Many religions such as Christianity, Judaism, and Islam were in support slavery.
The Bible, the book for Christianity, states in Ephesians 6:5 for "Slaves, obey your earthy masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ." The Bible later says in verse 9 that masters should treat their slaves the same way. A slave is to serve wholeheartedly since the Lord will reward the slave whether they still hold their slave status or become free.
In Judaism, the Torah defines slaves in two categories: the Eved K'naani (non-Jewish slave) and the Eved Ivri (Jewish slave). The K'naani slave refers to a who remains a slave for the rest of their life. The Ivri slave is an indentured servant that is trying to pay off debt for their family. The Ivri is set free after working for a certain amount of time.
The prophet Muhammad himself owned slaves. He did insist that if you owned slaves that they would be treated well. Even though slaves were treated as property, they were also treated as human beings. Islam continuously emphasized the importance of treating slaves with kindness and compassion. In the Hadith of Jami' Tirmidhi, one of the six books of recorded sayings of Prophet Muhammad, it says, "Allah has made some of your brothers as slaves under your care. So, whoever has his brother under his care, then let him feed him from his food and let him clothe him from his clothes. " Unlike Judaism, where they can enslave other Jews, Islam does not allow Muslims to enslave other Muslims.
Dating back to the 1800's many religious figures have been against slavery for many reasons.
In David Walker's Appeal In Four Articles, he indeed argues about the wrongings of slavery and religion. In an article written by the Young American Republic who referenced Walker's article, it says "Walker argues that it is divinely wrong to support slavery, referencing many different periods in history that prove the immorality of slavery, "Indeed, how religion was and is conducted by the Europeans and their descendants, one might believe it was a plan fabricated by themselves and the devils to oppress us.'"
In addition to this article, many figures throughout history have had the same mindset as Walker. These include William Wilberforce, Frederick Douglass, Nehemiah, The Quakers, and Richard Allen.
In particular, Wilberforce, who was twenty-one when elected into Parliament, used his platform to speak and fight against the slave trade. Sadly, William Wilberforce passed away three days after his final bill in the British Parliament was passed. Still, under his leadership and before his passing, the anti-slave trade reformers convinced Parliament to close the African traffic in 1806. Thankfully, with his heart for ending slavery and persistence, slavery was banned in the British colonies in 1833.
The article also claims “The primary argument against slavery by Christians was that it was immoral in the words of the bible. This really began to pick up speed - the argument between the religious support or repremandment of slavery - in the 1850s.” In addition to Walker’s article, the Young American Republic sources William Hosmer, Slavery and the Church, (Auburn N.Y., William J. Moses, 1853), 99 as they added to their writing: "It is not denied that the slave holder may be converted and become a Christian; he is not beyond the reach of grace, but in order to obtain it (grace) he must renounce his sins. The drunkard may become a Christian, yet not without putting away his drunkenness; mercy is gained only by repentance. Still further, it is not denied that men may be Christians ... Having premised these things, we shall now present the argument against the religious character of slave-holders. 1. Slave-holders cannot be Christians, because slavery is sin."²
Not only does religion argue for both also against slavery. People can take different scriptures to justify their actions. As people continue to practice religions such as Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, arguments for a topic as controversial as this one can still be found in their texts.
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/the-bible-was-used-to-justify-slavery-then-africans-made-it-their-path-to-freedom/2019/04/29/34699e8e-6512-11e9-82ba-fcfeff232e8f_story.html
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/history/slavery_1.shtml
- https://f.hubspotusercontent10.net/hubfs/4713562/40HadithLectureNotes/40onSocialJustice-Week-30.pdf
- https://sunnah.com/tirmidhi
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/history/slavery_1.shtml
- https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/does-the-bible-condone-slavery/
- http://projects.leadr.msu.edu/youngamerica/exhibits/show/antislaveryreligion/antislaveryreligionusa
- https://restavekfreedom.org/2016/08/05/5-religious-figures-who-stood-against-slavery/
- http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/nineteen/nkeyinfo/amabrel.htm
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