only this New World, but the entire world."
-Reverend Robert Hunt
April 29, 1607
Cape Henry, Virginia
Dedicating America to our Lord Jesus Christ
for His glory and purpose.
The following is a letter to the editor published in The Sentinel Newspaper
of Franklin Township, New Jersey the week of March 15-21 2012:
Several weeks ago the Pennsylvania House of Representatives unanimously
adopted a resolution making 2012 the Year of the Bible. This has enraged
atheists groups in the state who opposed the measure, and to prove their
point, one group of atheists put up a billboard, taking a verse of Bible
scripture-"Slaves obey your Masters"- out of context, and pairing
this with a picture of a black man in chains.
They made sure to place this inflammatory billboard sign in one of
Harrisburg's most racially diverse neighborhoods, where it was sure to
cause a huge controversy. The community was outraged. The billboard
was soon vandalized, reflecting the indignation of the residents there.
Although the billboard has since been taken down,
the damage has already been done.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the group responsible for the billboard,
Ernest Perce V, told the local news media that his group's intention was
not to stir up racial strife, but the message on the billboard was meant
to serve as a wake up call to people across the state, urging them to phone
their legislators and demand that the offending "Year of the Bible"
resolution be thrown out.
"My thinking was, we're in PA where a large number are Christian
bible readers. They know what that verse meant," stated Perce.
Oh, really, Mr. Perce? So how does one equate the humiliating picture
of a black man in chains with a call to throw out a resolution making
2012 the Year of the Bible in Pennsylvania?
"Because, says Mr. Perce, the Bible condones slavery. After all it
says, "Slaves obey your Masters".
But does the Bible actually say this?
The correct translation of this verse, found in Colossians 3:22, is,
"Servants obey in everything those who are your earthly masters,
not only when their eyes are on you as pleasers of men, but in
simplicity of purpose, with all your heart, because of your
reverence for the Lord and as a sincere expression of
your devotion to Him."
In other words, servants honor the Lord through your work.
*Colossians 3:23 further advises, "Whatever may be your task,
work at it heartily, from the soul, as something done
for the Lord and not for men."
While slavery was a common practice in the Bible times, especially
as one of the spoils of war, it was widely practiced throughout the
ancient world. The Egyptians took slaves, as did the Babylonians
and the Persians. The Ottoman Sultans enslaved thousands of
young women inside their palace harems, while the huge Arab
slave markets of North Africa flourished for many years,
providing slaves for the New World colonies.
However, as the Bible is primarily the history of one people,
the Jewish people, when Israelites took slaves, these people were
considered servants, who performed certain tasks in the household,
like making pottery or clothing, or they tended the garden or grape
arbors, or worked in the fields harvesting the crops.
They were almost treated like a member of the family. Furthermore,
after several years of service, the slave of an Israelite could be set
free from his bondage. By taking Colossians 3:22 out of context
and pairing it with a picture of a black man in chains makes this
ignorant, race-baiting atheist group no better than the ignorant
and cruel slave holders of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries in
America who took the Bible out of context to justify their
enslavement of their fellow human beings.
Or, in another example, the overly zealous Puritans of Salem, Massachusetts who
misused scripture to accuse and persecute innocent people of practicing witchcraft.
The disgusting actions of this atheist group is just one more sick and pathetic
attempt to eradicate the deep roots of the Christian faith in America. What these
groups and their antagonistic supporters in the liberal social media fail to realize
is that without God's blessing, this nation would have never come into existence.
Many of our founding fathers felt this way. Benjamin Franklin, addressing the
delegates gathered to form our nation in Philadelphia during the summer of 1787,
said it best: "I have lived a long time, and the longer I live, the more proof I see
of this truth. God governs the affairs of men. If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground
without His notice, can an empire rise without His aid? Without God's help, we
will do no better than those who built the Tower of Babel. We will end up divided
by our own selfishness, and our work will come to nothing."
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