Slavery, Servitude, and the misguided
This image or meme was posted by a friend on Facebook and, to be honest, I was horribly offended that someone I was invested in could be so ignorant. I had to reply and wrote “The concept of slavery in biblical times was different from the modern understanding of slavery and was often associated with servitude or indentured labor.”
I should have realized that there would be repercussions and, sure enough, evil exposed itself. My friend responded in expressing the beliefs that have been accepted from today’s secular society.
The dialog continued, and I want to share it with you, because I believe the topic is important – so I’ll represent the dialog between Me and Friend, and then expand on it.
Me:
Facts matter. Truth matters.
This is going to be long, but important.
The Israelites went into Egypt due to a severe famine that affected the region during the time of Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his brothers but later became a high-ranking official in Egypt. According to the Bible, Joseph’s ability to interpret dreams helped him predict the famine, and he advised Pharaoh to store grain during the years of plenty to prepare for the upcoming scarcity.
As a result of Joseph’s wise counsel, Egypt had an abundance of food while the surrounding regions suffered from the famine. Jacob, Joseph’s father, sent his sons (including Joseph) to Egypt to buy grain. Eventually, Jacob and his entire family relocated to Egypt to survive the famine and benefit from the provisions stored by Joseph.
This migration of the Israelites to Egypt marked the beginning of their time there, which eventually led to their enslavement and the events described in the Book of Exodus.
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The departure of the Israelites from Egypt is a significant event known as the Exodus. According to the Bible, the Exodus was led by Moses, who was chosen by God to confront Pharaoh and demand the release of the Israelites from slavery.
After Pharaoh refused to let the Israelites go, God sent ten plagues upon Egypt, with the final plague being the death of the firstborn in every Egyptian household. The Israelites were instructed to mark their doorposts with lamb’s blood so that the angel of death would pass over their homes.
Following this devastating plague, Pharaoh finally relented and allowed the Israelites to leave Egypt. The Israelites departed in haste, taking only unleavened bread as they did not have time for their dough to rise. This event is commemorated by the Jewish holiday of Passover.
The Israelites journeyed through the desert towards the Promised Land, facing various trials and challenges along the way. The Exodus is a central event in Jewish history and is considered a foundational story of faith and liberation.
Friend:
I’m not sure if I understand your point.
The point of the meme is that the bible is outdated and not a guide of how to morally conduct yourself. Nor is it law. Nor should it be law, with separation of church and state.
I don’t understand what you are trying to justify besides explaining exactly what the meme says. 
servitude is still slavery.
Me:
I’m sorry that this response is so long – I tried to make it shorter but couldn’t.
I disagree with you on several points. The 66 books of the Bible give history and guidance, while conveying the love that God has for us – still to this day.
You refer to Law, which i take as a reference to the Ten Commandments. The Bible tells us that the commandments were given to help mankind, not burden – and Jesus, when asked what is the greatest of these said “‘love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’ He emphasized that these two are ALL the Law.” I don’t think that will ever get old.
Separation of Church and State was a concept of protecting the Church from the State, as mentioned in the writings of John Locke and Thomas Jefferson. It is not reciprocal – it does not protect the State from the Church.
I generally don’t shy away from third rail topics, but on discussing slavery, there is an overwhelming need to be respectful; but it is also necessary to define what slavery is, because we’re talking about one of the darkest moments in the history of mankind.
Born and raised in England, the terms “serf” and “peasant” were well known and are contemporaneously used as synonyms of slavery – they are not. Serfs and peasants were indentured by necessity, as were the Israelites in Bible texts, due to famine; but in these same texts, Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. Human chattel.
When we see the use of the word “slave” in Biblical texts, we are dealing with a translation from Hebrew, Latin, or Greek, into English, and we must be careful of interpretation. When the Apostle Paul wrote “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.” Do you think he was speaking of Human Chattel? I think he was speaking of indentured servitude.
Slavery in the 18th and 19th centuries is an awful blemish on humankind, and one we should all be ashamed of, even to this day – but we should not allow it to be associated in any way with the love that God has for us – for All of us.
There has not been further follow-up yet, but I’m confident there will be. St Croix certainly attracts non-believers, but I am always encouraged by the number who find themselves seeking for something that they find missing in their lives. How prevalent is this? Well, research underestimates the number of nonbelievers, as they often face stigma and may be reluctant to identify themselves, says Will Gervais, PhD, at the University of Kentucky. His analysis suggests the true prevalence of atheism may be closer to 26%.
In 2020, the American Psychological Association reported on a three year study to explore nonbelief in Brazil, China, Denmark, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. Miguel Farias, PhD, Coventry University, England, co-authored the subsequent report which found only a fraction of nonbelievers used the terms “atheist” or “agnostic,” often preferring terms like “nonreligious,” “spiritual but not religious,” “secular,” “humanist” or “freethinker.” In the United States, only 39% of non-believers described themselves as atheists.
I think many of the more recent “come-here’s” on St Croix favor the use of the term “spiritual”, with a hodgepodge of belief systems such as the use of crystals to promote physical, emotional, and spiritual healing – an interaction with the body’s energy field; the idea is that crystals can redirect and re-channel energy flow with their unique energetic vibrations and frequencies. These are the people I call friends and spend my time with.
I had written at the beginning of this post that I was horribly offended that someone I was invested in could be so ignorant. Is that how Jesus thought of me during the time that I was denying Him? I think not. I think He spent time with me, waiting patiently for me, waiting for me to ask Him into my life. Waiting for me to realize that the emptiness I felt was the hole in my soul that needed to be filled with Him.