re: #191 Gus

Christians who are slaves should give their masters full respect so that the name of God and his teaching will not be shamed. If your master is a Christian, that is no excuse for being disrespectful. You should work all the harder because you are helping another believer by your efforts. Teach these truths, Timothy, and encourage everyone to obey them. (1 Timothy 6:1-2 NLT)

For the hell of it, I looked this up on Google specifically for religious interpretation/commentary. I’m wondering how people would interpret God telling slaves to suck it up and worship their master.

As usual, the apologists never fail to disappoint:

In the first century, slaves formed a distinct group within the society of the Roman Empire. Although they were the property of their masters, in practice this did not prevent many of them from experiencing a good deal of freedom and social mobility. Many earned a living or worked in partnership with their owners. Some actually held positions of authority within businesses or administrative posts in lower levels of the government. It was also not unusual for a slave to receive a good education. On the whole, the slaves in the churches of Asia Minor who heard Paul’s message lived in a time when conditions were improving. Nevertheless, the desire to be free of slavery was always present. It might be won by outstanding service. But some saw in the gospel a more direct route.

A minor quibble from me: THEY WERE STILL SLAVES.

I’ve actually paid more attention to the Bible as an atheist than I ever did as a lazy Catholic. The sheer amount of insane read-between-the-lines that people apply is overwhelming. I’m guessing it’s the same for the Koran, Torah, et. al.

If you draw strength from this stuff, have at it. It just seems like trying to apply Bronze Age stories in a world where we can walk on the freaking moon is a lot of work.