Jump to content
Join the Unexplained Mysteries community today! It's free and setting up an account only takes a moment.
- Sign In or Create Account -

A slave bible


eight bits

Recommended Posts

 

 

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, eight bits said:

The Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC is a curious institution, sometimes associated with dodgy trade in antiquities and conservative Christian evangelical fervor. Nevertheless, a current exhibit is of genuine interest beyond the God Squad.

The center of the exhibit is one of three surviving copies of a 19th Century missionary bible targeted for Caribbean slaves. The book, which is owned by Fisk University, a historically African-American school in Nashville, has been on loan to the museum since it opened a few years ago. In that time, interest in the book has quietly grown. The exhibit itself has been slowly attracting attention, first in social media, then picked up last month by the Times of Israel, and very recently, receiving US national mainstream media coverage.

The book is an abridgment of the canonical bible (none of that "Let me people go" nonsense), emphasizing slavery-friendly passages (such as pseudo-Paul's helpful advice to slaves on obeying their masters). It is interesting that the missionaries leave out 90% of the Hebrew Bible and 50% of the New Testament. I hesitate to conclude that those figures reflect how much of the bible is anti-slavery - I suspect abridgment for brevity's sake as well as ideology.

Anyway, here's the museum's page on the exhibit:

https://www.museumofthebible.org/exhibits/slave-bible

and this is the first of five short promotional clips hosted on YouTube:

 

 

Very interesting, how often the Bible has been used to shape evil. 

https://docsouth.unc.edu/church/bourne/bourne.html

Here is an interesting argument for anti slavery and the Bible. 

 

Edited by Sherapy
  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Sherapy said:

Very interesting, how often the Bible has been used to shape evil. 

 

 

Maybe it was also shaped by evil?

@eight bits thanks for sharing that's incredibly interesting. Are you going to see the exhibition yourself?

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, danydandan said:

Maybe it was also shaped by evil?

@eight bits thanks for sharing that's incredibly interesting. Are you going to see the exhibition yourself?

Indeed, I think this is valid. 

 

Edited by Sherapy
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, eight bits said:

The Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC is a curious institution, sometimes associated with dodgy trade in antiquities and conservative Christian evangelical fervor. Nevertheless, a current exhibit is of genuine interest beyond the God Squad.

The center of the exhibit is one of three surviving copies of a 19th Century missionary bible targeted for Caribbean slaves. The book, which is owned by Fisk University, a historically African-American school in Nashville, has been on loan to the museum since it opened a few years ago. In that time, interest in the book has quietly grown. The exhibit itself has been slowly attracting attention, first in social media, then picked up last month by the Times of Israel, and very recently, receiving US national mainstream media coverage.

The book is an abridgment of the canonical bible (none of that "Let me people go" nonsense), emphasizing slavery-friendly passages (such as pseudo-Paul's helpful advice to slaves on obeying their masters). It is interesting that the missionaries leave out 90% of the Hebrew Bible and 50% of the New Testament. I hesitate to conclude that those figures reflect how much of the bible is anti-slavery - I suspect abridgment for brevity's sake as well as ideology.

Anyway, here's the museum's page on the exhibit:

https://www.museumofthebible.org/exhibits/slave-bible

and this is the first of five short promotional clips hosted on YouTube:

 

 

Not slavery - Needs Based Development.

  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This exhibition would be very interesting to see. Amazing how religion is so consistently used for abject evil.

  • Like 3
  • Thanks 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, danydandan said:

Are you going to see the exhibition yourself?

I might. Washington is about 800 km away.,I don't have a visit on the calendar just now; but we'll see. I'd like to.

As to the evil side of all this, apparently, the motives of the missionary society were "mixed." On the one hand, the leadership was abolitionist, Bishop Beilby Porteous for example, but also skeptical that slaves could be freed practically and humanely without advance preparation and education (and baptism, of course). Plus, in the meantime, the missionaries needed the owners' cooperation to get access to the slaves, so the pro-slavery slant of the teaching materials was probably as much to placate the slave owners as manipulate the slaves.

The Haitian revolution was right around 1800, which scared the British Caribbean slave holders.That must have been a factor in the missionary plan, too, to sell their mission to the owners as a pacification measure. Whatever the missionaries were telling themselves about preparing the slaves for eventual abolition, it really was also pacification.

What a mess.

 

 

Edited by eight bits
  • Like 4
  • Thanks 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I wouldn't be able to know the difference myself, since I have never read the bible, any bible all the way through. But, for all I hear of some who are bible believing followers, (and I assume it's all parts of it), is it really honest of them to show only parts of it, for their own gain? Kind of like I observe how some like to cherry pick the bible to fit what they want to see in others. *shrugs* 

As I have reflected, I feel it's so dishonest of them, how can they think they are being true bible believers? (Of course, enslaving others, is not exactly loving your neighbors :no: ) 

But, I feel 8bits is correct in pointing out this bit of history, that shows how anything can be .................... shaped to fit their own gains. 

If, I'm getting this right. 

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, Stubbly_Dooright said:

is it really honest of them to show only parts of it, for their own gain? Kind of like I observe how some like to cherry pick the bible to fit what they want to see in others. *shrugs* 

It's not unusual to compile partial bibles (just Torah, just the New Testament, ..., selections for various occasions or situations, and from the beginning, the "lectionary," selections for reading in the church itself as part of the services on selected days).

