Dymanic wrote:
At most, I could concede that slavery might be a component of an economic system, as might robbery, murder for gain, prostitution, gambling, or shamanism.
So, as you can see, before diving into any discussion of the slavery as immoral or moral. First, we have to agree on the fact if slavery is an economic system and the role it has played throughout history.
For this you need a history curriculum, Roman, Greek, Babylonian, etc.
But maybe some light will get through if you think about the Great Pyramids. How did the Egiptians build them?
The other curriculum to study is economic theory. If you are equating robbery to slavery, then there is a knowledge gap about the subject.
Do you know that there are a lot of book about that economic system in America? There are some authors that argue that the US would not have prospered beyond the rest of the continent without slavery. Whether we accept the argument or not, these book shed light on the dynamics of slavery and its economic impact on a society.
Are you saying that the moral implications of these things change if enough people depend enough on them for a livlihood?
And then we come to the subject of Anthropology. In many tribes, it is expected that the mother kill her own offspring if it is borned with a deformity.
This is done because it is essential to the survival of the tribe. Is this behavior immoral. I say not.
If you take and anthropogy course, you will come across the term "ethnocentricity". It describes the mental process of judging other cultures or societies based on the standards of yours.
For example, in many tribal societies (according to the geographic situation), women are very, very important to the survival of the tribe.
So, they are used for exchange. I give a you woman, you give me 20 cows.
Where in the bible does it say that? Since you have stated -- in no uncertain terms -- that the bible is the rule book, it seems logical to assume then that you have some scriptural basis for this assertion.
1 Corinthians 7 NIV
21Were you a slave when you were called? Don't let it trouble you--although if you can gain your freedom, do so. 22For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord's freedman; similarly, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ's slave. 23You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. 24Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to.
Now, to understand the context of this passage, one must know a little about Roman Law. If you study Roman Law you will see that slave could win their freedom precisely because slavery was an economic condition. And based on economic rules, you could buy your freedom.
It is completely logical to go through the mental process of determing that once all economic conditions have been met, there should be no slaves.
It was illegal for a Roman citizen to deny freedom to a slave who had already met the requirements for freedom.
If it's simply a judgement call on your part, how is this any different from such a call made by an MA?
Not at all.
My response to this statement by you:
A Christian can commit adultery and still go to heaven, yet, he will suffer the consequences of that action..
I won't repost it. It's the third post on the third page of this thread.
I missed it or thought was being answered by the Loki exchange.
By Dymanic
Are you saying that the Christian adulterer faces consequences in heaven -- in addition to the earthly consequences both he and the atheist adulterer face?
I think that is true. He could face consequences in heave as well.
Matthew 6 NIV
1"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Prayer
5"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Fasting
16"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Treasures in Heaven
19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Darat wrote:
So morality is just relative?
Just like physics.
)