Friends of God and slaves of men : religion and slavery, past and present / Kevin Bales, Michael Rota.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bales, Kevin, author.

Rota, Michael, 1975- author.

Series:

Slaveries since emancipation.

Slaveries since emancipation

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Slavery--Religious aspects--History.

Slavery.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xii, 251 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2026.

Summary:

Religion and slavery have been connected since the beginning of human history, but their tangled relationship has rarely been dissected and truly understood. This groundbreaking book illuminates how religion has intersected with the institution of slavery, both as a force for its perpetuation and as a catalyst for its abolition. Spanning antiquity to the present day, this book offers a comprehensive overview of how Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and other faiths have variously justified, moderated, restricted, or opposed slavery. Experts Kevin Bales and Michael Rota integrate historical, philosophical, theological, and social scientific perspectives to offer fresh interdisciplinary insights into this crucial social justice issue. Engaging contemporary challenges, it covers ISIS's religious justifications for enslavement and the role of the caste system in modern bondage. Finally, it highlights faith-based antislavery activism today and asks how religious communities can amplify their efforts to combat the enduring scourge of slavery worldwide.

Contents:

Cover

Half-title

Series information

Title page

Imprints page

Dedication

Table of Contents

List of Figures

Acknowledgments

1 Introduction

1.1 How Bad Was Ancient Slavery?

1.2 How Bad Is Modern Slavery?

1.3 What Do We Mean by ''Slavery''?

1.4 Using Slavery

Part I Religious Responses To Slavery - Historical Patterns

2 Justifying Slavery

2.1 Proslavery in North America

2.2 The Justification of Slavery in Hinduism and Buddhism

2.3 Judaism and the Justification of Slavery

2.4 Christianity and the Justification of Slavery

2.5 Islam and the Justification of Slavery

2.6 Religion and the Justification of Slavery: Reasoning or Rationalization?

3 Ameliorating Slavery

3.1 Moral Exhortations to Treat Slaves Well

3.2 Exhortations to Free Slaves

3.3 Ameliorating Legislation

3.4 Equality before God

4 Restricting Slavery

4.1 Judaism and the Religious Restriction of Slavery

4.2 Islam and the Religious Restriction of Slavery

4.3 Christianity and the Religious Restriction of Slavery (to the fourteenth century)

4.4 Religion and the Waning of Slavery in Europe

4.5 Christianity and the Restriction of Slavery: The New World

5 Rejecting Slavery

5.1 Early Voices

5.2 The Rejection of Slavery in the Seventeenth and Early Eighteenth Centuries

5.3 The Quakers' Institutional Response to Slavery

5.4 Abolition of the Slave Trade and Emancipation

5.5 The Role of Christianity in the Rejection of Slavery

5.6 The Rejection of Slavery in Islam

Part II Religion and Contemporary Slavery

6 Slavery in the Modern World

6.1 The Fourth Antislavery Movement: 1885-1914

6.2 The InterWar Period

6.3 Slavery in the Colonies

6.4 World War II: Japanese and German Control of Religious Groups

6.5 The Fifth and Current Antislavery Movement.

7 False Prophets: Exploiting Faith to Enslave

7.1 ''Trokosi'' in West Africa

7.2 Deuki and Devadasi in Nepal and India

7.3 The Impact of Religious and Ethnic Hierarchies in South Asia

7.4 Traditional Religious Justifications for Enslavement

7.5 Child and Forced Marriages

7.6 Religion as a Driver of Enslavement Today

8 Religion's Role in Freeing Slaves Today

8.1 Examples of Successful Antislavery Work

8.2 The Emergence of ''Modern Slavery''

8.3 The Emergence of Survivor Leadership

8.4 The Challenge of Measurement

8.5 Challenges, and Opportunities, of the Twenty-First Century

8.6 The Unique Role of Catholic Religious Sisters

8.7 More Contemporary Antislavery Groups and Leaders with Religious Links

8.8 The Future of Faith, The Future of Slavery

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 14 Nov 2025).

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

1-009-63110-1

1-009-63113-6

1-009-63114-4

OCLC:

1569639394