Explosive rise in Modern Slavery

[bluehillside Retd.]

Vlad,

It seems everybody was pro slavery particularly of the nasty unrelenting type vis-Ancient Greece and Rome.

Deeply religious people too by the way what with all those gods, but sure – “slavery good” was the Zeitgeist across various cultures over the millennia, Christian ones included.
 

Christianity was involved in the moderation of those much to the disappointment of AC Grayling who seems to blame Christianity for spoiling the Glory that was Rome.

No, secular philosophers were arguing that slavery was wrong from the 1700s onward. That some (but by no means all) Christian thinkers came to agree with them added to the cause.   

As for for the non Christians at the forefront, feel free to make your case.

You could just look it up – suggest you start with J S Mill, Montesquieu, Diderot, William Wilberforce et al, then go from there.

What you’ve been trying here though is analogous to, “I thought medicines were supposed to cure diseases, but people still get ill”. Medicines are though are more demonstrably effective than no medicines – just as rational societies do less harm than faith-based ones.

[Aruntraveller]

You could just look it up – suggest you start with J S Mill, Montesquieu, Diderot, William Wilberforce et al, then go from there.

Don't know about the rest but I think you are on a sticky wicket with Wilberforce. I'm almost sure he was religious, although I think he lapsed once or twice. From what I remember reading it was religion that played its part in convincing him that slavery needed to be abolished.

[bluehillside Retd.]

Trent,

Don't know about the rest but I think you are on a sticky wicket with Wilberforce. I'm almost sure he was religious, although I think he lapsed once or twice. From what I remember reading it was religion that played its part in convincing him that slavery needed to be abolished.

Oops - you're quite right. I got my Williams mixed up - I meant to reference Pitt (who was a deist at best) but must have had a senior moment there 

Thanks for spotting it. 

[Walt Zingmatilder]

Vlad,

Deeply religious people too by the way what with all those gods, but sure – “slavery good” was the Zeitgeist across various cultures over the millennia, Christian ones included.
.

Christianity was a religion of slaves, although he had a completely different view than you I'm minded of an atheist I used to spar with on another forum. His view was that Christianity was historically based on class envy because of it's early membership of the poor and slaves. Jesus had a bad attitude to money and the rich according to this chap.

Christianity has been the religion of slaves and the poor for millenia. I believe it was Marx who complained  that it was keeping them down materially which is what mattered to him. As for ''slavery Good'', in the light of what I have reminded you of, that may be a bit sweeping.

Anyway to your previous point. Gangs. Why tolerate slaving gangs?

[bluehillside Retd.]

Vlad,

Christianity was a religion of slaves, although he had a completely different view than you I'm minded of an atheist I used to spar with on another forum. His view was that Christianity was historically based on class envy because of it's early membership of the poor and slaves. Jesus had a bad attitude to money and the rich according to this chap.

Christianity has been the religion of slaves and the poor for millenia. I believe it was Marx who complained  that it was keeping them down materially which is what mattered to him.

For the best part of two millennia Christianity was the religion of slavery as much as it was of slaves.

As for ''slavery Good'', in the light of what I have reminded you of, that may be a bit sweeping.

What do you think you’ve “reminded” me of, and it’s not sweeping at all – I merely said that many cultures enthusiastically embraced the “slavery good” ethos. Christian societies weren’t alone in that.

Anyway to your previous point. Gangs. Why tolerate slaving gangs?

Why on earth would you think that anyone has suggested any such thing?

[SteveH]

Will,

And Christians were pro-slavery for the two millennia or so before that.

So was everyone else.

As for abolition, actually Christians and non-Christians both were at the forefront of that.

William Wilberforce, John Brown, John Woolman and all the Quakers on the Christian side, Who on the non-Christian?

[SteveH]

John Greenleaf Whittier, Henry Ward Beecher, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Elizabeth Gaskell...
Still waiting for those non-Christian opponents of slavery.

[SteveH]

William Cowper, John Newton, Samuel Johnson, John and Charles Wesley...

[Spud]

Another form of modern day slavery that I have come across is being perpetrated by a company called Motor Fuels Group. Basically they get Sri Lankans to run their petrol stations, which are open 16 hours a day, and they pay them 0.01p for every litre of fuel they sell. That works out to between £5 and £20 a day. He can make a profit on goods sold in the shop (food etc) and he gets a 10% commission on car wash sales. Out of that he has to pay his staff, a £130 daily charge to use the shop, chemicals for the car wash, and various other costs. One contract manager made a loss of £16,000 during the five-odd years he was there.

I've reported this to our previous MP Michael Fallon, but he wasn't able to do anything because the contract manager at the time wasn't willing to talk to him. It really sucks - I've helped out with cleaning at one of their sites for years and it's getting to the point where successive contract managers give up or get sacked for not working to MFG's standards (why would they if they're not being paid?)

[Owlswing]

As for the non-Christians at the forefront, feel free to make your case.

Before Robbie has to make a case, you have to make some sense that does not involve blaming non-Christians for all the wrongs of the World. Remembering, of course, that for more than a few centuries, most of the World was ruled by Christianity and its Popes.

Owlswing

)O(

[Nearly Sane]

Before Robbie has to make a case, you have to make some sense that does not involve blaming non-Christians for all the wrongs of the World. Remembering, of course, that for more than a few centuries, most of the World was ruled by Christianity and its Popes.

Owlswing

)O(

What dates do you think the Popes ruled most of the world?

[Owlswing]

 What dates do you think the Popes ruled most of the world?

Who else instituted the crusades to get land back from the Muslims?

A lousy memory leading me to another hiding to nothing - I'll shut up and let you guys who know what they are talking about do the arguing! I'm no good at it anymore, that much is totally obvious!

Have fun Gents!

Owlswing

)O(

[Robbie]

That slavery happens now, in a more enlightened age, is frankly terrifying.

One example is young children trafficked as skivvies.

https://www.antislavery.org/