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The Weekend to End Slavery - Nov 14-15, 2009/ Extended
Monday, November 2, 2009 at 03:08PM
This has been extended for as long as you need. Not just for the 14 - 15th. The only difference is instead of watching the webcast live, you would download it. I'm glad because this gives more flexibility. Especially now when a number of people seem to be getting sick.
A side note -- my kit came, and it is very nice. Of the $15.00 total cost, $4.95 was straight postage (no handling). My guess is that IJM is sending them either at or below cost.
A practicle way to help fight slavery, today. Please consider it. The cost is minimal -- two movies and house party kits for $15.00 USA
From the International Justice Missions:
"At the End of Slavery" contains undercover footage and first-person testimony from for mer slaves and respected experts expose the enormity of the crime — but a remarkable strategy and the courage of today's abolitionists offer hope for a final end to this brutal trade.
Shot on location in the Philippines, India, Cambodia and the U.S., At the End of Slavery takes you to the frontlines of today's battle for justice and includes true stories of former slaves and undercover footage from police operations to rescue children from brothels. International Justice Mission's investigators, lawyers and social
workers and their clients, along with other leading abolitionists and anti-trafficking experts, show that there is nothing inevitable about slavery. Law enforcement success in finding and rescuing victims, and prosecuting perpetrators, demonstrates the real possibility of an end to this trade."
The Weekend to End Slavery will be two days of united effort across the United States to educate communities about slavery and mobilize the movement to end this abuse in our lifetime.
During the Weekend to End Slavery, November 14 and 15, people around the country will learn about modern-day slavery, teach others about this injustice, share the message of hope that change is possible, and advocate with members of Congress to use their power to bring slavery to an end.
The movement will continue beyond November 14 — you can help build lasting momentum by hosting your event after this date as well. Gary Haugen's live Webcast will be available for download after the weekend.
HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED?
Saturday, November 14: Individuals, families, churches, students and community groups across the country will host house parties on Saturday evening to share At the End of Slavery and begin the discussion of how we can come together to end slavery. Host an event!
That evening, IJM President and CEO Gary Haugen will address those gathered at house parties across the nation via live Webcast at 8:00pm EST. The webcast will be available for download on attheEndofSlavery.com after the live webcast is over. (Details on how to view this live Webcast to be announced on the At the End of Slavery news/updates page).
Get your House Party kit and start planning your own event today!
Sunday, November 15: Churches across the country will share the message of biblical justice and engage people of faith in the struggle to seek justice and rescue the oppressed.
View more resources for churches and learn how to involve yours in the Weekend to End Slavery.
IS NOV. 14 THE ONLY TIME TO HOST A PARTY?
You can host a screening at any time! The Weekend to End Slavery offers the opportunity to join with thousands others across the U.S. to propel the justice movement forward in a unified effort.
But growing the movement is extremely valuable at any time, so if you can't host your At the End of Slavery house party this weekend, please host another time! Those who host their parties in advance of November 14 can encourage guests to host their own screenings on November 14 as one of their first action steps.
Reader Comments (3)
I am sure you mean well, but the Bible is so full of endorsement of slavery it makes me sick.
Your cherry-picking of the Bible is hypocritical at best, distasteful at least.
The Bible clearly approves of slavery in many passages, and it goes so far as to tell how to obtain slaves, how hard you can beat them, and when you can have sex with the female slaves.
Many Jews and Christians will try to ignore the moral problems of slavery by saying that these slaves were actually servants or indentured servants. Many translations of the Bible use the word "servant", "bondservant", or "manservant" instead of "slave" to make the Bible seem less immoral than it really is. While many slaves may have worked as household servants, that doesn't mean that they were not slaves who were bought, sold, and treated worse than livestock.
The following passage shows that slaves are clearly property to be bought and sold like livestock.
However, you may purchase male or female slaves from among the foreigners who live among you. You may also purchase the children of such resident foreigners, including those who have been born in your land. You may treat them as your property, passing them on to your children as a permanent inheritance. You may treat your slaves like this, but the people of Israel, your relatives, must never be treated this way. (Leviticus 25:44-46 NLT)
The following passage describes how the Hebrew slaves are to be treated.
If you buy a Hebrew slave, he is to serve for only six years. Set him free in the seventh year, and he will owe you nothing for his freedom. If he was single when he became your slave and then married afterward, only he will go free in the seventh year. But if he was married before he became a slave, then his wife will be freed with him. If his master gave him a wife while he was a slave, and they had sons or daughters, then the man will be free in the seventh year, but his wife and children will still belong to his master. But the slave may plainly declare, 'I love my master, my wife, and my children. I would rather not go free.' If he does this, his master must present him before God. Then his master must take him to the door and publicly pierce his ear with an awl. After that, the slave will belong to his master forever. (Exodus 21:2-6 NLT)
Notice how they can get a male Hebrew slave to become a permanent slave by keeping his wife and children hostage until he says he wants to become a permanent slave. What kind of family values are these?
The following passage describes the sickening practice of sex slavery. How can anyone think it is moral to sell your own daughter as a sex slave?
