Partially because US Southern slavery practices were not Torah practices.
There was no right to beat a slave in general - in fact if the owner
knocked out a tooth from a slave the slave went free. If the owner killed a
slave he was subject to the death penalty.
Also, rephrasing your statement:
In modern times some consider that circumcising a eight year old baby is child
abuse. Yet the Torah obviously demands that the Jewish father circumcise his
son on the eighth day and not wait until the child is old enough to make his
own choice (though if the father does not do it the child is obligated to
circumcise himself after majority). How do we respond to the charge that the
Torah is G-d forbid lacking in respect for human dignity?
I do not by any means intend to suggest that for a Jew to circumcise his child
is child abuse. It improves the child.
Binyamin_Dissen@theoffice.net
Binyamin Dissen <bdissen@netvision.net.il>