As young girl growing up, I lived in an adopted household. My mother was a Blackfoot indian and my father was white anglo-saxon. His ancestory went back thru the lines to Abraham Lincoln and so on. My mothers went back thru the Nez Perce Tribe and Chief Joesph..so my grandmother told me. I lived in a multi-cultural town where we had everyone from white
anglo-saxon to the greeks and everyone "seemed" to get along. Underneath, at least in my household, was a boiling pot of racism and prejudice against nationality and christian faith. My father hated anyone who wasn’t white anglo-saxon and belittled them every chance he got. This didn’t make any sense to me as he had married a Native American. He was just as mean to her as he was to everyone else. He had taught me to hate the catholics and anyone who wasn’t a white anglo-saxon...including my mother. If I showed so much as a caring or compassion to anyone who was not of his belief or of his nationality, I was bounced around the house like a rubber ball. It wasn’t until I was older and the Lord taught me a few things about prejudice, racism and bigotry. First of all it was WRONG!
Racism alone is bad enough, but when you couple that with prejudice and bigotry it is a major disaster. as you see in the verses above ..God plainly tells us that we are all the same and fellow citizens with the
saints. What the lord taught me about racism and prejudice began in the book of Genesis, chapter one, verses 26 and 27 and Genesis 2:7,20-24.
"(26) And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every
creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. (27) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.(2:7)And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (2:20) And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. (21) And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; (22)And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. (23) And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. (24)Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh."
Then I asked God, if this is the case...are you all these colors too? He said,"My Child, I am all things to all people." I asked him..."Why did you make people of different color and national origin?" He replied, If
I made a thousand of you exactly alike would it not be boring and without life and joy?" I said, "I suppose so." He said, "I made everyone of you in my image and everyone is as much a part of me as you are. I like a bright and colorful world as it is in my kingdom. To make everything with one color, such as just black or just red or just white would make my world very dull.I made my people in color for the very same reason and I also made people with different languages and nationalities after Nimrod tried to build his way to heaven. This angered me and I then confounded their language to stop them" Then I understood. One of the first things that popped to my mind when he said this was..."Oh! God wanted a rainbow world so He made one in everything He created."How beautiful!", I thought. God knew my thought and said,"That’s right.If my children would see it the way you see it, there would be no prejudice, nor racism and no bigotry. When people look at others, no matter the color of their skin or the national origin they are from..they see me." I then asked the Lord, what about thse who are
physically and /or mentally disabled? They are subjected to the same things as those whose skin or national origin may be different from theirs?" He said. "The same applies in all cases. There is no room for hate, bogotry, prejudice or racism in my world...only love for one another as I have loved you."
Prejudice
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What is prejudice? The word "prejudice" actually means making a pre-judgment; that is, before the facts are considered, we already have our minds made up. It has been said that prejudice is a great time saver, because you don’t have to read the facts. So it doesn’t matter what the facts are, what the background is; prejudice means that we make our minds up, regardless or before reading the facts of the matter.
That’s the source of racism in our county: as little children are growing up and see their parents’ behavior, and what their parents teach them directly and indirectly. It is passed on from one generation to
another. A grandparent or parent; society or others will teach a child to hate another who is different, irregardless of race, color, national origin and disability. They grow up with the same feelings of ambiguity towards others who are not like them.
Did you know that there are some people who are foolish enough to say that the Bible teaches us to be racist? When I was growing up I kept hearing people whisper about the curse of Cain. That this is where black people came from, the curse of Cain. And later, I started reading the Bible and I found that number one, the Bible does not call it a curse but a sign, on Cain, in Genesis 4:15. When you read what the Bible says there, Cain had killed his brother, Abel, and Cain was terrified he thought someone was going to kill him. He begged God for mercy, to do something so people wouldn’t kill him. God said He’d give him a sign and this would stop people from killing him. And people say, "Well, this is where black people came from." That is not at all what that passage says! Not at all! It was some kind of sign on Cain that stopped other people from killing him. We have no idea what it was. That certainly does not support racism.
Where has racism come from?
