Why Did So Many Christians Support Slavery? [View all]

[MineralMan]

https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/issues/issue-33/why-christians-supported-slavery.html

There has been some talk here about Christians who led during the civil rights movement. We're all aware of some of them, like Dr. King. But there's a good reason for their leadership. They were standing against attitudes of many other Christians who had supported slavery, using Biblical references. We all understand the fight against slavery and, by extension, for equal rights for all people. But, that was not the case during much of the 19th century and earlier. Many defenses for slavery were made from the pulpit. Here's an article from Christianity Today that lays out the facts.

Why Did So Many Christians Support Slavery?
Key reasons advanced by southern church leaders

Many southern Christians felt that slavery, in one Baptist minister’s words, “stands as an institution of God.” Here are some common arguments made by Christians at the time:

Biblical Reasons
• Abraham, the “father of faith,” and all the patriarchs held slaves without God’s disapproval (Gen. 21: 9–10).

• Canaan, Ham’s son, was made a slave to his brothers (Gen. 9:24–27).

• The Ten Commandments mention slavery twice, showing God’s implicit acceptance of it (Ex. 20:10, 17).

• Slavery was widespread throughout the Roman world, and yet Jesus never spoke against it.

There's more at the link. Christianity has supported many things, some of them as evil as it gets. Christianity has always been a complex religion, and not all Christians believe the same nor act for the common good. We should never forget that when discussing the role of religion in society.