Quote:
Originally Posted by Cheese
You would think that Jesus and the New Testament would have a different view of slavery, but slavery is still approved of in the New Testament, as the following passages show.
Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. (Ephesians 6:5 NLT)
In the following parable, Jesus clearly approves of beating slaves even if they didn't know they were doing anything wrong.
The servant will be severely punished, for though he knew his duty, he refused to do it. "But people who are not aware that they are doing wrong will be punished only lightly. Much is required from those to whom much is given, and much more is required from those to whom much more is given." (Luke 12:47-48 NLT)
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Again, a recognizance that slavery existed is not a condoning of slavery.
Telling slaves to treat their masters well, is not a statement saying that slavery is good, but rather merely a statement that tries to make the best of an existing situation.
The Luke parable is a story talking about the future using imagery that the people of Jesus' day would have understood. If you look at the whole context, it's pretty clear that Jesus isn't talking about slaves and masters at all.
None of the Old Testament passages really go against what I was saying about progressivity, which, to be fair, is a concept that can be quite hard to explain.