The Ten Commandments

[Toronto]

A few examples(2):

It is lawful matrimony when a woman is given to a man with a concubine.
Not every woman joined to a man is his wife, just as not every son is his father's heir. The bonds of marriage between free persons and between co-equals are lawful, and the Lord established them long before the beginnings of the Roman law. Thus, a wife is different from a concubine, just as the slave girl was different from the free woman.

 

[Toronto]

A few examples(3):

On the question of who has the right to agree a marriage of the daughter of a slave if she has a free uncle, with reference to a specific case where the father was a slave of the church: A girl should obey the decision of her free uncle concerning her marriage, not that of her slave father. The girl's father was clearly your church's slave, and her uncle was of free stock. We therefore decree that the choice of the niece's husband belongs to her uncle, rather than to her father, because his will is not free.

So this approves her marring her uncle's choice, and clearly shows that she is lawfully joined.

 

[Toronto]

A few examples(4):

That one may seek children from a slave girl if one's wife is sterile, is shown by the example of Abraham [Gen. 16:2-3], who, because of his wife Sarai's sterility, went in to Hagar the Egyptian to have children from her. Also, Jacob [Gen. 30:1-5], when he could not have children from Rachel, raised them up from his slave girl. This was not merely because of her sterility, for one reads that he also went in to Leah's slave girl and sired children from her because of Leah's declining fertility. This indicates that, on account of a wife's sterility, one can lawfully seek children from a slave girl or some other woman. Otherwise, Abraham and Jacob would be guilty of adultery.

 

[Toronto]

Hmm...

Abraham, who had sons by a slave girl while his wife was alive, was not guilty of adultery.

 

[Toronto]

Children inherit their parents' status. They are free who issue from a free marriage. The children of a free man and a slave girl are of servile condition. Those born always follow the worse part.

 

[Toronto]

A slave manumitted on condition that he become a monk or serve a monastery should be compelled to obey the desire of the one manumitting, or should be returned to servility if he prefers that.

 

[Toronto]

If a free man has unknowingly contracted with a slave girl, and did not consent when he discovered this, the matrimony may be put asunder, and he can contract with another.

 

[Toronto]

The Church found new reasons to take people into slavery. The Third Synod of Toledo in 589 decreed that women found in the houses of a clergyman in suspicious circumstances should be sold into slavery by the clergyman's bishop. Another synod of 655 declared that priests' children should be treated as slaves — an idea ratified in 1022 at Pavia and around 1140 by the Decretum gratiani.

In attempting to enforce clerical celibacy popes revived the idea of taking the wives and concubines of churchmen into slavery. Leo IX (Pope 1049-1054) had priests' wives taken into slavery for service at the Lateran Palace. In 1095 wives of priests were sold into slavery — presumably the Lateran now had a full complement of female slaves.

Saints, popes and Church officials approved the practice of slavery for centuries. The Church's greatest scholastic authorities, such as Thomas Aquinas, Albertus Magnus and Duns Scotus concurred. As Aquinas explained, a slave was merely an "inspired tool of his master" and a "non-member of society" , just like any other beast of burden. Slaves were classified in inventories under "Church property".

 

[Toronto]

Popes sentenced countless thousands to slavery, although the sentences could not always be carried out. Anyone who opposed the papacy was condemned to slavery at the Third Lateran Council in 1179. The citizens of Venice were condemned to it in 1309, 1482, and again in 1506. The same thing happened to the whole of England in 1508. Papal galleys went on slave-hunting expeditions along the coast of Africa.

 

[LadyArwen]

How much of the ten commandments are the christians violating on a regular basis?
1. Thou shalt have no other Gods before me - Christains worship not just God but Jesus & the Holy Ghost as well. Ah loophole, "no other Gods before me", so after me can la.
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image - the Catholics are idol worshiping with Jesus on the cross.
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain - How many times have you hear or said "OMG" daily & worse still, during sex?
4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy - Do Christians really keep the sabbath the way it was intended?
5. Honour thy father and thy mother - We wouldn't need old folks home.
6. Thou shalt not commit adultery - Come on guys
7. Thou shalt not covet - our garmen does
8. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour - Does gossip count?
9. Thou shalt not steal - definitely just don't get caught
10. Thou shalt not kill - the only one that is not violated on a regular basis

The Christians in White violates the 9th commandment - thou shall not steal

 

[LadyArwen]

Popes sentenced countless thousands to slavery, although the sentences could not always be carried out. Anyone who opposed the papacy was condemned to slavery at the Third Lateran Council in 1179. The citizens of Venice were condemned to it in 1309, 1482, and again in 1506. The same thing happened to the whole of England in 1508. Papal galleys went on slave-hunting expeditions along the coast of Africa.