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It comes from Satan! And the sin that is involved here is a foolish pride that people have in their own particular race. It is nothing but
the sin of pride. Someone might say, "Well, aren’t you proud to be a white person?" My answer to that is, "I’m not a white person. My skin isn’t white, is it? I think that this is a beautiful shade of beige
here, but it’s not white! If my face were the color of a piece of typing paper, I’d be in the intensive care center of some hospital." Are we truly white people? No, no more than black people are truly black. We
are all different shades of brown and tan and others. Am I proud that I have hazel eyes instead of blue eyes? Is the fact that I have hazel eyes make me superior to someone with green eyes? Is a green-eyed person superior to a brown eyed person? This goes around and around; we’re talking about external things. We ought not to judge by these external
things.
The Bible says, "God sees not as a man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart." That’s from I Samuel 16:7, where Judge Samuel had been sent to appoint a new king and finally they got down to David. And Samuel said, "You mean this is it, this is the new king?", and God said, "God does not see as a man sees for man looks at the outward appearance and God looks on the heart". In other
words, God is saying, "Samuel, his heart is right. This is a godly young man here; he’s going to be the new king. Forget about his other brothers, it’s David who will be the new king." That’s what the Bible
says, therefore, on this subject of judging by skin color and by other racial characteristics.
Well, let us look more at what the Bible says. I believe, truly, that we could spend the next two hours looking at scriptures that condemn racism. If we had time, we could look at Numbers 12. We find there that
Moses had married a black woman from Ethiopia or the ancient country of Cush. A Jew with a black woman. The sister of Moses, Miriam, went berserk! She rebelled, she said it was awful, she objected strongly to
that marriage and do you remember what God did to Miriam? Struck her with leprosy! Moses intervened on behalf of his sister Miriam, and because of what Moses said, God just gave her leprosy for one week. But
it’s obvious that God was very upset with the attitude that Miriam had. It would be good if we could discuss the golden rule. This one verse, Matthew 7:12. If everyone on earth followed it, this one verse would
eliminate racism right at this moment and we’d never hear of it again. "Whatever you want others to do for you, do so for them." The golden rule would stamp out racism.
Take a look in the New Testament to the book of Ephesians, the 2nd chapter. Here the apostle Paul speaks of one of the worse sins that mankind can be afflicted with.....the sin of racism and prejudice.
But I want to call your attention to two particular passages. The first is Ephesians 2. In the first century it was not so much black and white, but it was Jew and Gentile. Two racial groups were at each other’s
throats constantly. In Ephesians 2, the apostle Paul addressed the question of first century racism between the Jews and the Gentiles. Beginning in verse 11, and down through verse 16:
"Therefore, remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called ’Uncircumcision’ by the so-called ’Circumcision’, which is performed in the flesh by human hands - remember that you were at that
time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law
of commandments contained in ordinances, that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to
death the enmity."
There’s a lot in those verses. And notice, basically, that Paul is saying that here were two groups that used to be separated. Christ tore the barrier down. They now become one person in the body of Christ.
There is not to be racism between Jews and Gentiles in the body of Christ. Christ put that hatred to rest. It is gone. It has been destroyed by the death of Christ on the cross. Paul, therefore, was making a point that is directly parallel to our situation today with
racism.
Would you look at a second passage, please: James, Chapter 2. The word "racism" is not used anywhere in the Bible, but I think you will see a second scripture here that is so like our situation today; that is,
showing partiality and judging by appearances. James 2:1-9:
"My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also
comes in a poor man with dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who’s wearing the fine clothes and you say, ’You sit here, in the good place’, and you say to the poor man, ’You stay over there or sit down by my footstool,’ have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil motives? Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith
and heirs to the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? Do they not blaspheme the fair name by
which you have been called? If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law, according to the Scripture, ’You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing well."
Notice verse 9: "But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors." Did you notice that three times in that passage he warned against showing partiality? James says here that is an awful sin. It is showing partiality and we are condemned by our actions if we participate in that sin. Based on these scriptures,
the logical conclusion is that racism is antithetical to the Christian faith. It is the opposite of the Christian faith. If you have committed this sin in the past, I hope you have asked forgiveness for it. If you
are committing this sin at this time, I hope that these scriptures will give you something to think about. And if you plan to be a racist in the future, remember what Paul said in Ephesians 2 and what James said in James 2.
