Slavery and Religion - Essay Example

? Slavery and Religion Slavery and Religion Slavery refers to the concept where people were bought and sold, and subjected to forced labor. They were treated as commodities or property. Thus, salves slaves belonged to a given master. Slavery is one of the major contentious issues that marred the history of humanity. On the other hand, religion refers to a collection of beliefs, and cultural systems which relate humanity to spirituality as well as to morality. In most cases, religion tends to guide people in their day-to-day lives with regards to humanity, spirituality and morality. Conversely, the two aspects, religion and slavery were a salient feature in most societies. Thus, the relationship between slavery and religion has been of major concern. They are intricately interlinked. In this regard, slavery cannot be wholly exonerated from religion. On one hand, slavery played a substantial role in the establishment and growth of slavery. On the other hand, slavery contributed to the establishment and development of various religions. Taking another dimension, religion played a palpable role in the eradication of slavery. Thus on this premises, this paper analyzes the mutual relationship religion and slavery. Much emphasis is however placed on the three most prevalent religions: Christianity, Islam and Hinduism in correspondence to slavery. Prior to analyzing each of the major religions with regards to slavery, it is important to preview the concept of slavery before the existence of the world’s elaborate religions. Indeed, one thing that turns out clearly, is that slavery is of great antiquity. The ancient world was marred by various forms of servitude. These vary from class enslavement, collective slavery, sacerdotal slavery, individual enslavement to feudal enslavement1. In addition, various reasons accounted for slavery at various specified times in history. In this regards, slavery existed due to war, where those defeated in wars were captured and taken in as slaves. In some instances, slaves were purchased, other were given as gifts. In some communities, some people became slaves by virtue of birth, whereas some people gave themselves in as slaves as a settlement of debts accrued to them. In the ancient Greek, slave was a common phenomenon. This is evidenced from the records of the great Greek Philosophers Aristotle and Plato who asserted that slavery existed and was defined as the natural law of humanity2. Plato further averred that, for there to be a state of balance in the society, there must be two groups of people, the slaves, and the free. Early literary works as expressed in form of paintings and writings depicted an element of slavery which marred the ancient Greek. For instance early Poets and orators never ceased to talk ill of slavery. There works revealed the inhuman treatment to which slaves were subjected to. Most of them yearned for a revolution. They therefore advocated for freedom of slaves. In the early Roman times, slavery was palpable in the military and general life of the Romans. They extensively participated in the slave trade which was one of the lucrative ventures of the time. In most instances, they sourced their slaves form wars. However, the Roman Empire faced much resistance from slaves. The world’s renown earliest slave revolution championed by Spartacus depicts how the vice had taken root in the Roman empire3. Slaves were equated to commodities, and never acknowledged as human beings. There was however a turn of events when the Roman people embraced Christianity a while later. They began to treat slaves with humane. Ancient China was also not immune of slavery. It has been recorded that poverty intensified slavery in China to large extents4. Due to economic hardships, many people sold themselves or their family members to rich masters. Some people would also sell other to avert the economic hardships. The Indian people of ancient time also acknowledged slavery. Apparently, slavery among eth Hindus was perpetuated by the incumbent caste system which was instituted by their religious teaching. Indeed, the slaves in India existed in profusion. Thus, with this background knowledge, it is necessary at this juncture, to analyze slavery with regards to its relationship with the three world’s prevalent religions: Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. To commence with, it is important to look at the relationship between the practice of slavery and Christianity. It is important to note that, generally, Christianity had different and diverse views with regards to slavery. However, one thing that is apparent is that, for scores of centuries, slavery has been practiced in different forms within Christianity. During its inception, Christianity encouraged the freeing of slaves. This was regarded as an act of charity5. However, the Old Testament tends to sanction slavery6. In this regard the Old Testament gave a leeway for the poor Jews to submit themselves to wealthy Jews at a price. In some instances, a creditor was permitted to take his debtor in servitude. In the same Old Testament, it is recorded in several instances that people conquered during wars were taken captives by the conquerors. As mentioned in the Old Testament, the Hebrews who were enslaved would be compelled to work even on Sabbath day. However, killing of slaves was sternly prohibited. Voluntary submission into servitude was legitimate. In another account, the Israelites were enslaved, and would be obligated to provide six years of free labor whereas Non-Israelites salves were subjected to indefinite servitude. The New Testament on the other hand, fails to denounce slavery in whatsoever manner. The early Christians therefore justified slavery