Racism is a Sin!
by David J. Stewart
"My brethren, have not the
faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
-James 2:1
Respect of Persons is a Sin
It is sinful to disrespect or mistreat someone simply because of their nationality, disability, weakness, poverty, or the color of their skin. Every human being is validated in God's eyes the very moment they are conceived in the womb. Every human being is created in the image of God.
We read in James 2:1 that it is wrong to have "respect" (STRONG'S CONCORDANCE: Gk. prosopolepsia, which means, "partiality, i.e. favoritism") of persons. Romans 2:11 declares, "For there is no respect of persons with God." Respect of persons is a sin, and it exists in many forms. The Word of God proclaims "...but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD" (Leviticus 19:18). The Bible teaches that we should love other people the same as we love our selves. If we treat someone differently than we would treat our self, then we are discriminating against them. This is what God said! We are to love our neighbor as our self.
Racism in Our Churches!
Racism is a horrible sin. I once knew a Caucasian preacher who would often make reference in his sermons to actor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, as Arnold "Schwarze-NIGGER." There were African American families in the church, but very few compared to the hundreds of Caucasian families. I'm surprised they tolerated that kind of mistreatment. Although it may have seemed like an honest mistake to some, I personally felt the pastor was doing it on purpose. That's not Biblical Christianity! I just don't believe that he was that ignorant. It's extremely rare to hear a sermon on racism; BUT, it is a big problem around the world, and in America. Even worse, many of America's preachers are racist. This is especially true of preachers from the Bible belt in the south.
I know of a church, where a ministry leader was called into the office, and told not to bring too many black kids to church. That same church, a couple times a year, would invite every black kid they could find in the ghetto to come to church, to boost their attendance on a big day. They'd offer a basketball to the black kid who brought the most visitors. But then the church would forget about those poor black kids for the rest of the year. I still get sick thinking about it. Shame on them! Racism is a work of the flesh. No one should be favored or discriminated against because of their nationality or skin color. God is NO respecter of persons. God needed to teach Peter in Acts Chapter 10 that the Jews were NO better than the Gentiles. We read in Acts 10:34, "Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons." God needed to do this, so that the Gentiles could get saved and become disciples of Christ too. Up until Acts 10, Peter (a Jew) had been misled to believe that salvation was only of the Jews. Not so! Romans 10:12 plainly teaches that God is RICH until all that call upon His name, whether they be Jew or Gentile.
I once had a Bible teacher who tried to justify the racism of another ministry leader (a friend of his) by saying, "You have to understand that Brother so-and-so's father threatened to slap him to the ground, when he was growing up, if he ever said 'sir' to a black man." I couldn't believe what I was hearing! That's like saying we should understand why a priest is a pedophile because priests aren't allowed to get married. Isn't it amazing how even so-called Christians will buy into Satan's lies? Racism is wrong, period! I don't care "why" you are racist, it is wrong. To seek justification for racial discrimination is sinful in itself. We should never seek justification for any sin.
What Racism is Not
Prejudice is not racism
Now let me clarify a few things. Prejudice is not racism. I realize that prejudice attitudes can lead to racism; BUT, they don't have to. Racism is when you act upon your prejudices and mistreat someone, or discriminate. I may not like you for whatever reason; but I am required by God to be respectful and fair towards you. The educational and Psychological community think they can reform human nature and eradicate racial discrimination without God or moral principles. It won't happen! Each generation must rediscover the truth for themselves. The only hope is the preaching of the Word of God. Racism is a work of the flesh--a sin, just as is lying, lusting, stealing, slandering, fornicating, etc. For any society, such as America, to hypocritically approve of sins such as abortion, witchcraft, fornication, evolution teaching, gambling, and pornography; BUT, then expect to eliminate racism ... well, it doesn't work that way! You can't pick and choose which moral laws you want to obey.
