Religious Slavery (Part 1)

         There was a time in America—the land of the free and home of the brave—when honest workers were greatly exploited. We have presently arrived again at such a time. 

         This free nation also involved itself most profitably in human slavery. The North was just as guilty as the South, and 200 years before the Civil War, the northern colonies had already established the practice.

         In fact, it was the northern colonies of America that profited greatly from slavery by using northern ports of entry, even though they had later stopped the practice of slavery in their own colonies. During the Civil War, the North began a very successful campaign using slavery as a war tactic against the South, though it never entertained such a thought at the beginning of the war, which was just as hypocritical as their reasons for the war.

         Prior to the Civil War, otherwise known as the War of Northern Aggression, it was the South that was contributing the most to the national treasury. Some estimates were as high as 70%, though certainly above 60%. This fact must be considered by the majority of this nation’s population which has largely been untaught regarding this truth. In effect, the North knew it could never survive without the South, but also knew it used the South as a slave confederacy to fund the entire country to support the North long before the Confederacy existed.

         And in the event some remain unclear on the concept, it was not the large but few plantations of the South that mostly funded the national treasury. It was the fact that the South had hugely successful ports both of entry for foreign goods and the tariffs therewith, a large percentage of which went to Washington, and also exports to foreign nations which could not be sent on their way soon enough. And though the North was a great industrial power (paying most workers chump change), and contained many more states than what later became the Confederacy, it was simply not nearly as successful as the South.

         These are certainly unpleasant facts but they need not be so unpleasant if not for the great freedoms granted by the Constitution of the United States. Though the Constitution stated what it did, and though the great Revolutionary War was fought for a freedom that no great nation had ever before possessed, slavery, indentured servitude, and exploitation of workers continued to exist and actually grew exponentially.

         As the Industrial Revolution continued its expansionist trek, it continued to make slaves of the majority engaged within it with a few powerful men at the top reaping most of the profits. Even small children were exploited for the money they could bring various enterprises.

         The rise of the American labor unions changed this somewhat. When workers began to unite it caused management to eventually cave in to their demands. Labor unions became very successful and some remain so until today.

         But many labor unions overplayed their hands by demanding more than could be provided once international markets opened up. At that advent, cheap labor again became bountiful, huge profits were possible, and there was no one to stop the exploitation of foreign workers.

         At present, vast sweat shops exist all over the globe using cheap labor to drive down prices to gain a respectable market share and realize huge profits for large business owners and corporations. But as long as such low paid workers are far away and unheard from few care, since such laborers allow for cheap domestic goods affordable by the majority in first-world nations.

         This is the present dynamic of international business. It is the nature of the game. The purpose of any business or corporation is to make a profit. If one is to be successful he must play by the rules. Those that do not go out of business.

         Obtaining wealth has always been the desire of most, and some will do anything to achieve that goal. In mankind’s history, slavery has always existed as the best way to do that. The rise of warrior kings in the ancient world replaced former egalitarian societies that honored the freedom of individuals. Kings greatly dishonored human beings as free people and began using them in any way they wanted for their own purposes.

         Indeed, the rise of such human slavery also coincided with the rise of what we now call civilization. This happened for the first time on the planet 5,000 years ago in ancient Sumer. The practice continued through the brutal empires that took place afterward, especially that of Rome, the most brutal of all. After the fall of Rome, it was the various bands of so-called barbarians that continued the practice, with each band containing its own warrior king. Such kings eventually became the later European heads of state, and adopted much pomp and arrogance to substantiate their place. Most became convinced that rule by a single king was God’s way, even though God denounced the practice almost 2,000 years before, especially when ancient Israel began to demand a king.

         God has always been more concerned about human freedom, about setting people free from slavery and from rule by other humans. He wanted to be everyone’s King—the benevolent, loving, and Fatherly King that He is—but very few wanted what He wanted. Indeed again, most people have proven to want their freedom to do their will to sin and engage in lustful, selfish practices, and never God’s will.

         Another curious manifestation of this rule by king emerged with the first so-called Christian bishops, those who ruled by religion over ancient cities. And it was the fabled bishop of Rome, the king of all cities, which became the king of what had then became organized official Christianity. This bishop-king, honored as the greater by bishops of other cities, soon became known as the Pope. And soon after that this Pope ruled with an iron hand.

         The Reformation put an end to this in part, but curiously began to manufacture its own mini-Popes. We know these today as great Christian leaders, but some of these became so diabolical they began engaging in the same evil practices of former Popes regarding human freedom. They created religious societies with stern rules and strictures and even began killing dissenters as a matter of course. They will all get theirs at the Judgment.

         Suffice it to say that God clearly hates slavery and exploited laborers in any form, and it is surely why He became a Man, to establish a way to set us all free, first from the power of sin and then from the power of human enslavers, especially those of the religious variety.

         It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. [Galatians 5:1] [1]

         © 2014 by RJ Dawson. All Rights Reserved.

[1] Unless otherwise noted all Scriptures are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.