What am I doing to stop racism in this country?
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The only thing I know to do is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Demonstrations aren’t going to do it. Riots aren’t going to do it. Writing your congressman isn’t really going to do it, in the long run.
What will change racism in this country is to work upon the hardest object known to mankind - the human heart. And there is only one thing that is able to soften the human heart and that is the gospel of Jesus
Christ.
The United Nations General Assembly on december 10,1948 adopted Resolution 217a - UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS. It was ratified later on in 1965 and this is what it says:
"U.L.C. Neberdjer Society is an independent religious organization dedicated to the concept of human rights for all human beings, (not just a select few) but all. Our goal is for the end to all forms of racism in
the United States and the world. U.L.C. Neberdjer Society is dedicated to up holding and promoting the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination which was adopted by
the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1963 and ratified into law in January 1965.
As an international religious human rights organization, our philosophy and activities are grounded in the principle of equality in dignity and
rights for all people and individuals as a spiritual and practical measure of natural law. Toward this end with the present rise of racist groups and genocidal actions of some organizations and governments, we
the church must stand in the breach to stop this growing insanity. In the near future we shall call for the application for return to the rule of international law if the present trend continues and governments of the world hold their present course. These non-complying governments keep failing to uphold basic yet lofty human rights principles and laws,
that the God of the universe has ordained for all of God’s children. We the U.L.C. Neberdjer Society support, in particular, the objectives and
principles espoused and agreed upon through international consensus and articulated through the United Nations in the corpus of international
law."
Is it working? No! Human rights has failed miserably in every country in this world in one form or another. There are nations that have been rising against nations (ethnic group against ethnic group) for centuries and the Bible has spoken of this often. It is man’s inhumanity to man. Martin Luther wrote on how the jews were to be hated and Hitler used Martin Luther’s hatred of the Jews to summarily slaughter 6 million jews. This was one of the most disgusting displays of man’s inhumanity to man that History has ever recorded. The next in line is the Native
Americans and the Blacks. It goes downhill from there to every nation, kindred and tongue. Jesus didn’t teach hate, or racism or prejudice when he walked the earth. He taught Love. He even gave us two new commandments. The First and second commandments are found in Matthew 22:37-40. This is the greatest commandment. "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the
Lord, thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. The second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Jesus then issued a new commandment that is found in John
13:34, "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another."
If the country went back to Jesus Christ we would not have the Ku Klux Klan, neo-nazi’s and the like anymore.There would no longer be any skinheads because the prophecy has been fulfilled in the Lord’s church:
"They will hammer their swords into plow shares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation and never again will they learn of war. And the wolf will dwell with the lamb. And the leopard will lie down with the kid. And the calf and the young lion and the fattling, together; and a little boy shall lead them. And the
cow and the bear will graze together and the young will lie down together and the lion will eat straw like an ox. And the nursing child will play by the hole of a cobra and the winged child will put his hand
into the viper’s den. They will not hurt or destroy, in my holy mountain, for the earth will be full in the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea."
Those words of Isaiah were not about some 1000-year reign in the future; those words were about the Lord’s church. It is in the body of Christ that the lion lays down with the lamb. It is in the body of Christ that
we hammer our swords into plowshares and never again learn of war. It is in the body of Christ that racism is not supposed to exist. Therefore, the answer to racism is to continue spreading the gospel, converting
people to Jesus Christ as they are baptized for the forgiveness of their sins and enter in to the body of Christ. One of the sins that has to be left behind is racism. If it is not left behind, then there is not
serious repentance going on. The body of Christ, the gospel of Christ; those are the only two answers that will end the problem of racism. Finally, I would like to leave you with thsi thought: Martin Luther King said it well in his speech called "I have a dream." where he envisioned watching brothers ans sisters of all color and national origin walking hand-in-hand and working side-by-side in God and for the Glory of G
God.
