I can't count how many times people have said, "The Bible condones slavery". Firstly, what most people have in mind when they think of slavery is the

modern usage of the word that refers to the African slave trade or racial slavery, which the Bible most certainly does not condone. In fact, the Bible explicitly condemns the type of slavery that most people have in mind, as typified in the Atlantic slave trade.

Exodus 21:6 - And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.

Not only does the Bible condemn it, but it puts the death penalty on it.

Secondly, the KJV Bible only uses the word slave one time and the word slaves one time and context has nothing to do with anything that is in God's law or anything that God condones. The time that slavery is mentioned in Revelation 18:3, it mentions slavery as something that is practiced by a wicked, heathen nation.

Most of the time, the Bible uses the word servant and it is either referring to employment or indentured servitude. Indentured servitude is allowed and has a max of 6 years and this has to do with someone working for someone to pay off a debt. That is one type of slavery that the Bible does condone, which makes perfect sense. This is kind of like in the movies where someone can't pay their bill at a restaurant and has to wash dishes. That's right. By the way, indentured servitude is far better than our prison industrial complex. What do we do today? If someone racks up some huge bill that they can't pay, you just end up getting stiffed, you don't get paid and there's nothing you can do about it or people will just go bankrupt. That is not right, you are supposed to pay what you borrowed. In the case where someone steals from someone else, the thief goes to prison which our tax dollars has to pay for. How is this fair? What exactly is good about this system? And Is it not slavery to be locked up behind bars? But modern man is so much smarter, right? No.

Listen, locking someone in prison is more inhumane than slavery. Prison destroys people's lives and permanently damages their record and makes it harder for them to get a job. 85% off people who go into prison, their spouse divorces them. It destroys their life and it is cruel and unusual punishment. Human beings are not designed to be locked in a cage, especially not solitary confinement, It makes people go insane. We in the United States have the largest prison population in the world and vast majority of people in there are there for non-violent crimes. People don't go on about that but then they want to go on about how the Bible condones slavery. It is basically this emotionally charged word where people don't stop and think and study what the Bible actually teaches.

If you steal from someone or damage their property and you don't have the money to pay them back, then you should have to work for them to pay it off and be their bondservant. This is completely fair. It is not that God is promoting "slavery", it is that God is making allowance for "slavery" in certain situations, like people can't pay a bill, prisoners of war or criminals. And the masters in these cases are told to treat their servants well and in a just manner. But say if that servant is not doing what they are supposed to be doing, like not working at all and eating the masters food, then of course some form of punishment has to be inflicted, hence why there is physical discipline described in Luke 12:47. This is logical. This is reality. This is the real world, folks, and we need practical solutions to deal with the sinful heart of man, not idealism and utopianism which always leads to disaster, degeneracy and chaos. The Bible is a practical book that has the answer to everything.

So, the type of so called slavery that God did allow is right. God is always right about everything.

Did you know that if you're lost today, you are a slave to sin, dead in trespasses and sins. But you can be made free.

Romans 6:22 - But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

Romans 6:18 - Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

John 8:36 - If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

John 8:32 - And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

John 14:6 - Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

You see, Jesus Christ is the truth and the truth shall make you free. Jesus Christ is the only one who can free you from the prison that you are currently in. That prison is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth. It is a prison that you cannot taste or see or touch. A prison for your mind. You feel that something is deeply wrong and can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work, when you pay your taxes. Satan has your mind blinded right now and has you robotically walking according to the course of this world, according to his course.

2 Corinthians 4:4 - In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Take the blindfold off and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ today. Be set free from the matrix.

Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 5:8 - But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 10:9-10 - That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

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LeopoldBloom · M

Dan McClellan has a video explaining how the Bible does in fact condone slavery. This is supported by the original text even if the KJV mistranslates it. Southern antebellum slave owners also justified slavery based on the Bible and Christianity. The ultra-Christian North Carolina gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson also advocates for the return of slavery.

That doesn’t mean all modern Christians go along with this, but you don’t have to misrepresent what the Bible says to whitewash this.

