General Discussions

[PaulP]

Yep, there are many twists and turns. But it’s amazing that there’s no point-blank declaration in the Bible that slavery is evil. As you noted, that gave slavers wiggle room in the US and England to continue their trade. Ironically, Texas is now banning any reference to slavery or racism in schools now as they might cause distress to white folk. Textbooks can’t refer to Africans being kidnapped by slavers for sale in the US - apparently, they’ll be referred to as involuntary relocations. I’d love to hear religious folk trying to explain away this peculiar shortcoming in the Bible, but only if I could shut them up after they flail away for a little while.

No, there isn't any point blank declaration to that effect, but in those times, it's just how it was. Those points you make about Texas indicate a much deeper problem than religion IMO. I suggest you'll be wasting your time trying to debate Christian apologists. They have no need to seek the truth - they've already found it.

Religious folk, like most groups, exist on a spectrum. Unfortunately the extremist shouters tend to get all the headlines, possibly because they say the more attention grabbing, outlandish things. There are many moderate and / or progressive Christians who don't follow the Bible literally, and who live with more modern values, and who use their faith as part of a personal spiritual journey, and as something that helps them through life. They don't deliberately or inadvertently weaponise their faith in ways that harm others.