Slavery and reparations

[C R]

That may sometimes be true, but modern secularists are frequently not in much of a position to criticise ...

I saw no justification of slavery here, but rather the concept that God takes the moral wickedness of men and uses it to bring about good for those who are called according to his purpose. The preacher explicitly denied he was justifying slavery.

The slave owners were reading the same bible as that preacher, as were the afrikanners in South Africa, and were equally convinced about their righteousness. That book is so flexible that anyone can read whatever it suits them into it.

 

[theclaud]

I saw no justification of slavery here

LOL.

 

[dutchguylivingintheuk]

The slave owners were reading the same bible as that preacher, as were the afrikanners in South Africa, and were equally convinced about their righteousness. That book is so flexible that anyone can read whatever it suits them into it.

As with all religions, however when it is about Muslims and when an extremist shoot empty an machine gun in a concert hall, blows himself up during a Ariande Grande concert etc. we suddenly seem to understand it's not about what's litterly written in the book but about how one understands it and don't go all Bully XL on the Islam and call for it to be forbidden but denounce the extreme idiots instead.
So why couldn't that simply principle be applied here? Just like @Unkraut said the preacher did.

 

[C R]

As with all religions, however when it is about Muslims and when an extremist shoot empty an machine gun in a concert hall, blows himself up during a Ariande Grande concert etc. we suddenly seem to understand it's not about what's litterly written in the book but about how one understands it and don't go all Bully XL on the Islam and call for it to be forbidden but denounce the extreme idiots instead.
So why couldn't that simply principle be applied here? Just like @Unkraut said the preacher did.

The koran suffers from the exact same defect, so not sure what point it is you are trying to make.

 

[Unkraut]

If we gonna pay ''reparations''' how do we make sure we are not paying the African/black Warlords that sold us the slaves at the time?

The involvement of Africans in West Africa doesn't fit the white supremacy narrative and therefore needs to be suppressed.

That book is so flexible that anyone can read whatever it suits them into it.

Reading into it is the problem. The answer to this is exegesis, properly interpreting what the text actually says. Sometimes this is hardly necessary, you can take it at face value, at other times study of the original languages and culture can add light.

LOL.

I'm not sure that is enough to go to court with. To my mind the tweet broke 'you shall not bear false witness against your neighbour'.

 

[Electric_Andy]

I saw no justification of slavery here, but rather the concept that God takes the moral wickedness of men and uses it to bring about good for those who are called according to his purpose.

So the torture, rape, murder and prolonged withdrawal of human rights of another human population based on the colour of their skin, is actually "good for them becasue in the end they found the Bible". That is exactly what is wrong with Religion. You can elavate it to such a high standing and imply that you are saving people. This is typical of Christianity; everything bad is "man's wickedness", but everything good is all due to God.

Yeah thanks God for allowing all the slavery, I'm sure everyone apreciates it now we can pardon it all by saying black people have been given the chance to believe the Bible

 

[BoldonLad]

The slave owners were reading the same bible as that preacher, as were the afrikanners in South Africa, and were equally convinced about their righteousness. That book is so flexible that anyone can read whatever it suits them into it.

Isn't that true of all, or at least most religious books?, which leads to wonderful(?) variations in application of belief, and practice.

 

[C R]

Isn't that true of all, or at least most religious books?, which leads to wonderful(?) variations in application of belief, and practice.

Indeed, one wonders how an all powerful, all seeing entity is unable to write a book with clear guidance which is not open to misinterpretation.

 

[BoldonLad]

Indeed, one wonders how an all powerful, all seeing entity is unable to write a book with clear guidance which is not open to misinterpretation.

Indeed one does!

 

[dutchguylivingintheuk]

So the torture, rape, murder and prolonged withdrawal of human rights of another human population based on the colour of their skin, is actually "good for them becasue in the end they found the Bible". That is exactly what is wrong with Religion. You can elavate it to such a high standing and imply that you are saving people. This is typical of Christianity; everything bad is "man's wickedness", but everything good is all due to God.

Yeah thanks God for allowing all the slavery, I'm sure everyone apreciates it now we can pardon it all by saying black people have been given the chance to believe the Bible

Let me point out an very simple fact, Without people believing in god or any kind of religion slavery would have happened too, because power structures are created because of how we as humans think, not which imaginary uber power we believe in or not. But without god we would have most likely spend more time infighting to see we becomes the superpower so in a way religion helps to prevent bloodshed as well as causing it. yes that sounds very contradictory but that's because it is. when people find purpose which they find in religion they find peace, however to defend that found peace them may resort to war.

 

[Electric_Andy]

Let me point out an very simple fact, Without people believing in god or any kind of religion slavery would have happened too, because power structures are created because of how we as humans think, not which imaginary uber power we believe in or not. But without god we would have most likely spend more time infighting to see we becomes the superpower so in a way religion helps to prevent bloodshed as well as causing it. yes that sounds very contradictory but that's because it is. when people find purpose which they find in religion they find peace, however to defend that found peace them may resort to war.

you don't know that. I would argue that more people have fought and died over religion than anything else. And to suggest that opening up the eyes of black people to religion is a saving grace, is bollox

 

[dutchguylivingintheuk]

you don't know that. I would argue that more people have fought and died over religion than anything else. And to suggest that opening up the eyes of black people to religion is a saving grace, is bollox

We do know that, because the properties of human being are well known, just as those of lions, sheep, wolfs etc. are.
We didn't open the eyes of black people to religion because they had and have their own religions. Partly predominantly black area's just got introduced to a other religion, in some area's that was christianty in others it was islam and so futher and so forth. which in turn is no difference from the gods and whahalla people believed in before the arrival off Christianity.

As humans we are group animals without a god we would have a ''strong leader'' which would be overturned after an x time just as for example Lions do. Religion creates that leader and makes it untouchable, so that resources normally wasted on fighting to be the big leader no can be used for other purposes.

 

[BoldonLad]

..............

As humans we are group animals without a god we would have a ''strong leader'' which would be overturned after an x time just as for example Lions do. Religion creates that leader and makes it untouchable, so that resources normally wasted on fighting to be the big leader no can be used for other purposes.

Haven't seen that rationale for religion before.

I think it falls down just a little bit, since lots of resources are spent fighting with those of the same religion, with slightly differing views, or, fighting with those with a different "big leader".

 

[newfhouse]

I think it falls down just a little bit

Say it ain’t so.

 

[Rusty Nails]

Humans fight humans, even if we have to invent reasons to do so.