Again, prejudice is not racism. Everyone has right to their opinion; but, no one has right to be unkind, discriminatory, or mean towards anyone. God is no respecter of persons, and neither should we be. It takes a mature adult to look beyond their own preconceived prejudices and still be fair. Trying to teach people not to be prejudice is like trying to teach a child not to like candy; but, we can teach them how to properly channel their prejudices. What we need to teach young people is HOW to treat other people with whom we disagree.
Natural Ethnic Barriers is not racism
Also, at the tower of Babel, God separated mankind across the earth, changing his language, and I believe, his race at that time also. For a certainty, we know that God did segregate man by changing his location and language. There are over 5,000 known languages in the world today. Acts 17:26 and 27 tells us why God did this, "And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord..." God set men's boundaries, dividing them by languages and territories, that all men might seek the Lord. In other words, it's always a very bad thing when men are united, because they always unite against God. This is because of man's sin nature, which is prone to evil. This was the problem which led to the first Babel. So God separated them for their own good. Today, as the world once again seeks to unite together, they are simultaneously uniting together against God in every way. This is the New World Order.
I'd also like to comment that the Bible does not condemn interracial marriage. Hebrews 13:4 clearly states "marriage is honorable in ALL..." But God will judge whores and whoremongers who have sex outside of marriage!
Fear is not racism
And one more item, fear is not racism. Some of the most dangerous and crime filled areas in America are in urban African American, Latino, and Asian communities. You can't blame people for wanting to move away from those type of neighborhoods, where pimps stand on the street corner, and drugs are sold everywhere. I used to work with a Christian black man named Stan. One day he shared with me something that really made him angry. He said Caucasian women would sometimes cross the street to avoid him, if they saw him coming towards them. Now, Stan was a big black guy. I explained to Stan that it wasn't unreasonable to understand a woman's fears. Most women are afraid of being raped. All you ever hear on the news in America's big cities is about all sorts of malicious crimes being committed by African Americans. It's just a FACT! I know because I lived in Chicago for 37 years of my life. Some of the most vile, deplorable, and Hellish music on earth is BLASTED by young negro thugs who drive around, four in a car ... looking for trouble. Now I fully realize that most African-Americans are respectable people, but you can't blame people for being afraid of those who aren't.
Now I explained all this to Stan, and he didn't like what I said; but he admitted that I was right. It is very normal for a woman to be afraid of a man coming towards her, especially if he looks intimidating. And I'll tell you, there's nothing more intimidating than a young black man, who looks like a thug, coming towards you with a hateful or sly look on his face. It's a look you never forget, if you've ever lived in the big city for any amount of time. If you don't like what I'm saying ... tough ... it is the truth! I realize that there are all sorts of social causes and reasons for high crime rates among inner city black folks, such as poverty and government misappropriation of money; but, that doesn't change the fact that densely poor black areas are the highest crime areas in America. As an example: Cleveland, Ohio is 50% African American and has a crime rate TRIPLE of the national average. Now, I'm not racist; but you couldn't pay me to live in Cleveland! I would be afraid to live in a place with so much crime. I believe it's more of a poverty issue, than it is an ethnic issue; but, we don't hear that on the news. The news reporter never says, "A poor man raped and bludgeoned a woman to death." No, it's usually ... a black male. I do not say this to be mean; but, to set the record straight. Racism is a horrible sin, but let's not label every woman as being "racist" because she crosses the street out of fear of a black guy approaching her. People hate that which causes them to live in fear, and you'll NEVER change that.
Abortion is the Ultimate Racism!
You want to talk about racism, take a look at www.blackgenocide.org. Abortion is extreme discrimination, an attack against babies! Just as with slavery, it is the free who have no problem with oppression. Babies have rights too! Who is the Supreme Court to say that a growing child is not a human being? They are evil LIARS, and murderers! The Bible teaches that we should love other people the same as we love our self. If we were the baby about to be aborted, about to have our skull cracked open and our brains sucked out, we wouldn't want that to happen. The problem is that mothers don't love their babies. Get mad if you want ... a mother who loves her baby WON'T abort her child! Every child has a right to live! Abortion is discrimination against the unborn living. "Thou shalt not kill" -Exodus 20:13!
