Slaves and Government
By what right do some people get to tell other people what to do? Like, government. If your answer is, ‘we elect them’, then all you have done is push the issue back one level, ‘by what right do people we elect…’. After all, none of us made that decision. None of us were there at the time of the founding of our country, for its transformation to democracy, or for the various amendments that changed the underlying rules. And even if we had been, no one would have asked our opinion! And even if they had, we would have been one small voice in the wilderness.
The discussion came up with the question of slavery. Is government slavery? Are the principles that underlie government the same as those which underly slavery? All of them? Some of them? Most of them?
Slavery
The first question we have to ask when this comparison comes down the pike is, ‘do we have a choice?” If we see some power dictating some of what we have to do as ‘slavery’, then is slavery something that is optional?
Modern-day prisons are, in many ways, much more an institution of slavery than the various others in history. An educated Greek slave to a Roman family could have his own wife and children, could buy and sell, had a very respectable job… all things that our prisoners are deprived of. A PhD or M.D. can rot behind bars, totally wasting his education and intellect.
But then, at the same time, a slave in Roman times could be bought to fight in the Colosseum or warm her masters bed.
Depending on how it is defined, we have always had slavery with us. Even leaving aside children, every society has had some people in a position to tell other people what to do.
Inevitable
Is slavery inevitable? Where does it come from? I’m afraid my answer might be that it doesn’t have a single source; it has multiple sources.
One source is sin. But whose sin? Well, it can be the sin of the slave owner, who desires power and thus unjustly captures people. Or it can be the sin of the slave who, in Biblical times, was often cast into slavery through his laziness. He would get into debt and, in order to pay back his debt, he was sold as a slave… or one of his children, or his whole family.
Now before you respond, “Well, they shouldn’t…” I would ask you to propose an alternative. Not just for our age, but for theirs. Let people rack up debt and not pay? How would that work long term? Put them in prison? How does the debt get paid back then?
The slaveries that are the government and the military… these two come from sin. Why do governments arise? First of all, they act as judges between men.
But the other kind of slavery; that is inevitable too, but it doesn’t arise from sin. The infant is slave to her parents. She cannot even move herself from place to place. The Christian is a slave to God, who is farther above him than the parent is to the infant.
Good and Bad
I am going to go way out on a limb and argue that there are good and bad forms of slavery. Way out on a limb. But if we are seeing ‘slavery’ as ‘obedience’, then I think there are some good forms of ‘obedience’; even some rather extreme forms. Let me see if I can defend that proposition.
Good
Slavery to God. For Christians, it is axiomatic that we are to be slaves to Christ. Most translations will use the word ‘servant’, but the Greek word it comes from means ‘slaves’.
We are also to be slaves to righteousness and wisdom. You see, if slavery means ‘being obedient’, then there are lots of good things we are to be obedient to.
Military service. What are we to do with military service? If we are going to have it at all, it is rather obvious that it has to involve some rather extreme forms of obedience.
Slavery instead of execution. I think many people don’t think it through, but without slavery, our options are a bit limited. I think personal slavery is far better than modern prisons (see below), but I think it is also better than death for some crimes. What else is being proposed for various crimes? What of those captured in war? Can they always be safely released after the battle? Should they be killed?
Slavery instead of starvation. A couple of times in Scripture, a widow is faced with the prospect of selling her children so her family won’t starve.
Godly government: in the family, the church, and the state. The newborn infant cannot be left to govern itself. It will simply die. And in every other area of life there exists people who cannot govern themselves, or govern the conflict between them. Someone will always step in.
Bad
Prisons. I think that prisons, particularly (although by no means only) modern prisons, are almost the worst forms of slavery that have ever existed.
Chattel slavery. It is important to realise that Biblical slavery was a far different kettle of fish than US chattel slavery. Both of which are better than prisons or death.
Sexual and Eunuch slavery.
Slavery to sin, or satan, drug addiction, etc. Having your will so captured by some evil that you have no choice but to obey.
Conclusion
It is no doubt true, as the post proclaims, that there are similarities between slavery and government. There are no doubt similarities in the moral judgements we should make of both of them. But it is a complex subject, with a complex answer. Indeed answers.
As long as mankind exists and is subject to sin, some people will have power over other people. That power will range from the light and beneficent, to the heavy and evil. Or the heavy and beneficent, to the light and evil.
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Von
You raise some very interesting questions. I’m just writing off the top of my head, so having said that, two things come to mind immediately: 1) we are all slaves to sin, and 2) those who are converted are also slaves to Christ. While I have been saved from sin’s penalty, and am presently being saved from sin’s power, I won’t be saved from its presence or consequences until I am in the presence of my Savior. That takes care of that bit of slavery that I know about for certain for myself.
I don’t know how to rectify the problem about the slavery of the penal system. Gladiatorial games would be even worse than what we already have, so that’s right out! I personally think that it would be better to go back to the days when inmates raised their own food. They worked in large gardens, and raised the beef, and poultry that was needed to feed themselves. I would think that would give a man a sense of worth and satisfaction in a day well spent.
As for the government, well, we get the chance to run them off every 2,4, or 6 years depending on the office. If we don’t do so that’s our own fault. The rules on whom should be allowed to vote should be changed, in my opinion. A person should be older than 18 years of age: who knows anything about anything when they’re that young! Back when a person got married at 18 it was reasonable to vote that young. These days people are still adolescents at 18. I also think that a person should be a taxpayer. Though that would never fly. Anyway, just a couple thoughts.
Like I said, I’m just writing off the top of my head. Thank you for your article.
Grace and peace, Jane
I agree. Slavery has always existed and in large part I believe it served a worthwhile and meaningful purpose for society at large and even served beneficial purposes for slaves themselves. We have tried to eradicate slavery in the modern world and all we have done is make the bad side of slavery worse because now it is all hidden. Prisons and the way we use them today put a severe strain on society as well as produce massive recidivism rates so things continue to get worse. Im not saying slavery is an answer to all societies ills but it also isn’t the demon we make it out to be.