If god were real, he would have made the Bible clearer. — Atheist Tweeter.

This was a response tweeted to a Christian who upheld the #Bible as the Word of God. The atheist who commented this is far from alone in his belief that God would have made the Bible clearer if only He were more than a mental illness. It was a response I found amusing and rose a few questions. Not least of those questions was “Would He?” How does someone who vehemently denies that God exists suddenly become a leading authority on what God would or would not do? The very claim that an atheist would have any idea what God would or would not do is ridiculous. And then to base an argument for God's non-existence on this spurious idea merely adds insult to their self-injury. Christians, likewise, should be more careful before pontificating about God's supposed choices.

A lot of atheists accuse of the Bible of pro-slavery attitudes, as if this in some way negates the authority of God's Word. I thought I would have a look into this issue and see what the Bible really says. A point to bear in mind, this will not be reading the Bible entirely through the lens of a 21st century Western Christian, but seeking to understand the text on its own terms in the times in which it was written. This will not be an exhaustive coverage. If the reader wants that, go get a book.

First and foremost is the perspective of God on this whole issue. Abraham and Sarah owned at least one slave (Hagar, who was Egyptian) who they later treated abhorrently (Genesis 20 – 21). And yet, God still blessed the pair of them as well as the son of Hagar. God does not appear to have an issue with the institution of slavery in the Torah. In fact, the Israelites themselves have even suffered the same fate en mass (Exodus) in Egypt.