In recent days a number of strange claims have been made about slavery and shellfish in the Bible. The line normally goes something like this: although the Bible prohibits God's people from eating shellfish and also endorses slavery, we can disregard these ethical instructions because we have come of age and can see things differently - indeed, more clearly - with our advanced knowledge and superior wisdom concerning what is right and wrong.

Archbishop Glenn Davies Shellfish, slavery and same-sex marriage: How not to read the Bible

Whoever wins the Federal election this weekend; it will cap a tumultuous term in federal politics. And I am not talking about the ALP’s leadership dramas. I am talking about the catapulting of the watershed issue of same-sex marriage. There will be no turning back, should it become reality.

Raj Gupta The Public Square – It is Time

Rudd's answer seemed to please the studio audience, but factually, it was wrong.  It is Aristotle, not the Bible, who regards slavery as a “natural condition”.  Both testaments of the Bible are opposed to slavery.  

Andrew Schmidt The Bible, Aristotle and slaves

It’s a public humiliation aimed at shaming what he regards as a naïve and simplistic reading of the Bible.

Nathan Walter Rudd’s West Wing Moment

The Bible honestly records the practice of slavery, but to see this as an endorsement of the practice, as Kevin Rudd did, is to significantly misunderstand the message of Christianity. 

Sandy Grant  'Pro-freedom' at the Drum, ABC

Feature photo: Blue Mountains City Library