even moreso because you think you know better, but hold other people to standards you yourself don't hold.

Look, I'm not truly hating on you. All I am saying is that we don't condone slavery, and your accusation is false. Youncertainly are not going to convince me that you know what I believe better than I do.

I'm not saying you condone slavery! I'm not even saying the church condones slavery!! Obviously most of them don't I'm simply pointing out that the bible condones slavery, that's all I was saying, and that's what this is about! I'm sorry, but I know better than any god that claims slavery to be fine.

The bible doesn't condone slavery. 

Neither does the bible condone divorce.

In fact, the bible doesn't condone anything, because the bible is a book. A book that shouldn't be looked at apart from the context of what the orthodox church teaches.

The context explicitly allows and tells you how to treat slaves and where to get them, that is condoning slavery, don't try to escape that fact.

As I said, these laws, which were the laws of the ancient Hebrew state, addressed the reality of slavery in that culture and time.

It's not a condoning of slavery any more than the laws that allow for divorce condone divorce.

No, the fact that god did not PROHIBIT slavery that shows that he condoned it. It is the fact that he is saying that you are allowed to own people as property and beat them.

Just about every society before the industrial revolution practiced slavery openly. 

But it was Jewish and Christian thought that planted the seeds for the abolishing of slavery. Or really, more accurately, making slavery nicer. You can't get rid of slavery, it will always be there.

It wouldn't have been possible to prohibit slavery.

If I can budge in here, the reason I made this forum is because the bible gives confusing messages about slavery. In one verse,  Ephesians 6:5, the bible tells slaves to obey their masters, thus condoning slavery. but in another,  Exodus 21:16, the punishment of stealing, selling or owning people is death, thus the bible is strictly against slavery (in this verse). I will never say that the church is for slavery (it is not), but I do ask christens to clarify the confusion and contradiction there is about slavery in scripture. in one verse, the bible punishes slave-owners and slave-sellers with death, and in another verse, slaves must obey their masters.

Well here's how I look at it, from the context around those verses the bible is saying that specific a group of people is this applicable to, also, it is saying, "Steal a man and sell him" nothing about keeping the man as a slave. I would say that the verses that say that slavery are bad are outweighed by the verses that say its good. Also the fact that the 10 commandments say nothing about slavery

Obedience to those who have authority over us is very much in line with the way we are taught to conduct ourselves. If you are in a work environment, do what the boss says. Work as if you were working for God, not man. If you do things this way, you can abide in peace even in bondage. 

This is really really really crazy. There are so many logical issues with this including religious ones that it’s unbelievable someone could think of this.

And you have the gall to say “The church doesn't condone slavery. Slavery is something in the domain of secular authorities.”

Render to caesar what is caesars.

To God, what is belongs to Him.

You weren’t talking about Caesar which ruled Rome 2000 years ago which he had control over religious institutions and the bible.

You act in such bad faith.