and argued that slaves were obliged to obey their masters. Thus, there this prevalent belief perpetuated by Christians enhanced unquestionable submission of slaves to their masters in relation to the Christian teachings. They claimed that slavery was meant to maintain the status quo. a renown Catholic Saint named John Chrysostom once averred that slaves were to be reassigned to their fate. They were to obey their masters at all times, as this was a sign of obedience to God as well. The Catholic Church played a pivotal role in perpetuating slavery. For instance in the early fifteenth century, the Popes officially recognized the legitimacy of slavery. Other subsequent Popes embraced slavery as a normal concept. For instance Pope Nicholas V authorized the selling of pagans and non-believer to slavery7. Years later, Pope Innocent VIII acknowledged the slaves brought to him as a gift, and even assigned them to various church nobilities including cardinals. Moreover, Pope Urban VIII personally bought slaves.8 This shows the early approval of slavery by the Roman Catholic Church in the ancient times. The Popes view perception of slavery suddenly took a new dimension in the late 15th century and the early 16th century. In this regards, they strongly denounced slavery. They held that slavery was a great crime against humanity. They opposed the unjust and inhuman treatment to which slaves were subjected to. Their campaign against slavery was intensified in Spain, whose involvement in slavery had intensified beyond control. The sudden change in the Catholic Church’s perception towards slavery is still a mystery yet to be unraveled. However it is apparent that the Catholic Church role was two-sided. They perpetuated, as well as obstructed slavery. Besides the Catholic Church, other Christians in the ancient times also played a role in expansion as well as eradication of slavery. Just like the catholic, they also had diverse views with regards to slavery. Some of the protestant churches owned plantations, in which they used slave labor. With time however, they started advocating against slavery. For example, a wealthy anti-slavery activist named Saint Eloi is said to have purchased several salves using his wealth and released them instead. The Quakers exhibited strong resentment towards slavery. They established the society for Effecting the Abolition of Slave Trade in the year 17879. This society played significant role in the abolition of slavery. For instance, in 1807, they pushed for the enactment of Slave Trade Act whose intention was to terminate the prevalent Trans-Atlantic slave trade. Other prominent churches such as the Presbyterian Church as well as the Methodist Church also threw their weight behind the advocators for ending slavery. A stronger wave of opposition against slavery was observed in the Southern United States of America. They anti-slave supporters were however subjected to immense antagonism. Things got out of hands when a civil war broke out. The aftermath of the civil war was the constitutional prohibition of slavery. The role of Christianity against slavery in the Southern United Sates was so intense that it led to the establishment of a new form of religion, the slave religion. This was a religion grounded on the beliefs, faith and practices of Africans who believed that there existed a supreme god, plus lesser other gods10. They were so much devoted to their slave religion that they resented missionaries who came to spread Christianity to them. Prior to the slave religion, there was lack of an elaborate and common religion among the slaves in the United Stated. This is attributable to the fact that slaves originated from diverse cultures characterized by a plethora of religions. They were blacks, yes, but they did not have any commonalities in religion. Several churches have since, apologized for the participation of their predecessors in the slaver activities. For instance, the Church of England gave a formal apology for the servitude acts condoned by their early church leaders and members. The Catholic Church, through Pope John II registered his apologies on behalf of the entire church for the role it played in perpetuating salve trade during the first two thousand years of Christianity. Today, it is self-evident that Christians rebuke and condemn slavery. They hold that slavery is a sin and against the will of God. They have joined efforts to ensure the permanent deletion of slavery from the history of mankind. There combined efforts have yielded tangible results as the concept of slavery has tremendously fizzled out. With regards to Muslim and slavery, it comes out clear that Islam tends to support slavery in one way or another. The Muslim prophet Muhammad is said to have been in possession of a myriad of slaves. The Qur’an itself talks a lot about slavery. The hadith, which stipulates Muhammad’s sayings, perceive slavery as an extraordinary condition that is acceptable under some specified circumstances11. The teachings from the two books hold that Non-Muslims prisoners of war and the inherent children of slaves could become prisoners. No one born a Muslim could be subjected to slavery. However, they value slaves as fellow human beings. Thus, according to Muslims, slaves possessed various basic rights basing on their humanity. This is according to the Islamic law, Sharia12. They accorded slaves exceptional status. This was rare and uncommon in the early times. All in all, the Qur’an is known to perpetuate slavery to large extents. For instance, it acknowledges the concept of slavery. Furthermore, the Qur’an reckons the inequalities between slaves and their masters. Even so, it also acknowledges the freeing of slaves. It describes the act of freeing of salves as