The Popes are not Christian, they are politicians

 

[Psalm23]

The Popes are not Christian, they are politicians

You have scored 100% marks! Very well said.

The problems with many people - even to some so-called self-confessed Christians - is that they are unable to distinguish between who are true Christian leaders and who are politicians. Many of the church leaders (I say many, not all!) whose sole message is 'tithes, tithings' are nothing more than big-timer cheats.

One should read an article by Dr. Russell Earl Kelly, Ph.D. The title of this article is: Should the Church Teach Tithing? Ths article was his Ph.D. desertation and can be downloaded from the internet. It's a long article of 279 pages. He could publish this into a book but instead he has so graciously uploaded into the internet and anyone who has an interest and like to know about the so-called 'Doctrine of Tithing" should read this article. This is - to my opinion - is the best research piece of work regarding the teaching of tithings. The article has only one final message: Tithing should not be church doctrine.

Hope you enjoy reading of this article.

Having said all these, yes....I stronly believe in the teaching of giving but the question is to who and for what purpose. We should help the poor, the orphans, the widows, and of course help to defray the cost of running church because churches do need expenses like paying for the utilities, workers' salaries (but giving 10% of your income?????)

God bless.

 

[Conqueror]

Not All So-Called Leaders Know Their Stuff Well

Many of the church leaders (I say many, not all!) whose sole message is 'tithes, tithings' are nothing more than big-timer cheats.

We should help the poor, the orphans, the widows, and of course help to defray the cost of running church because churches do need expenses like paying for the utilities, workers' salaries (but giving 10% of your income?????)

God bless.

You are back. Upz you.

Not all leaders know their stuff. Like I have said before, you need to be "chosen by God" to become a pastor. And even a pastor chosen by God can be blinded by his years of experience which is no good.

 

[Toronto]

The Popes are not Christian, they are politicians

Pope is the vicar of Christ. In Latin, vicar means representative or substitute. The pope is the representative of the xtian God on earth.

You reasoning is not right! That would mean those christian politicians are not christian. The pope is definitely a christian whom deeds are guided by the holy book.

 

[Toronto]

An erraneous person that accepted Jesus and one that committed rape, incest, murder by following the Word of God is still a christian. Jesus had effectively redeemed all his sins 2000 years ago.

 

[Toronto]

Slavery was a major trade in Christian Kingdom. Until the early tenth century the main Venetian export was slaves from central Europe. During the Crusades the whole Mediterranean slave trade was concentrated in Christian hands — the hands of the military monks and men like Pelius, the papal legate. Later the Genoese developed another major Mediterranean slave trade.

 

[Toronto]

Evilness or Morale driven?

In Spain a single inquisitor, Torquemada, had 97,371 people condemned to slavery. In the New World Christians introduced the practice. Pope Nicholas V, in his bull Romanus pontifex of 1455, gave his blessing to the enslavement of conquered native peoples. Like other bishops, the popes themselves owned slaves — Pope Innocent VIII accepted the gift of numerous slaves from Malaga, given by the exceptionally devout Queen Isabella of Castile in 1487. To clear up any doubt about who was entitled to own slaves, Pope Paul III confirmed in 1548 that all Christian men and all members of the clergy had the right to own slaves.

 

[Toronto]

Slave Owning Into Modern Times (Catholic Church)

Slave owning continued for centuries despite criticism from rationalists and freethinkers. The Jesuit College in the Congo owned some 12,000 slaves in 1666. Popes continued to own slaves until they lost control of the Papal States at the end of the eighteenth century. Benedictine monks still owned slaves in Brazil as late as 1864, the same date that clergymen in the southern states of the USA were obliged to give up their slaves.

 

[Toronto]

Slave Owning Into Modern Times (Protestant Church)

The record of the Anglican Church was no better than that of the Roman Church. It was the universal opinion of churchmen that God had ordained slavery, and clergymen had no qualms about owning slaves themselves. Anglican slave traders were often extremely devout, and widely respected by their fellow Christians. It never occurred to them, or to their priests or ministers, that slave trading might be immoral. The most famous English slave trader, Sir John Hawkins, piously named his slave ships Angel, Jesus and Grace of God. The Reverend Richard Fuller summed up the Church's position in 1845: “What God sanctioned in the Old Testament, and permitted in the New, cannot be a sin”.

 

[Toronto]

The right of holding slaves is clearly established in the Holy Scriptures, both by precept and example.

-Rev. R. Furman, D.D., Baptist, of South Carolina