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How Religion Has Been Used To Promote Slavery || 3/29/12
 * < By **John Blake**, CNN

It has been discovered that neither Moses, Jesus, or the Prophet Muhammad spoke against slavery. Nowadays, most people practicing faith are against slavery. However, Christians, Jews, and Muslims used to use religion to promote slavery. The slavery wasn't always bad, though. Slavery was access to power a lot of times. Some slaves were bodyguards, and some were educated tutors. Slaves could but their freedom. The debate is that great religious figures are said to practice transcendentalism and create new customs, but they did not seem to do that with slavery. They may not have owned slaves themselves, but they said nothing to condemn slavery. Furthermore, Christians and Muslims would enslave each other just because they were different religions. The sacred texts of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam still include the scripture that justifies slavery (How religion).
 * Summary**

It's obvious that slavery has been a huge issue for many centuries. It's certainly been a big part of America's history. Fortunately, most countries have banned slavery and made many laws against it. There are, however, a few countries that still practice slavery. These include Brazil, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Sudan. Millions still live enslaved lives. They are sold and forced to work in hard conditions. Women can become prostitutes, children can be trafficked in Africa, and men have to work on farms in Brazil. The countries that practice slavery do have religious beliefs. India is another country that practices a form of slavery. Men, women, and children must work in tough conditions with little or no compensation. This is because they are in a minority group. They have laws against this kind of labor, but they are not enforced. The main religion of India is Hinduism, which does practice individual ranks through the Caste System. If you are a dalit, you are basically a slave (constitution). In many foreign countries, the dominant religion is a way of life. They practice what their sacred texts preach. Their religion directly affects how the government is run, which can allow slavery.
 * Relevance**

The article discussed three major religions that promote slavery- Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. But what about Hinduism? Hinduism has perhaps the most obvious set-up for slavery: the Caste System. Hinduism is centered around an individual's rank in the Caste System, with everyone's goal to reach brahman. However, there has to be a lowest level. This level is where the "untouchables" reside. They are segregated and forced to work dirty jobs. Because this is still practiced in India today, it should have been discussed in the article (Slavery). The article discussed the main religions that promoted slavery, but not the religions that helped the anti-slavery movement. Quakers were the most vocal with their opposition to slavery, along with Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterians. They decided that slaves should be freed so they could be exposed to God and so their suffering could end. If the slaves became Christian, previous Christian slave owners couldn't own slaves anymore because a Christian can't hold another Christian to bondage. A Christian slave is better than a heathen slave (Anti-Slavery)!
 * Evaluation**


 * Questions**
 * 1) If slavery is illegal in most countries, how can some countries still allow it?
 * 2) How much has religion influenced slavery in recent years?
 * 3) Can the UN do anything to stop slavery?
 * 4) How many people don't even know that three of the main religions promote slavery?
 * 5) Can religion be blamed for the past acceptance of slavery?

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