March 29th, 2012 09:19 AM ET By John Blake, CNN Editor’s note:
The CNN documentary 'Slavery's Last Stronghold' airs on CNN
International TV March 29, 30, 31 and April 22. Check local
listings for times. (CNN) - Which revered religious figure -
Moses, Jesus, or the Prophet Mohammad - spoke out boldly and
unambiguously against slavery? Answer: None of them. One of
these men owned slaves, another created laws to regulate - but
not ban – slavery. The third’s chief spokesman even ordered
slaves to obey their masters, religious scholars say. Most
modern people of faith see slavery as a great evil. Though the
three great Western religions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam
– disagree on many matters, most of their contemporary followers
condemn slavery. Yet there was a time when Jews, Christians and
Muslims routinely cited the words and deeds of their founders to
justify human bondage, scholars say. At times, religion was
deployed more to promote the spread of slavery than to prevent
it. “The lesson in all this is we