The Jews are No Better Than Anyone Else
Some Jews today are extremely arrogant, thinking that they are automatically going to Heaven because they are Jewish; BUT God says, "For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him" -Romans 10:12. God clearly states that there is absolutely NO difference between the Jew and the Gentile. We are all sinners (Romans 3:10,23). We all deserve to burn in Hell to suffer for our sins (Romans 6:23). God loves us all, and sent His Son Jesus Christ to pay for our sins (John 3:16; Romans 5:8; 1st John 3:16). Anyone can be saved by believing on Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31; Romans 10:13). Those who don't believe on Christ will go to Hell (John 3:36). Those who refuse to obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ will be punished in eternal fire (2nd Thessalonians 1:8).
Many Christian people have been deceived into believing that Israel today is special, that they deserve to be treated as royalty, better than others. Nothing could be further from the truth of God's Word. It was God Himself Who gave the Jews into the torturous hands of king Nebuchadnezzar, and the Babylonians. It was God who allowed Titus to totally annihilate Jerusalem in A.D. 70. It was God who allowed Hitler to holocaust millions of Jews. But, many other nations have faced the same evils. Look at Cambodia, and how Pol pot murdered millions of innocent poor people. Look at Rwanda, and how 500,000 of them were tortured to death by the Tutsi rebels. Look at the tens-of-millions killed in the Russian gulags, or the Unit 731 Japanese torture camps in WWII. The Japanese monsters locked Chinese people into small cages, injected gasoline into their veins, raped teen girls and sewed their wombs closed--all experiments. Japan murdered over 20,000,000 innocent Chinese people. Who is Israel? Does anyone care about those poor Russians who died in the gulags? Where is their memorial? Where is their holocaust museum? Russia refuses to even acknowledge the treacherous gulag years, just as Japan refuses to acknowledge their unit 731 atrocities. I think it is extreme racism for the world to show so much sympathy for the Jews, while dozens of holocausts throughout history are totally IGNORED. I say, lets be fair!
Now, the Jews are God's people; but, that does not make them God's children (born again Christians). Most Jews are bound for Hell because they have rejected Jesus as their Messiah. I say this with great sadness, for God is not willing for any to perish (2nd Peter 3:9). The Bible is clear that Israel will not be regathered to the Promised Land until Jesus returns at the second coming (Ezekiel 28:25,26). At that time, Israel will possess ALL of the Promised Land--from the Euphrates river in the north, to the Nile river in the south. The land of Palestine will once again flow with milk and honey, and flourish with agriculture. The curse upon the land will be removed.
In contrast, the nation of Israel today was formed by evil men who drove Palestinians from their homes at gun-point. The "star of David" is not found in the Bible, and is an occult symbol. The people who are raising money, to return Jews back to Jerusalem today, are doing the same thing Abraham did when he took Hagar as his wife. Abraham and Sarah didn't believe God's promise, that He would make them parents in their old age. So they took matters into their own hands, which never works. God won't be rushed. Israel today is not the work of God. God broke off His business dealings with Israel in 586 B.C., when he allowed Babylon to destroy Israel as a nation. Are the Jews still God's people? Yes! ... but God has temporarily turned to the Gentiles to preach the Gospel, until the Tribulation period comes, when 144,000 Jews will turn to the Lord, and God will use them to win multitudes to Christ. Most Jews today are unsaved, and foolishly believe they will someday see the Promised Land; BUT, they won't. Only SAVED Jews, who have believed upon the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour, will be regathered into the Promised Land prophesied of in the Scriptures. I do not say this to be unkind, but to speak the truth. According to Galatians 3:7, every born again Christian is a child of Abraham, "Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham." A physical Jew is not guaranteed anything unless he becomes a spiritual Jew by faith alone in Jesus Christ.