And as you say, lots of people have no trouble finding plenty of scriptural support for whatever they want to do, slave owners among them.

Still, the mind boggles (mine does anyway) at a sincerely well-intended scriptural obedience manual for slaves.

People are the craziest animals.

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 years later...

Interest in the "slave bible" continues.

A more careful analysis than the Museum of the Bible's exhibition narrative of what was removed from the Bible and what was kept reveals that the editing was sophisticated. Some anti-slavery passages preached from abolitionist pulpits were retained; some of God's endorsements of slavery were cut.

The actual logic guiding the editors is murky. As mentioned back in 2019, the leadership of the group producing the slave bible was abolitionist, but for the missionaries to get near the slaves required the active approval of the slave owners. Whether the pitch was sincere or not, the missionaries apparently sold the slave owners the line that becoming Chrsitians would make the slaves more slavish. That is, such qualities as being more content with their lot, more willing to get their reward in the next life rather than this one ... would be encouraged. Plus (on what basis is really unclear) Christian slaves would supposedly have more babies than otherwise: more babies = more slaves = more wealth for the slave owner.

I found it an interesting read. Religion really can be a means to control people - or at least sold to power that way.

https://www.thetorah.com/article/the-slave-bible-for-slavery-or-salvation

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr Day here in the USA. Of course, he used religion, too, and with great effectiveness.

Meh, maybe religion is like so many other tools, not all good or all bad in itself, but with potential to be used either way?

Edited by eight bits
  • Like 3
  • Thanks 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, eight bits said:

 

Meh, maybe religion is like so many other tools, not all good or all bad in itself, but with potential to be used either way?

Yes, anything that has the potential to influence, especially under the banner of authority, can be used either way.

In my experience, (reason/logic also) is that, its the duty of the individual "in charge" to maintain a moral line, (or not).

And its also my opinion that the potential recipient of that influence, has a duty to discern what is right, and wrong, (for themselves).

In other words, if everybody had a good moral compass and strong roots, then chancers and shysters wouldn't be able to operate under "nice sounding words", and would in fact get called-out more often than not!!  

 

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 
On 4/24/2019 at 1:54 AM, Stubbly_Dooright said:

Well, I wouldn't be able to know the difference myself, since I have never read the bible, any bible all the way through. But, for all I hear of some who are bible believing followers, (and I assume it's all parts of it), is it really honest of them to show only parts of it, for their own gain? Kind of like I observe how some like to cherry pick the bible to fit what they want to see in others. *shrugs* 

As I have reflected, I feel it's so dishonest of them, how can they think they are being true bible believers? (Of course, enslaving others, is not exactly loving your neighbors :no: ) 

But, I feel 8bits is correct in pointing out this bit of history, that shows how anything can be .................... shaped to fit their own gains. 

If, I'm getting this right. 

Do you not think that some folk will also only pick the bad bits from the Bible, ignoring the obvious beauty and wisdom too?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, eight bits said:

Interest in the "slave bible" continues.

A more careful analysis than the Museum of the Bible's exhibition narrative of what was removed from the Bible and what was kept reveals that the editing was sophisticated. Some anti-slavery passages preached from abolitionist pulpits were retained; some of God's endorsements of slavery were cut.

The actual logic guiding the editors is murky. As mentioned back in 2019, the leadership of the group producing the slave bible was abolitionist, but for the missionaries to get near the slaves required the active approval of the slave owners. Whether the pitch was sincere or not, the missionaries apparently sold the slave owners the line that becoming Chrsitians would make the slaves more slavish. That is, such qualities as being more content with their lot, more willing to get their reward in the next life rather than this one ... would be encouraged. Plus (on what basis is really unclear) Christian slaves would supposedly have more babies than otherwise: more babies = more slaves = more wealth for the slave owner.

I found it an interesting read. Religion really can be a means to control people - or at least sold to power that way.

https://www.thetorah.com/article/the-slave-bible-for-slavery-or-salvation

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr Day here in the USA. Of course, he used religion, too, and with great effectiveness.

Meh, maybe religion is like so many other tools, not all good or all bad in itself, but with potential to be used either way?

Last year I was in South Carolina three times (SC was central in the slave trade) on one of the trips we went on a Plantation tour I think it was called “From Slavery to Freedom”  https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g54171-d104636-r63747486-Magnolia_Plantation_Gardens-Charleston_South_Carolina.html which was a recent addition and on another visit we went on a private horse carriage tour and the docent filled us in on the actuality of slavery, specifically the Slave Rebellion of the historic downtown Charleston, even the way these plantation homes were built with high walls was a way to keep slaves isolated from each other so as not to get any ideas of a revolt. It was literally heart wrenching after the presentation and touring the shacks that housed slaves it was very difficult to not be creeped out walking around the plantation and stunned at the brutal actuality and the role religion played. The docent on the horse carriage tour showed us around and narrated out of this book  “All for Liberty: ,The Charleston Workhouse Slave Rebellion of 1849” https://www.postandcourier.com/features/book_reviews/review-all-for-liberty-illuminates-charleston-slave-rebellion-and-workhouse-brutality/article_030aff2c-7bb2-11ec-a43c-bb8e6c089023.html

It is one heck of a story, a must read for anyone interested in this topic. 

Edited by Sherapy
  • Thanks 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.