SW-User

@LeopoldBloom You are the one who is misrepresenting. I am not misrepresenting or whitewashing, I am explaining what the Bible actually teaches. Again, what the Bible describes is indentured servitude. It is not the kind of slavery of the antebellum south and I proved that. I will quote myself and restate what I said again. Don't run from the content, address it:

Indentured servitude is allowed and has a max of 6 years and this has to do with someone working for someone to pay off a debt. That is one type of slavery that the Bible does condone, which makes perfect sense. This is kind of like in the movies where someone can't pay their bill at a restaurant and has to wash dishes. That's right. By the way, indentured servitude is far better than our prison industrial complex. What do we do today? If someone racks up some huge bill that they can't pay, you just end up getting stiffed, you don't get paid and there's nothing you can do about it or people will just go bankrupt. That is not right, you are supposed to pay what you borrowed. In the case where someone steals from someone else, the thief goes to prison which our tax dollars has to pay for. How is this fair? What exactly is good about this system? And Is it not slavery to be locked up behind bars? But modern man is so much smarter, right? No.

Listen, locking someone in prison is more inhumane than slavery. Prison destroys people's lives and permanently damages their record and makes it harder for them to get a job. 85% off people who go into prison, their spouse divorces them. It destroys their life and it is cruel and unusual punishment. Human beings are not designed to be locked in a cage, especially not solitary confinement, It makes people go insane. We in the United States have the largest prison population in the world and vast majority of people in there are there for non-violent crimes. People don't go on about that but then they want to go on about how the Bible condones slavery. It is basically this emotionally charged word where people don't stop and think and study what the Bible actually teaches.

If you steal from someone or damage their property and you don't have the money to pay them back, then you should have to work for them to pay it off and be their bondservant. This is completely fair. It is not that God is promoting "slavery", it is that God is making allowance for "slavery" in certain situations, like people can't pay a bill, prisoners of war or criminals. And the masters in these cases are told to treat their servants well and in a just manner. But say if that servant is not doing what they are supposed to be doing, like not working at all and eating the masters food, then of course some form of punishment has to be inflicted, hence why there is physical discipline described in Luke 12:47. This is logical. This is reality. This is the real world, folks, and we need practical solutions to deal with the sinful heart of man, not idealism and utopianism which always leads to disaster, degeneracy and chaos. The Bible is a practical book that has the answer to everything.

Also, the KJV doesn't mistranslate anything. Firstly, God says in Psalms 12:6-7 that he would preserve his words and he did. My former Pastor has an expertise in languages and translation; he is fluent in multiple languages, including the Greek of the New Testament and he has proven that what we have in our King James Bible is exactly the same as what was in the original text. I highly doubt that you are fluent in any other languages and I highly doubt you have any expertise when it comes to languages and translation. All you are doing is parroting the talking points of textual critics, all of whom have been debunked over and over. Not to mention, you don't even have a fraction of the intellect of the 54 scholars and translators of the King James Bible. So, not only are you so arrogant to say that you're smarter than 54 of some of the smartest scholars to ever live, but you also say that you are smarter than God.

The men on the translation committee of the King James Bible were, without dispute, the most learned men of their day and vastly qualified for the job which they undertook. They were overall both academically qualified by their cumulative knowledge and spiritually qualified by their exemplary lives. Among their company were men who, academically, took a month's vacation and used the time to learn and master an entirely foreign language; wrote a Persian dictionary; invented a specialized mathematical ruler, one was an architect; mastered oriental languages; publicly debated in Greek; tutored Queen Elizabeth in Greek and mathematics; and of one it was said, "Hebrew he had at his fingers end". Yet head knowledge can be a curse if not tempered by a fervent, pious heart. In this, the spiritual realm, they were light years ahead of many today who flaunt their education yet fail in any attempt at a practical, personal witness.

This company was blessed with men known for their zeal and tact in debating and converting Romanists to Christ. They spent hours in private and family devotions. Many did the work of evangelism and even that of missionary representatives of later Queen Elizabeth. One, lived to the age of one hundred and three years. In the closing years of his life, after preaching for two full hours he said to his congregation, "I will no longer trespass on your patience" to which the entire congregation cried out with one consent, "For God's sake go on". He then continued his exposition of the Word of God at length.

Also, today's scholars are NOT better equipped to translate the Bible than the King James translators were. The scholarship of the men who translated the King James Bible is literally unsurpassable by today's scholars. Two books available best illustrate this and should be read by anyone who wants to seriously study the subject. They are Translators Revived , by Alexander McClure, Maranatha Publications, and The Men Behind the King James Version, by Gustavus Paine, Baker Book House. The men of the King James translation committee were scholars of unparalleled ability.