Blacks and Whites, and the Real Problem
Some of the worst crime areas in America are concentrations of dense African American populations. For example: Cleveland Ohio is 50% black and has a crime rate TRIPLE of the national average. Although white's often blame many blacks for lacking the initiative to apply themselves to "make something of themselves," it doesn't work that way. I'm white, and as an honest Christian, I do see that blacks are suffering from poverty more than anything else. There is a lot of racism against inner city poor black people. If you look at abortion statistics (see www.blackgenocide.org), African American women are far more likely to have abortions than middle-class white women. Are there some lazy black people who don't want to work, sure, but there's lazy white people too. On average, blacks are far less likely to succeed in life than whites, and it's not because of they're lazy; BUT, because the parents don't have the job skills and training to earn enough money to put their kids through college. Even with some type of scholarship, the amount of money required to put a kid through college is RIDICULOUS! Fewer and fewer parents can afford it.
The big problem with black America is that their entire culture is still depraved from the days of slavery. I'm not saying they deserve reparations; BUT, I am saying that they were forced to come to America as slaves. European immigrants had skills to offer and willingly migrated to America. The America negro was voted as only comprising 4/5 of a human being by the Supreme Court in 1860. How's that for dehumanizing. And you wonder why blacks get so angry? I realize that today's blacks have no right to blame their failures on the past--now is now, then is then. Nevertheless, poverty is a pit that is very difficult to climb your way out of as a family. I was disgusted when Chicago finished it's $500,000,000 Millennium Park project in 2004. It was four years over schedule, and about $300,000,000 over budget. Even the world's leading fool couldn't have screwed up that bad! It's all a big scam! All that money was siphoned off into the pockets of politicians, family, friends, etc. Meanwhile, drive-by shootings continue. Tens-of-thousands of bored teens are out on the streets, good for nothing, and up to something. What do you think $500,000,000 could have accomplished had the money been spent to build community centers and gyms, to educate, train, and provide a safe place for teens to migrate?
This is what is wrong with America! It's the rich crooks, our leaders, who are squandering our money, lying to us, misappropriating funds, and destroying the poor. Of course, a smart politician won't completely squander the taxpayers money. A few new trees here and there, a couple new cops, a small tax break, pave a few roads; BUT, hundreds-of-millions vanish, and sometimes trillions. Look at all the horrible deaths and destruction in New Orleans, due to hurricane Katrina, because our government wouldn't spend $60,000,000 to shore up the levees. But our government can spend upwards of a billion in Iraq. I agree with Bill Cosby, and his criticisms of the wickedness and irresponsibility of the black folks in New Orleans. I personally don't believe Katrina was God's judgment upon New Orleans. If I were God, I'd take out Las Vegas, who's official Chamber of Commerce even touts their city as ... SIN CITY! What evil! America's judgment is the gradual deterioration and loss of our freedoms due to the immoral behavior, lack of concern, and wicked pride. Our ultimate judgment as a nation will be a police state, and the enslavement of America.
Conclusion
Racism is a sin and God expects us to be fair and just with everyone, regardless of their skin color or national heritage. Regardless of our prejudices, which are a normal part of different cultures, we are expected by God to LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF (Leviticus 19:18). Although children should be taught not to be racist, racism is a work of the flesh, just as lying, stealing, cursing, etc. The answer to sin has never been reformation, education, or rehabilitation; BUT, rather, Jesus Christ, and the wonderful salvation which can only be found by trusting upon His precious blood, which He shed for our sins at the cross. Some people believe that Children are taught racism. Although this is true is some cases, a child does not need to be taught to lie, cheat, or steal, or to be racist. A child does need to be taught to love and respect others, regardless of who they are; BUT, that does not mean that we are to accept their sinful lifestyle.
Sometimes discrimination is justified. If a Christian bookstore doesn't want to hire a homosexual, they shouldn't have to. Yet, I don't believe we should ever needlessly be unkind to someone who is a homosexual. Regardless, homosexuals will be offended when Christ-honoring Christians don't want their children playing with theirs. And God-fearing Christians will be offended when they see homosexuals anywhere. The homosexual issue is going to get very intense in America in the years to come. Christians will be arrested and convicted of hate speech for preaching the Word of God.