# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_August 1856_S226
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

226 Slavery and the Bible.

Nothing is more abhorrent to sound human understanding and to the general human feeling than slavery, and again nothing seems, on a superficial view, more indubitable than that slavery is unconditionally sanctioned by Holy Scripture — and indeed its defenders know how to exploit boldly, in their favor, the various biblical passages. How can we escape from the unpleasant dilemma of either rejecting, along with slavery, the Bible — which undeniably permits slavery — or, along with the Bible, putting to death the innermost feeling of compassion for the unfortunate race of slaves? Let us not shrink from the labor of a deeper investigation; let us array, impartially and without preconceived opinion, the biblical passages that deal with this matter, letting the analogia fidei especially be our guide; we are of the joyful confidence that we shall arrive at a result which can fully satisfy the Christian conscience, even though it will earn us no particular thanks either from the abolitionists or from the friends of slavery.

That slavery in itself — whether it appear in a milder or in a harsher form — by which a human individual is robbed of his personal liberty and made the possession of one of his fellow men, is not a normal condition, not an order instituted by God Himself, but rather an institution repugnant to the original purpose of man's creation — this is a proposition against which I do not know what Christians could object in the face of the clear word of Scripture. Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and the birds under heaven and over every animal that creeps upon the earth. So speaks the almighty Creator to the noblest of His creatures on earth, Adam, the stock and representative of the whole human race. With this word God subjects to human nature all irrational animals, and grants to every single human individual descended from Adam an equal share in this dominion over the animals. Animals are the object of man's dominion — not man. All men are rulers; none is one ruled, in the way that the animals are. Equality among men and personal freedom is accordingly a noble, inalienable prerogative of human nature created after the image of God. Just as little as this God-given prerogative abolishes the diversity of ranks, offices, and gifts among men, just as little is it, on the other hand, compatible with slavery, which robs man of his created dignity and puts him on a level with the irrational animals. That this created prerogative was also, after the Fall, left to man by God out of grace — though in a weakened measure — is testified by the Lord's word to Noah: be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every bird under the