Secondly, it would be foolish and contradictory to believe that today's scholars ever could equal or surpass those of the Authorized Version. Most Christians agree that the world, with time, degenerates. Morals have degenerated since 1611. Character has degenerated since 1611. Even our atmosphere has degenerated. Are we then to believe that education has gotten better? Only a worshiper of education could pretend to believe such a fairy tale. Education has degenerated along with the entire world system and could never produce a scholar equal to those of nearly four hundred years ago.

LeopoldBloom · M

@SW-User It's fine if you're not interested in the original languages, but the KJV is mistranslated. And the translators had an agenda. Ignoring the originals is basically disrespecting the writers, instead putting your own preferred reading of the text above what they were trying to say.

I'm sure you hate Dan McClellan but he's 100x the scholar you are. And romaticizing the KJV translators is more of you putting your own interpretation on other people's work and not letting them speak for themselves. The KJV "scholars" weren't the authorities you think they were. They basically cribbed from the Geneva Bible, which was itself cribbed from earlier translations. Even in the 17th century, the KJV language was archaic. It's mainly popular with American Protestant fundamentalists.

For an ignoramus, you sure are certain of yourself.

SW-User

@LeopoldBloom You evaded everything that I said. You didn't address one thing. You don't even know the original languages, you are not fluent in any other languages, you know nothing about languages or the translation process at all, so don't comment on things that you are ignorant about. Your ignoramus comment is total projection. Just saying that the KJV is mistranslated is not an argument. The KJV is not mistranslated and you have not an iota of proof for this because there is none.

Unlike Westcott, Hort, and the R.V. Committee, King James went through great efforts to guard the 1611 translation from errors. Please note the following:

In 1604, King James announced that fifty-four Hebrew and Greek scholars had been appointed to translate a new Bible for English speaking people. The number was reduced to forty-seven by the time the work formally began in 1607.
Rather than working together all at one location, these men were divided into six separate groups, which worked at three separate locations. There were two at Westminster, two at Oxford, and two at Cambridge.
Each group was given a selected portion of Scripture to translate.
Each scholar made his own translation of a book, and then passed it on to be reviewed by each member of his group.
The whole group then went over the book together.
Once a group had completed a book of the Bible, they sent it to be reviewed by the other five groups.
All objectionable and questionable translating was marked and noted, and then it was returned to the original group for consideration.
A special committee was formed by selecting one leader from each group. This committee worked out all of the remaining differences and presented a finished copy for the printers in 1611.
This means that the King James Bible had to pass at least FOURTEEN examinations before going to press.
Throughout this entire process, any learned individuals of the land could be called upon for their judgment, and the churches were kept informed of the progress.

SW-User

@LeopoldBloom The TEXTUS RECEPTUS, original Greek text from which the Authorized King James Bible was translated, has been the target of textual critics since 1611. Yet copies of it substantially exist today without error.

THE PURE FOUNDATION OF THE KING JAMES VERSION
The Old Testament of the King James Bible was translated from the Masoretic Text. This text was in use during the time of Christ and He quoted from them many times. If the Masoretic Text was acceptable to Christ then it certainly should be accepted by every child of God. This text was kept pure by the Hebrew priests who were given the responsibility of caring for it.

The New Testament of the King James Version was translated in 1611 A.D. from the Greek manuscripts known today as the Textus Receptus. The scholars who did this work were giants in their field. They were far superior to the self-proclaimed scholars in Biblical criticism who are responsible for the rash of modern perversions.

The Textus Receptus from which the King James Bible was translated is a faithful reproduction of the original manuscripts, which were penned by the writers of the Scriptures. The T. R. or Traditional Text as it is also called has been traced back to the early church.

THE CHRONOLOGY OF THE KING JAMES VERSION
From the birth of Christ to 100 A.D. the original manuscripts were written in the Greek language.
The New Testament was compiled by 400 A.D.
by 170 A.D. -- 20 N.T. books had been accepted by the early Christians.

by 400 A.D. -- all 27 books of the N.T. had been accepted by the early Christians as they were guided by the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit guided so that only the genuine books were included.

The Holy Spirit also guided in the selection of the pure manuscripts.

The Holy Spirit so guided that false gospels and manuscripts were set aside.
the original manuscripts were lost but the Received Text that was produced during this time was a faithful reproduction of the original autographs.

452-1453 A.D. -- The Textus Receptus was used by the Greek Church during this time under the direction of the Holy Spirit.

1516 A.D. -- Erasmus edited the first printing of the Greek N.T.

This was in agreement with the Textus Receptus.

