Rome was the world’s longest lasting Empire. It was based on slavery. Those who traded in slaves followed Roman legions wherever they went. After each victory, slave traders would buy whomever Rome’s soldiers had captured. The Empire had lots of slaves. Each had to be watched.
Soon, machines began to replace slaves. Eventually, increased efficiency and reliability of mechanical transport replaced millions of teamsters, wagons, and horses with hundreds of railroad trains. In the Christian nations, actual slaves have long since been freed.
Some people still want to own slaves in places like North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Yemen, and Cuba. Christians don’t own slaves. Most Christians wouldn’t want a slave if one were given to them.
So, we may not notice, or want to notice, that many of us have been enslaved in varying degrees. Medical care forces excess payments for medication and treatments. Legal procedures don’t use fee-saving practices that legislatures comprised largely of lawyers make illegal. “Public” education takes more from money from taxpayers and teaches less than ever. Many government “services” provide no benefit beyond subsidizing job-holders.
When those who have the legislative power to coerce money from their neighbors do so without providing a concomitant benefit, there is slavery. Does it work? We need look no farther than the collapsing economies of socialist slave owners to see the disastrous result.
Slave-based societies don’t do well. Their repeated failures are not enough to dampen the desire that many lost souls have to enslave their neighbors.
Christ’s command to “love your neighbor as yourself” has made it unpopular for people to openly call those whom they have enslaved “slaves”. So, slave-owners say to those under their control, “You must contribute to the common good.” Some of us do not notice that “must contribute” equals slavery. The simple among us don’t realize that the forced contributor is a slave to the extent that contributions are forced from him.
Such lies compound the sin of hating their neighbors, increasing punishment.