When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she will not be freed at the end of six years as the men are. If she does not please the man who bought her, he may allow her to be bought back again. But he is not allowed to sell her to foreigners, since he is the one who broke the contract with her. And if the slave girl's owner arranges for her to marry his son, he may no longer treat her as a slave girl, but he must treat her as his daughter. If he himself marries her and then takes another wife, he may not reduce her food or clothing or fail to sleep with her as his wife. If he fails in any of these three ways, she may leave as a free woman without making any payment. (Exodus 21:7-11 NLT)
So these are the Bible family values! A man can buy as many sex slaves as he wants as long as he feeds them, clothes them, and screws them!
What does the Bible say about beating slaves? It says you can beat both male and female slaves with a rod so hard that as long as they don't die right away you are cleared of any wrong doing.
When a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod so hard that the slave dies under his hand, he shall be punished. If, however, the slave survives for a day or two, he is not to be punished, since the slave is his own property. (Exodus 21:20-21 NAB)
You would think that Jesus and the New Testament would have a different view of slavery, but slavery is still approved of in the New Testament, as the following passages show.
Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. (Ephesians 6:5 NLT)
Christians who are slaves should give their masters full respect so that the name of God and his teaching will not be shamed. If your master is a Christian, that is no excuse for being disrespectful. You should work all the harder because you are helping another believer by your efforts. Teach these truths, Timothy, and encourage everyone to obey them. (1 Timothy 6:1-2 NLT)
In the following parable, Jesus clearly approves of beating slaves even if they didn't know they were doing anything wrong.
The servant will be severely punished, for though he knew his duty, he refused to do it. "But people who are not aware that they are doing wrong will be punished only lightly. Much is required from those to whom much is given, and much more is required from those to whom much more is given." (Luke 12:47-48 NLT)
Hello Seborgarsen .
You raise a number of interesting questions. These seem based on either you misunderstood what was said, or you have removed the passage from the context of time and its surrounding passages. To understand ancient writings, we have to place them in their historical context. To understand any communication, written or spoken, we have to keep the various sentences in context of the whole statement.
Then of course, some prefer to distort intentionally. They need healing for their anger. I can’t imagine a simple post would help a person in that condition.
For now, I will assume you fall into the first category. I believe people deserve a fair hearing. Because I do not know you, personally, I will not presume to judge your motives.
As your thesis you state,
If I understand what you have written correctly, you have presented what you believe are five examples that support your thesis.I will start with the more apparently horrifying ones. But first, I want to touch on the need to understand individual statements as they are set in the whole body of a writing. More later, but for now, let’s look at two statements, one each from the Old and new Testaments that address the Lord’s view on the matter.
From the OT, Exodus 21: 16
““Kidnappers must be put to death, whether they are caught in possession of their victims or have already sold them as slaves.” (NLT)
Here He states that slave-traders deserve capital punishment. Hardly an endorsement.
The NT states the same, lumping slave traders in with murderers.
“We also know that law[a] is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine” (1Timothy 1: 9-10 NIV)
No endorsement of slavery there, either.
On to your specific questions. You ask:
1)
You use this scripture to back up your statement:
(Exodus 21: 20-21 NLT)Taken that way, it sounds pretty bad.
One problem. You pulled it out of context.
The scripture you cite is from a section of law dealing with penalties and restitution for personal injury. You left out the preceding verses:
Cases of Personal Injury
12 “Anyone who assaults and kills another person must be put to death.* 13 But if it was simply an accident permitted by God, I will appoint a place of refuge where the slayer can run for safety. 14 However, if someone deliberately kills another person, then the slayer must be dragged even from my altar and be put to death.
15 “Anyone who strikes father or mother must be put to death.
16 “Kidnappers must be put to death, whether they are caught in possession of their victims or have already sold them as slaves.
17 “Anyone who dishonors[b] father or mother must be put to death.
18 “Now suppose two men quarrel, and one hits the other with a stone or fist, and the injured person does not die but is confined to bed. 19 If he is later able to walk outside again, even with a crutch, the assailant will not be punished but must compensate his victim for lost wages and provide for his full recovery. **
20 “If a man beats his male or female slave with a club and the slave dies as a result, the owner must be punished.(See verse 12*) 21 But if the slave recovers within a day or two, then the owner shall not be punished, since the slave is his property .”(See verse 19**) (Exodus 21: 12-21)
Nowhere in scripture does it state slaves are not people. The punishment for killing another person stated in verse 12 is death. Ironic that death is also the punishment for enslaving another person, verse 16.
The one difference between slave and free, is that one doing the injury must pay the free man for his lost wages and for it appears, the needed medical help. If he injured his own slave, he already has lost the “wages” by losing the slave’s (or servant’s) productivity. He is also the one who needs to provide medical care.
So, your statement that “the Bible says” it is okay to beat slaves is incorrect. Same penalty as in the death of a free man if the slave dies. If the slave recovers, the man already bears the cost in lost productivity. The only punishment for beating a free man who subsequently recovers, is to compensate the man for time lost at work. Both are basically the same thing.
More tomorrow…
Seborgarsen -- to see the discussion on sex slavery and the bible, please go here:
Day two: The Bible Permits Sex Slaves!!!