1526 A.D. -- Tyndale's New Testament in English was printed. He was burned at the stake in 1536 because he had the Bible printed in English.

1550 A.D. -- Stephens Greek N.T. (Textus Receptus).

1611 A.D. -- The King James or Authorised Version of the Bible was translated from the Greek Textus Receptus in the N.T. and Hebrew Masoretic Text in the O.T.

1611 A.D. -- To the present. Infidels and assorted enemies of the Bible have attacked our Bible in every way known to man, but God's Word shall abide forever.

I thank God for my salvation and I thank Him for preserving His Written Word for my use and for all who will rest in Him. I am convinced that the King James Bible I hold in my hand is a completely faithful reproduction of the Word of God. I can hold my Bible in my hand and say without fear that I am in possession of the Word of God that has been passed down from generation to generation by the providential protection of my Heavenly Father.

SW-User

@LeopoldBloom The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, PURIFIED SEVEN TIMES. - Psalms 12:6
English is the seventh language the Bible was written in. The seven languages recorded in history that the Bible was first written in are as follow:

1. Hebrew
2. Aramaic
3. Greek
4. Old Syriac
5. Old Latin
6. German
7. English

The King James Bible is the seventh English Bible to have its roots in the Masoretic text, (Hebrew Old Testament text) and the Textus Receptus, (Greek New Testament text).The Textus Receptus was preserved in Antioch Syria (where the disciples were first called Christians - Acts 11:26).

The first six English Bibles of the sixteenth century led to the seventh and final and perfect English, the KJB. The seven English Bibles from the proper manuscripts are as follows:

1. Tyndale New Testament 1526
2. Coverdale Bible. 1535
3. Matthew's Bible 1537
4. Great Bible 1539
5. Geneva Bible 1560
6. Bishop's Bible 1568
7. Authorized Version 1611

They were all part of the purification stages, Psalms 12:6-7, "The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times." 7. "Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever."

The 6 Modern English translations leading up to the KJV were all translated from various editions of what we call today the Greek "Textus Receptus." The first several of these printed Greek editions were published by Desiderius Erasmus, and later editions used to produce the Geneva Bible and Bishops Bible were published by Robert Estienne a.k.a Stephanus. The KJV translators also translated from the Greek Textus Receptus, using the editions of Erasmus, Stephanus, and Beza.

Modern Bible versions are translated from a completely different source. They are translated by critical texts edited by Nestle/Aland and the United Bible Societies in the 20th Century. These modern Greek editions are based on corrupt manuscripts like Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus, as well as more recent Egyptian papyri discoveries. It is not a coincidence that Egypt is the source of the corruption underlying modern perversions like the NIV, ESV, NLT, etc.

The 6 Bibles leading up to the KJV were all translated from the Textus Receptus (the correct Greek textual tradition) and are therefore consistent with the KJV. They agree with the KJV. The modern versions, on the other hand, are dramatically different. Therefore, if a person accepts the modern Bible versions as accurate, they are not only rejecting the King James Version. They are also rejecting every English Bible that came before it! According to them, every English translation before the 20th Century has been wrong!

The King James Bible is the culmination of the 6 Bibles that led up to it. It is the culmination of almost 100 years of scholarship and sacrifice that gave us our English Bible. That is why the 6 earlier translations eventually went out of print, and the KJV became the standard English Bible used by virtually all Christians until recently. People recognized that the KJV was the final draft of the English Bible, so it replace the 6 rough drafts that led up to it. The 6 Bibles before the KJV were good Bibles, and the KJV could never have been the magnificent Bible that it is without having had those 6 excellent rough drafts.

God has gone to all the trouble to inspire the perfect originals. He has collated the books of the Old Testament and New Testament and documented their authenticity. He has preserved His words against attack from Roman Catholic tyrants and Alexandrian philosophers. This process has cost Him the lives, homes, and families of some of His most faithful servants. He assembled the very best scholars in history and had them translate it into the world’s language (English) in its absolutely purest form.

SW-User

@LeopoldBloom But you will reject all of this because you reject history and truth. You reject God's word and you are an unbeliever so you cannot Understand Biblical Truth. You won’t be able to understand the Bible properly until you accept Christ as your Savior. This is the real problem. Most cults are started by people who attempt to study the Bible without the presence of the Author. The Holy Spirit is the Author. The Bible is a spiritual book and it is NOT supposed to make sense to unbelievers... “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are FOOLISHNESS UNTO HIM: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1st Corinthians 2:14).