simple benevolence13. In the Muslim societies, slaves were widely used. They provided labor in plantations, provided military services as well as mining. As much as the Islamic law prescribed humane treatment toward salves, this was not always the case. In some instances, slaves were treated brutally. However, in most cases, slaves in the ancient Muslim societies were treated in a better way. With time, the incumbent slaves were not in a position to meet the slave demand. This necessitated the need for importing more salves. Consequently, there was a massive importation of slaves mainly form non-Muslim territory. This marked the onset of the Arab Slave trade. The Arab slave trade was prevalent in the areas around ninetieth century. East Africa, West Asia and North Africa were the main source of slaves for the Arab Slave trade. However, in the early 20th century, the slavery that had gained momentum in the Islam world was suppressed. This can be attributed to the opposition from the western countries. For instance, Britain and France mounted pressure against slavery in the Muslim lands. However, by 1925, some people still involved themselves in salve trade. The British government and the King of Hijaz and Nejd signed a treaty known as the treaty of Jeddah which saw the termination of salve trade in Saudi Arabia. Even so, this did not wholly suppress the vice though. The ultimate prohibition of slavery was in 1962 when Saudi Arabia officially outlawed it. Hinduism is the most eminent religion in India. With regards to Hinduism and slavery, the Indian Caste system is perceived to be a major facilitator of slave trade. Those who occupy the lower castes are more or less equivalent to slaves. They are confined in segregated areas. They are often subjected to bonded labor practices14. Hinduism justifies this practice through their Hindu teachings. On the contrary, it is asserted that the mainstream Hinduism prohibited slavery and never condoned it at all. The Hindu religious laws limited social mobility. They also excluded slaves form the society. Slave virtually had no rights. The caste system perpetuated the inherent slavery. Once born a slave, one was expected to die as a slave, a caste which will be occupied by his subsequent generations. As a result, during their establishment in India, the British colonialist capitalized on the caste system to impose their divide and rule policy15. In the late ninetieth century, efforts to oppose slavery were instituted. There emerged a variety of reform movements aimed at eradicating slavery. They were aggressive in their reforms. Their efforts ultimately metamorphosed the concept of servitude in India. Be that as it may, it is apparent that slavery left indelible marks in the history of humanity. It is surprising that religion played a pivotal role in perpetrating servitude in the early times. Several religious leaders provided justification for slavery. Some gave biblical arguments, while the Qur’an itself institutionalized slavery. The Indian major religion, Hinduism perpetuated slavery via its caste system. Various religious institutions took part in the real slave trade. Some purchased slave, some sold slaves, and others exchanged slaves as gifts and kept war captives into servitude. What is even astonishing is the fact that some of the religions initially suppressed efforts that were aimed at liberating salves and putting an end to slavery. However, the good thing is that, with time, they realized the injustices in their actions and began to advocate for the abolition of slavery. The role played by the Catholic, the Quarters, and other protestant churches to fight slavery is self-evident. Muslims too, contributed a great deal in ending slavery. Thus, from the foregoing discussion, it can be concluded that slavery and religion are related in many ways. All the way from the historical periods, many societies were characterized by religions; slavery was also a salient feature. The two were mutually interdependent. In the initial periods, religious teachings were used to justify the act of slavery. In this regard, both Christianity and Muslim advocated for the enslavement of Non-believers. They also used their specific teaching to encourage slaved to obey their master. Hinduism on the other hand used the caste system instituted by its teaching to perpetuate slavery. They codified the castes and made them so much inflexible that it did not allow for social mobility. All in all, whichever justification that was brought forward by whatsoever religion, does not erase the fact that slavery was inhuman and unjust. Most importantly, it was a misplaced and unnecessary concept whose effects to humanity will endure for generation to come. Thus, the various religions should never cease to condemn slavery. Slavery has to, and must come to a dead end! Bibliography Glancy, JenniferA. Slavery in Early Christianity. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2006. Hague, William. Christianity and Slavery: A Review of the Correspondence. Charleston: BiblioBazaar , 2009. Panzer, Joel S. The Popes and Slavery. New York: Alba House, 1996. Oshatz, Molly. Slavery and Sin: The Fight against Slavery and the Rise of Liberal Protestantism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011. Clarence-Smith, William. Islam and the Abolition of Slavery. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. Walter, Jascha. Slavery and Religion in Antebellum America . Luzern: Grin Verlag, 2009. Meltzer, Milton. Slavery: A World History. Cambridge: Da Capo Press, 1993. Abdallah, Fadel. "Islam, slavery and racism: The use of strategy in the pursuit of Human rights." American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences. 4. no. 1 (1987): 31-50. Read More