Marc
Donor
...I may be reading this incorrectly, but you state the scriptural basis of slavery, and then say that the south would have been better if people had been truer to their faith, which implies that slavery was a good thing...
No, they hunted out passages that supported slavery as practiced in the South and ignoring such as: Anyone who kidnaps someone is to be put to death, whether the victim has been sold or is still in the kidnapper’s possession. Which condemns slave trading.
Another: When a man strikes the eye of his slave, male or female, and destroys it, he shall let the slave go free because of his eye. If he knocks out the tooth of his slave, male or female, he shall let the slave go free because of his tooth. Which demands that slaves be treated with same reserve and respect given to the Free.
In the 18th century devout Southerners struggled with with the crisis that comes from owning fellow Christians. A few, notably some Quaker communities came to the conclusion that you couldn't own fellow Christians - so they freed them and left the South, which was making it almost impossible to manumit. (Another part of scripture ignored - many passages on freeing slaves).