How can we take the Bible as an unchanging guide to morality when it condones slavery?

@specman

You can murder men and women and keep the virgin girls as your slaves.

Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man, but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man.
-Numbers 31:17-18

You can beat them to within an inch of their life and suffer no consequence.

Anyone who beats their male or female slave with a rod must be punished if the slave dies as a direct result, but they are not to be punished if the slave recovers after a day or two, since the slave is their property.
-Exodus 21:20-21

You can keep them forever and pass them on to your children as your property.

‘Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. You can bequeath them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly.
-Leviticus 25:44-46

@Pikachu
Once again it shows that "believers" are too lazy to read and comprehend their favorite ancient ethnocentric Middle Eastern Jewish religious fairytale. If they did, chances are they wouldn't be "believers."

From the River to the Sea and From the Sea to the River Jordan.

@Pikachu you have to tell the beginning of the story

Numbers
The Midianites Spoiled and Balaam Slain.
1, 2.
the Lord spake unto Moses, Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites — a semi-nomad people, descended from Abraham and Keturah, occupying a tract of country east and southeast of Moab, which lay on the eastern coast of the Dead Sea. They seem to have been the principal instigators of the infamous scheme of seduction, planned to entrap the Israelites into the double crime of idolatry and licentiousness by which, it was hoped, the Lord would withdraw from that people the benefit of His protection and favor. Moreover, the Midianites had rendered themselves particularly obnoxious by entering into a hostile league with the Amorites (Jos 13:21). The Moabites were at this time spared in consideration of Lot (De 2:9) and because the measure of their iniquities was not yet full. God spoke of avenging “the children of Israel” (Nu 31:2); Moses spoke of avenging the Lord (Nu 31:3), as dishonor had been done to God and an injury inflicted on His people. The interests were identical. God and His people have the same cause, the same friends, and the same assailants. This, in fact, was a religious war, undertaken by the express command of God against idolaters, who had seduced the Israelites to practice their abominations.


Exodus

Slavery was accepted in those days! Times context! You can't judge with today's standards. The verse was a LAW in those times!

20 “If a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod and he dies at his hand, he shall be punished.
21 “If, however, he survives a day or two, no vengeance shall be taken; for he is his property.

Levitcus

Again you can't judge by today's standards.

44 ‘As for your male and female slaves whom you may have — you may acquire male and female slaves from the pagan nations that are around you.
45 ‘Then, too, it is out of the sons of the sojourners who live as aliens among you that you may gain acquisition, and out of their families who are with you, whom they will have produced in your land; they also may become your possession.
46 ‘You may even bequeath them to your sons after you, to receive as a possession; you can use them as permanent slaves. But in respect to your countrymen, the sons of Israel, you shall not rule with severity over one another


Your reply is out of context and you judge by today's standards.
Your also putting your values on people that live by different values

@specman


Exactly my point. How can you take the Bible as a timeless guide from morality with divine source when an unequivocally abhorrent practice like slavery was not only allowed by codified?

There is NO context under which taking virgin girls as sex slaves after you kill their families is ok.
There is NO context under which it should be a general rule that you can beat your slave so badly that it takes them days just to stand back up.
There is NO context under which it is ok to pass a human being down as property to your children.

Slavery was indeed accepted in those days...why? Why did god make commandments against murder and theft and lying etc but reckoned owning humans as objects was fine and how can we take seriously the moral foundation of document that would support it?

@Pikachu I am not going to argue the Bible with you! I DON'T argue the Bible. Sorry

@specman

I didn't ask you to.
You asked a question, i answered it.

You then attempted to excuse the presence of slavery in the bible and i pointed out why that excuse was inadequate.

I'm happy to leave it at that. No apology needed.